Monogram Foods

Professional Background and Role at Monogram

I am the Vice President of Engineering at Monogram Foods. In this role, my primary responsibility is the management and execution of the portfolio of capital projects across the enterprise. We execute projects for two primary reasons: a) to grow the business and make the company more profitable; and b) to enable all our manufacturing plants to be able to operate in a safe, food-safe, legally compliant and efficient way.

My team is also responsible for building capability and providing oversight of maintenance practices across all our manufacturing facilities. Lastly, my team also provides oversight and governance on environmental compliance across all our operations.

Ensuring Quality While Maintaining Efficiency

It all starts with accountability we need to set clear performance expectations and then manage to say expectations rigorously. There are red lines that we can never afford to cross anything that puts people at any level of risk of getting hurt, or anything that could compromise the food safety or quality of the products that we make, is a hard red line. Anytime a red line is crossed, we need to hold people accountable accordingly. Once it is clear to everyone in the organization what the non-negotiable elements of work are, the focus can then shift to driving efficiency in the production output. Efficiency can never be delivered at the expense of safety, food safety, or quality—that is an extremely dangerous slippery slope.

Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Food Manufacturing

All regulations from applicable regulatory agencies (USDA, FDA) are critical to ensure food-safe production. While it is true that there is a cost to implement these requirements, it is critical to prioritize investments that ensure the production environment follows good manufacturing practices and food-safe design.

These investments will also result in improved operating conditions which will translate into more efficient operations. The key is not to view investments needed to keep regulatory compliance as a burden. Instead, these investments should be viewed as an opportunity to improve the conditions of the manufacturing floor, which inherently results in improved productivity.

Innovative Strategies for Waste Reduction

In my opinion, the best strategy to improve environmental outcomes is also the oldest strategy in the book improve operational efficiency. A production line that runs efficiently, with minimal unplanned downtime and running at elevated levels of OEE, is a production system that minimizes transient state operation (i.e., line start-up/ramp-up/ ramp-down). A transient state is where most waste is generated, and it is also when equipment operates in a suboptimal energy-efficiency range. If a production line has frequent stops, it creates extra waste, requires added cleaning, and consumes more energy. A poorly maintained plant utilities operation (i.e., compressed air, hot water, refrigeration and heating systems and power distribution) wastes energy, whereas a well-maintained utilities operation will run optimally in a very energy-efficient way.

Emerging Technologies Shaping Food Manufacturing

I do not believe Food Manufacturing is necessarily unique where there would be an innovative technology that would be particularly applicable or beneficial for this industry. Food Manufacturing will benefit from the continuous progress of automation and digitization technologies much like any other manufacturer. That said, food manufacturing does not have the same level of profit margins observed in other sectors, which means that implementation of automation and digitization technologies can be more challenging to justify when compared to other higher-margin industries. As these technologies mature, implementation costs will continue to become more affordable, and we will inevitably see a transformation over time into more “digital factories” in the food manufacturing world.

Essential Guidance for Aspiring Manufacturing Engineers

Manufacturing is a remarkably interesting yet demanding sector. I believe it is essential to master the basics and build a strong foundation in order to be able to progress and succeed in this field. Early on, it is important to dive fully into understanding all fundamental production processes—focus on a particular process, become an expert, and then focus on the next. Never stop learning, never stop being technically curious. Always stay current with technology developments, but at the same time, always seek to understand how technology can be used profitably.