Changes to national, global food requirements could mean loss of business without compliance

Food processors, suppliers or packagers across the nation should be aware; operations could be greatly affected by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). These two separate initiatives represent the most radical change to the food supply chain in the last 80 years.  A company’s failure to meet the requirements of FSMA and GFSI have cost the company significant revenues, and in some much worse cases, even resulted in a shutdown of operations.

Over 90,000 food suppliers in the US will be affected by FSMA, so even the smallest companies throughout the supply chain will not be able to avoid the regulations. Acting under FSMA, the FDA has already shut down a number of plants under a “guilty until proven innocent” approach.

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Specialty Pump Manufacturer Achieves ISO Certification with“Flying Colors”

Looking to please a highly technical customer base keenly alert to quality issues, Plano-based MTH Pumps embarked on the ISO 9001:2008 certification journey with IMEC’s help—and found it an ideal way to improve processes, address longstanding issues and build customer confidence.

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Customizable solution for manufacturing-specific training needs

Alchemy Systems and the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC) have partnered to demonstrate the SISTEM training and compliance program for manufacturers on Thursday, June 21 at TMA in Park Ridge. Through conversations with companies in the field, IMEC experts have heard common themes echoed throughout the state of Illinois. Companies are seeing an increasing difficulty in keeping workers properly trained and productive, a struggle maintaining a system of documentation for training, and meeting safety requirements and reporting.

The SISTEM training and compliance solution will help companies address these issues and relieve the manufacturer of the difficulties associated with training employees. At the workshop, participants will hear from a Chicago-area manufacturer and learn how they have customized this solution to meet plant- and machine-specific training needs. Attendees will also hear how regulatory and industry pressures are forcing you to change the way you train workers, including assessing their comprehension at their education level.

 Pumps, Filters, and Accessories in Chicago, Illinois

             IMEC’s team had award winners in 3 out of 10 categories while competing against 60 other centers for recognition.  The Manufacturing Innovations Awards celebrate the achievements of outstanding individuals, teams, and organizations that have gone above and beyond to make significant impacts on U.S. manufacturing. The MEP Conference is a gathering of representatives from all of the MEP Centers in the nationwide network to collaborate and continue building a strong U.S. manufacturing sector.