New member of the Board of Directors of Bühler Group

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

New member of the Board of Directors of Bühler Group

Rainer Schulz, former CEO of the global REHAU Group, is being proposed to the Bühler shareholders as a new member of Bühler Group’s Board of Directors at an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting on June 21, 2019.

At its upcoming extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting on June 21, 2019, Bühler will add a new member to its Board of Directors with the nomination of Rainer Schulz (54). Rainer Schulz is a Swiss national, married, and lives with his family in the region of Emmental in Switzerland. After obtaining a degree in production technology, for which he was awarded the promotion prize of the Association of German Engineers VDI, Rainer Schulz first held various materials management and production supply chain positions in the electronics and mechanical engineering industries.

Since 1995, Rainer Schulz has acted as head of production and later as general head of purchasing in charge of global procurement at the jet engine builder BMW Rolls-Royce AeroEngines. In 2001, Rainer Schulz moved on to the global REHAU Group. As Chief Operating Officer, he was in charge within the context of the company management of the engineering, production, and materials management functions. In 2010, Rainer Schulz was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the REHAU Group, a position he held until mid-2018.

With the appointment of Rainer Schulz, the Board of Directors is winning an experienced business expert with an impressive industrial track record who will ensure continuity in the further development of Bühler.

Children’s Charity to Support Mentor Link in Redditch

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Children’s Charity to Support Mentor Link in Redditch

L to R: Delighted to have secured funding from children’s charity Oakland Foundation, Mentor Link Recruiter Karen Arnold and Chief Executive Andrea Maddocks MBE.

Mentor Link which supports distressed and vulnerable children and young people has secured new funding from Redditch and Bromsgrove children’s charity the Oakland Foundation.

Agreeing to support the work of Mentor Link in Redditch, the Oakland Foundation will now fund Mentor Link’s work with a local young person in Redditch or Bromsgrove for the coming year. Mentor Link’s dedicated and highly trained volunteer mentors work with young people to help them achieve positive changes in their lives and for them to remain engaged with their families, their learning and to achieve a successful and positive transition into adulthood.

Mentor Link Chief Executive Andrea Maddocks MBE commented: “Many thanks to the Oakland Foundation for supporting Mentor Link which provides one to one support to vulnerable and distressed children. The demand for our services is very high this year, so financial support is vital in ensuring that these children obtain a prompt and professional service when needed. For further information about our services to children, see our website www.mentorlink.org.uk.”

The Oakland Foundation charity supports projects and organisations based around Health and Nutrition, Education and Sport for children under 16 and their families and was created by Redditch-based multi temperature supply chain and food distribution operator Oakland International six-years ago.

Oakland Foundation Trustee, Hayley Smith, commented: “The Oakland Foundation is delighted to support Mentor Link and the vision they have to extend their support of schools and young people in the area.”

Working with community stakeholders, schools and youth organisations, the Oakland Foundation is extending its support of student and youth initiatives through new partnerships with the council, local businesses and community and voluntary groups and organisations.

Blakemore Foodservice Joins The Country Range Group

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Blakemore Foodservice Joins The Country Range Group

Blakemore Foodservice – a division of the prestigious A.F. Blakemore & Son group, has signified its intention for ambitious growth after joining the Country Range Group network of independent wholesalers.

With a 69,000ft distribution depot at its HQ in Walsall, an 80,000ft site dedicated to foodservice in Wakefield, plus a network of distribution hubs, Blakemore Foodservice is a family run, multi-temperature distribution company that supplies schools, local authorities, public houses, restaurant chains, the leisure industry and independent caterers throughout the UK.

Blakemore Foodservice will now gain access to the Country Range Group’s growing purchasing power and pioneering marketing initiatives including the monthly ‘Stir it up’ magazine and promotional publication.

The company will also receive exclusive ownership of the 800-strong range of products under the Country Range brand, which saw total sales in excess of £110 million in 2018.

Coral Rose, Managing Director of Country Range Group, said:

“The name A.F. Blakemore has been a sign of quality food and drink plus incredible customer service for the last century in the UK so we’re delighted to welcome Blakemore Foodservice to the Group.”

“The CRG and Blakemore already share so many values when it comes to integrity, innovation, a personal approach and the development of its people so we’re excited for the future. Blakemore Foodservice will participate fully in all Group purchasing and marketing initiatives.”

“We look forward to meeting the wider Blakemore team at our Annual Trade Exhibition later this month and are confident our expertise, commercial foundation and added value customer support strategies will help them achieve their ambitious plans for growth.”

Caoire Blakemore, Head of Blakemore Foodservice, said:

“Country Range is widely recognised as a trusted brand, and we’re really excited to bring their range, developed exclusively for professional caterers, to our customers.”

“The quality and depth of the CRG range is fantastic and it’s always being innovated to keep up with trends.It will be great to join forces with other likeminded businesses to grow our share in the marketplace and support other foodservice businesses in their growth too.”

About Country Range

With 25 years of heritage servicing the UK’s innovative foodservice sector, the Country Range Group is made up of 13 independent wholesalers: Birchall Foodservice, Blakemore Foodservice, Caterite Foodservice, Creed Foodservice, Dunns Food and Drinks, EFG Foodservice, Harvest Fine Foods, Henderson Foodservice, Savona South West, Savona Foodservice, Thomas Ridley Foodservice, Trevors Foodservice and Turner & Price.  In addition to offering leading brands, the Group also provides over 800 products, all developed exclusively for professional caterers under the Country Range brand. Covering grocery, chilled, frozen and non-food, Country Range is widely recognised by caterers as a trusted and reliable brand delivering consistent quality and value for money without compromising on taste and flavour.

Website: www.countryrange.co.uk

Twitter/Instagram: @countryrangeuk

About Blakemore Foodservice

A.F. Blakemore & Son is one of the largest and most forward-thinking family-owned businesses in the UK. The company began life in 1917 as a counter-service grocery store and now employs more than 7,500 people and generates a group turnover of circa £1.2 billion.

Fuelled by a passion for food and drink, the company has retail, wholesale distribution, logistics and shop fitting divisions, with Blakemore Foodservice launching in 1975.

Passionate about making a positive difference to its customers’ businesses, the foodservice industry and the wider community, Blakemore Foodservice holds the Investors in People Bronze standard and the Soil Association Catering Mark Supplier Scheme Certification.

Website: www.afblakemore.com/food-service/welcome

ADBA Welcomes Government Moves to ‘Net Zero’ Emissions by 2050

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

ADBA Welcomes Government Moves to ‘Net Zero’ Emissions by 2050

UK Government to tighten up 2050 emissions targets after recommendation from CCC
Pledge toughens up 2008 Climate Change Act
ADBA calls for incoming Prime Minister to commit to plans

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association has welcomed Government plans to cut UK emission to almost zero by 2050, a strengthening of existing 2050 targets to reduce emissions by 80% under the 2008 Climate Change Act. This follows a recommendation by the Committee on Climate Change last month and rising public pressure.

By converting organic wastes and crops into renewable heat and power, clean transport fuel, and soil-restoring natural fertiliser, AD can contribute to a 10% cut in worldwide emissions. Crucially, AD reduces emissions from hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as heat, transport, and agriculture, as well as from the power sector and from waste.

Commenting, ADBA Chief Executive Charlotte Morton said;

“It is excellent news that the Prime Minister has committed the Government to a net zero plan for emissions by 2050, taking note of Parliament’s calling of a climate emergency and urgings from the Committee on Climate Change. Anaerobic digestion and biogas have a vital part to play in cutting emissions both here in the UK and worldwide, and we would urge other nations to take note of the UK Government’s decision. It is reassuring that most of the contenders for the next Conservative leader and therefore Prime Minister have committed to the net zero 2050 pledge and would urge whoever wins to take forward this ambitious plan into legislation, and hope the House of Commons will support it.

Crucially, as a technology-ready solution that can tackle climate change right across the economy, it’s vital that government recognises and rewards the many benefits of AD so it can make the maximum contribution to decarbonisation at speed and scale. Policies such as the introduction of separate food waste collections in England will make a significant contribution to this, and AD is the Government’s preferred method for recycling that food we cannot utilise up the value chain – this simple change will hugely help us cut our carbon emissions by taking organic material away from landfill and incineration.”

Bühler launches single-screw extruder PolyOne

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Bühler launches single-screw extruder PolyOne

At VICTAM International 2019 trade fair, Bühler is showcasing solutions for the entire feed value chain, with a special focus on how to use digital services to make the feed industry safer, and more profitable. LumoVision, the revolutionary data-driven maize sorting technology, finds its way into the feed processing industry. Today, Bühler has launched the multifunctional single-screw extruder PolyOne for the pet food and aqua feed industry.

Bühler has launched its new single-screw extruder PolyOne today, designed to consistently deliver high product quality for the pet food and aqua feed industries. “PolyOne enables our customers to maximize their productivity, and helps to prevent product recalls,” says Christoph Naef, Head of Business Unit Nutrition at Bühler Group. PolyOne meets highest food and feed safety standards thanks to its perfected hygienic design. It is a modular system so Bühler can adapt PolyOne to customers’ specific needs, such as higher capacities.

Kubex T: High-capacity pellet mill with full process transparency

Kubex T provides highest process transparency thanks to an application that connects it to Bühler Insights, the pioneering cloud platform for the food and feed industry. A dashboard visualizes data for customers, making their processes transparent. This allows for seamless tracking and brings production downtimes to a minimum. Algorithms and Bühler experts help millers to optimize the mill’s parameters. With it, customers achieve higher profits and lower production costs thanks to innovations in intelligent process optimization. Kubex T is designed for high-capacity pelleting. Customers will use up to 20% less energy compared to conventional pellet mills, benefit from high production capacities of up to 80 tons per hour, and a customer-driven design, all of which are the result of extensive Bühler research and development in cooperation with leading feed millers.

Bühler LumoVision: data-driven grain sorting technology for feed and food

Bühler showcases its breakthrough sorting technology for the feed industry. LumoVision minimizes toxic contamination in maize and improves yield, by identifying and removing cancer-causing, aflatoxin-infected grains. It does this more accurately and at greater speed than any previous solution. Developed in partnership with Microsoft, LumoVision is a significant advance for the maize processing industry in its fight against toxic metabolites produced by fungal molds called mycotoxins, the most poisonous of which is aflatoxin. The innovation can eliminate up to 90% of contaminated maize. “Advances in digital technology, together with our sorting, food, and feed safety expertise, make this an unrivalled system that contributes to solving a major global security challenge,” says Matt Kelly, Managing Director of Digital Technologies at Bühler.

Aflatoxin is classified as a primary human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Approximately 500 million people worldwide are at risk of exposure to it and it is estimated to cause up to 155,000 cases of liver cancer every year and contribute to stunting the growth of millions of children.

Bühler holds live presentations on feed safety and digitalization at VICTAM, Hall 6, booth D041. Please have a look at the full program here: https://event.buhlergroup.com/victam

For more information on VICTAM International trade fair, please visit: https://victaminternational.com

For more information on Bühler’s digital solutions, please visit: https://digital.buhlergroup.com

Erudus continues to be at the sharp end of food product data

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Erudus continues to be at the sharp end of food product data

Jon Shayler, chief operating officer at Erudus

Erudus has announced its sixth integration partnership in the last 10 months, as it accelerates its journey to revolutionise food data.

Users of the Sharp-aX ERP software food module will benefit from instant access to key product specifications including allergen and nutritional information.

Hertfordshire-based Sharp-aX works with wholesalers and distributors in the food and drink sector, and its managing director is excited to link up with Erudus and be at the forefront of this innovative technology.

Jean Freeman said: “We believe the food integration module/partnership will soon become imperative to our food customers with regard to the aggressive changes of laws and regulations surrounding allergens.

“The data is entered directly by the manufacturers, which means our customers take food information directly from source with a clear chain of responsibility.

“The significant time saving with instant access to key stats allows Sharp-aX customers to view and download data from Erudus to their website seamlessly.”

Sharp-aX has a team of eight full-time UK-based software developers and five full-time web developers who work together to ensure that data created and maintained in the Sharp-aX software is instantly accessible via their customers’ websites.

Its consultancy and customer relationship teams have a wealth of food distribution knowledge and expertise totalling more than 80 years in the industry.

Jon Shayler, chief operating officer, said: “Integration partnerships such as these allow us to push the data further to support as many brands as possible.

“It’s a time consuming process for the foodservice chain to manage product specifications, and exploring options with companies like Sharp-aX allows us to reach more people and make their lives easier.

“For our integration partners, they can offer true added value to their users and I would urge anyone interested in finding out more to get in touch.”

In the last 10 months, Erudus has launched integration partnerships with tech firms including LadyLodge, RNF Digital, 443 AI, and SwiftCloud.

For more information about Erudus visit erudus.com.

For more information about Sharp-aX visit https://www.sharp-ax.com/.

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