AIB INTERNATIONAL, a global consultant in food safety and quality, appointed DAN MARTIN as president and CEO. He succeeds Andre Biane, who led the company for the past eight years and announced in 2020 his plan to retire. Martin is a food and beverage industry veteran who launched his own consulting practice in 2020, working with numerous food and beverage companies to drive profitable topline growth. Prior to that, Martin was CEO of Twinings North America for 15 years, leading them to become the fastest growing tea company in North America. His career began in 1988 with Kraft Foods, where he held numerous positions of increasing responsibility.

MOTION INDUSTRIES INC., a distributor of maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts, and a provider of industrial technology solutions, has announced the promotion of JAMES HOWE to executive vice president—e-commerce, sales excellence, strategic pricing and corporate accounts—and JOE LIMBAUGH to executive vice president—supply chain, operations support, marketing and enterprise excellence.

SPEC ENGINEERING, A GRAY COMPANY, announced that JEFF JENDRYK has joined the company as VP of business development. He has more than 30 years of experience in the marketing, consulting, and design of projects and equipment in the food & beverage sector. Jendryk is past chairman of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers—Chicago Section (ASME), and is certified in sanitary design and construction for food processing plants.

Global fresh prepared food manufacturer BAKKAVOR has appointed industry veteran PETER LAPORT as president and CEO of Bakkavor USA. Joining the Charlotte, N.C.-based North American headquarters in late 2020, he brings a wealth of leadership experience to the position from previous roles in fresh food operations.

DR. BRUNO GOUSSAULT, chief scientist of CUISINE SOLUTIONS INC. and founder of the Culinary Research & Education Academy (CREA), has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award (Fauteuil de l’Academie) by the USA Chapter of the Académie Culinaire de France. He was honored worldwide virtually for his unwavering commitment to educating acclaimed and aspiring chefs about the sous vide cooking process. Photo courtesy of Cuisine Solutions

PULSE INTEGRATION welcomed KRISTEN QUINN as an industrial engineer focused on the development of Pulse’s engineering technology. She has extensive experience in material handling and engineering technology, and most recently served as a senior industrial engineer for Ingram Micro, and previously as industrial and solutions engineer for Geodis.

KNOBELSDORFF (KE) announced the addition of JASON GRAHEK, business development manager to its team. In this newly created position, Grahek will lead new business efforts by focusing on growing KE’s industrial and automation accounts, as well as participating in a wide variety of company initiatives.

AGR INTERNATIONAL appointed STEVE SMITH to director of sales for Agr’s North American sales organization. He will oversee all sales related activities within the U.S., Mexico, Canada and several countries within Latin America and the Caribbean.

MULTIVAC’s Group President CHRISTIAN TRAUMANN, has been elected to the Presidium of the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN). He will represent the packaging technology sector for his period in office from 2021 to 2026.

HARPAK-ULMA appointed JAY SIERS, an industry veteran with 35 years of case-ready experience, to the new position of case-ready specialist to execute the company’s new case-ready programs initiative.

PRECIPAK USA, a distributor of best-in-class equipment for the food processing industry, will now offer packaging equipment after signing a new, exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with SEALPAC, manufacturer of innovative traysealers. PreciPak’s decision to partner with SEALPAC extends new possibilities to its customers for safe, efficient and innovative packaging options. These concepts supply a perfect fit for sustainability efforts while displaying food products to their best advantage by reducing the amount and weight of materials necessary to provide a secure seal.

GEORGE WESTON LIMITED announced its intention to focus on its retail and real estate businesses as it launches a process to sell WESTON FOODS. This announcement follows a strategic review by the Board of Directors, which determined the non-food sectors will remain the most significant drivers of long-term value creation.

CRB, a solutions provider for life sciences and food and beverage industries, announced the integration of its design and construction groups. The changes strengthen the company’s alignment with rising client demand for integrated solutions, while cementing CRB’s position as a best-in-class destination for AEC talent.

JBT CORPORATION acquired AUTOCODING SYSTEMS LTD., a provider of software solutions for the automated set-up and control of end-of-line packaging devices.

EQT has announced that EQT Private Equity, through the EQT Mid Market US fund, has agreed to sell DORNER to COLUMBUS MCKINNON CORPORATION for an enterprise value of $485m.

After engagement with AS YOU SOW on reducing single-use plastic packaging, which contributes to ocean plastic pollution, snack and confectionery company MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL and food and beverage giant PEPSICO have agreed to cut their use of virgin plastic for packaging as part of increased efforts to eliminate and replace single-use plastics.

ALLIED ELECTRONICS & AUTOMATION has added 11 new suppliers of personal protective equipment (PPE) and automation and control solutions to its roster of more than 500 world-class suppliers. New products now available include PPE from suppliers LIFT SAFETY, SPRAY NINE, DYMON, and SCRUBS; QA1 bearings; linear actuators from DUFF-NORTON; linear motion products from PBC LINEAR; motor control and drives from DART CONTROLS; HONGFA relays; YS TECH USA thermal management devices; and LAN-POWER power over Ethernet (PoE) products.

ATS AUTOMATION TOOLING SYSTEMS INC. has acquired CFT, an established global supplier to the food and beverage equipment market.

BEL BRANDS USA has created a new program in partnership with LAND O’LAKES, INC. to implement and measure sustainable agriculture practices that promote soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on one of its supplying dairy farms. The three-year pilot effort will be one of the first to use Land O’Lakes’ Truterra Insights Engine to track crop system changes on a dairy farm.

NEXUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP has acquired Natural Balance, a national pet specialty premium brand from THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY.

Gray has partnered with Clemens Food Group to build a new smoked-meat processing facility at its Hatfield, Penn. campus. The 308,000-sq.-ft. plant will also support cooked sausage production, and is expected to add 90 jobs to Clemens’ roster over the next three years.

Designed and constructed by Tippmann Group, Blackline Cold Storage will develop, construct and operate a new 298,000-sq.-ft. cold storage facility (which will be co-owned by Artemis Real Estate Partners) at the Port of Houston.

Diageo North America plans to expand its manufacturing footprint and install two can lines at a new facility in Plainfield, Ill. With an investment of about $80 million, the facility will be in operation by this summer.

Barvecue, producers of wood-smoked, plant-based barbecue, broke ground on a 10,000-sq.-ft., plant-based smokehouse and production facility to be called the Carolina Smokehouse. The Cornelius, N.C. facility is scheduled to open in July of 2021.

Tyson Foods is reestablishing its operations in Columbia, S.C. by investing $55 million over three years to transform the facility into a meat portioning and packaging operation, which will create 330 jobs (including 160 former positions). Operations are expected to begin this month.

Mars Petcare is investing $200 million to expand its Lebanon, Tenn. operation to support the production of cat and dog foods by adding five new automated lines and 108,000 sq.-ft. of space, creating 90 new jobs. Construction will be complete in 2022.

Simmons Pet Food in Siloam Springs, Ark. is expanding its operations by 90,000 sq.-ft. to add three more production lines and create 150 new jobs. The project, run by The Austin Company, should be complete by fall.

First announced in FE, November 2020, Stella & Chewy’s is planning a $67.8 million expansion to its Oak Creek, Wis. operation. The 139,000-sq.-ft. expansion listed in the prior news item will consist of a new manufacturing facility adjacent to its existing building.

Canadian Big Mountain Foods announced its expansion into a 70,000-sq.-ft. facility in Vancouver, B.C. as it partners with Kroger to provide plant-based foods.

Greenleaf Foods, subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods, completed its previously announced purchase of a 118,000-sq.-ft. facility in Indianapolis, where it will install new equipment to increase the company’s tempeh production.