< Previous40www.fdiforum.netFLAVOURING & COLOURS - SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONWe spoke to Kenneth P Manning,Chairman, President and CEO of thecompany, to find out how the company iscontinuing to innovate and excel.Could you provide an overview ofSensient’s history?Sensient is actually 130 years old, butit’s an entirely different company now. In1996, when I took over, we werespecialising in yeast, frozen potatoes andbulk cheeses. We felt these were difficultfoundations to build a business on so, inthe next few years, we acquired 21different companies focusing on flavoursand colours for the food and drinkindustry, as well as manufacturingcolours for a number of other sectors.If you look back at the company in the1980s, we had about 3600 employees,almost all US citizens, sales of less than$500 million and a presence in only theUSA and Costa Rica. Today, with fewerthan 3900 employees, sales have tripled,and this year, are expected to be wellover $1.5 billion. We’re now in 75locations in 35 countries and only a thirdof our employees are US citizens.How has Sensient continued tothrive?The company continues to thrivebecause we looked at our future andrealised we needed a dramatic change. Iknow it’s an often-used term but we hadto reinvent ourselves and we’ve donethat. We’re now a global company withworldwide operations.In running an international businesswe’ve had great success in using nationalsof the countries in which we do business.In fact, the number of people at ourcorporate headquarters in Milwaukee hasdecreased, while we have added to ourworldwide staff.Is Sensient continuing to makeacquisitions?Yes, we see some very goodopportunities for our company. We’vebeen successful with our acquisitionsbecause in most cases we’ve been able toattract the entrepreneurs who started thecompany to join us and build thecompany with them. For example, webought a German company whose ownersaid he would work with us for a year –that was twelve years ago and he’s stillworking with us and doing very well.Sensient has recently made acapital investment to add asepticpackaging capabilities. Why doyou feel it’s important to continueinvesting?Last year we made a record capitalinvestment of about $70 million, and thisyear we’re planning to invest $120million. We find this kind of investmentvery important. We have a major $15million programme to upgrade ourBletchley flavouring plant in the UK.That facility has been very successful byselling into the domestic market forflavours as well as selling their flavoursolutions all over the world.The world of colours,fragrances and flavoursSensient Technologies Corporation is one of the leading global manufacturers andmarketers of colours, flavours and fragrances. Sensient employs advanced technologiesat facilities around the world to develop speciality food and drink systems, and theircustomers include most of the world’s best-known brands.Kenneth P. Manning ,Chairman, President &CEO of SensientTechnologies Corporation40-41:Layout 1 23/3/12 10:43 Page 1FLAVOURING & COLOURS - SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONwww.fdiforum.net41How is Sensient meeting customerdemand for natural ingredients?This is a major focus of the company.Now more than 50% of our colours arenatural and that’s been expanded into agreater interest in nutraceuticals, whereyou provide a colorant which is also asupplement. Europe has led the way. Infact, our Bletchley facility pioneered ournatural flavours with some extremelyimpressive technology to extract naturalflavours from botanicals.We’ve now begun manufacturing thosenatural flavours in the USA wherenatural colours and flavours are juststarting to come into prominence.European subsidiaries of our customershave been using natural flavours andcolours and are insisting that their USsubsidiaries convert to natural coloursand flavours. That’s a great opportunityfor us.How do you ensure effectivesynergy between business units atSensient, particularly in R&D?We’ve just held our annual meeting ofthe various general managers in coloursand flavours, which gives them theopportunity to interact. The results areimpressive. The aseptic processing, forinstance, began in flavouring and hasbeen adapted for the colours business.We now have the largest colour plant inthe world in St Louis, and we believe wehave the only aseptic capability forcolours in North America.We have an operation in Leipzig thathas developed advanced purificationtechnology. They’ve adapted this to anencapsulation technique for cosmeticswhich we’re in the process of developingin the US.Sensient’s partnerships with theircustomers are clearly highlyeffective. What are the secretsbehind a successful partnership?One of my general managers explainedthat he tells his customers that we’re notselling products but telling them how youcan use these products. He told me thathis customers come to him; we don’thave to go to them. Customers appreciate when we candevelop a solution for them and theybecome loyal customers. We’re asolutions provider. We sell the productsand we sell the services, but theimportant thing is, we help ourcustomers find solutions.What are Sensient’s plans for thefuture?Our immediate plans are to enter intoanother acquisitions effort. We havealready begun the programme byacquiring full ownership of cosmeticcolour and ingredients businesses inBrazil and Poland. We are interested inkey strategic businesses that wouldprovide us with a broader productportfolio, new technology or access tonew geographic and commercial markets.The longer term strategy is to grow thebusiness dramatically. Before long we’lleasily be a $2 billion company and at thatpoint I’d like to see the business doubleover the next ten years. We’re expandinginto Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe. Infact, we have been pleasantly surprisedwith the high demand for naturalproducts in places like the Ukraine andthe Baltics, even though these countriesare still industrialising. We’re also juststarting to sell aggressively in SouthAfrica. It’s a rich country in terms ofnatural resources, and consumers arelooking for high quality products.We plan to continue investing ininfrastructure, adding new sales andtechnical people and making sure wehave the latest technology in our plantsand labs so that we can continue ourgrowth in the future. For more information onSensient’s products andservices, visitwww.sensient.com.40-41:Layout 1 23/3/12 10:43 Page 242:Layout 1 23/3/12 10:44 Page 1READY MEALSwww.fdiforum.net43In recent years, cost and time havebeen consumers’ main concerns withregards to grocery shopping. Ready mealsnow offer more in the way of healthyoptions for a relatively low price, as wellas offering a quick way of preparingmeals.The sector has grown an impressive9.5% to £1.2 billion over the past year onvolumes up 7.1%. Although these figuresare down on 2010’s larger 11.7% and 16%growths, the sector remains ahead of thegrocery market and, even though itaccounts for 92.7% of the market, ownlabel brands continue to do very wellindeed.Manufacturers have, however, beenwarned that they must embrace the era ofready meals and convenient food. It hasbeen said that shoppers continue to lookfor value in their weekly shop, even ifglobal markets are slowly pullingthemselves out of misery. This, of course,44 The choice on offerfor ready meals andconvenience food isever-growing.Cardamom is becoming asought-after ingredient forall food manufacturers butcan give ready meals thatquality edgeReady for the futureWith convenience demanded by consumers and retailers alike, what isthe future for ready meals?means that private labels will surelyincrease over the next few years and foodprocessors will have to produce moreready meals to meet consumer andretailer demand. Companies are seeing their productranges having to change as a result oftrends. Canned fruit producers, for43-45:Layout 1 23/3/12 10:46 Page 144www.fdiforum.netREADY MEALSexample, may have to offer differently-packaged and healthy alternatives,appealing to the more convenient elements of the market.Health concerns mean that the market reflects this, with diet or low fatmeals being presented in ready meal form and ingredients in particularbeing an element which sways consumer habits. With taste going hand inhand with quality ingredients, it is natural that manufacturers are not usinginferior alternatives any more.The packaging element is also improving, with companies like TFreemantle producing a whole range of solutions to effectively market yourproduct on the supermarket shelf. Using environmentally friendlypackaging options such as sleeving means packaging is not wasted and therelevant information can be presented.The right ingredientsWith the ready meal no longer simply being a convenience but a way inwhich people prepare meals on a regular basis, there has been agroundswell in terms of ingredients being sourced that not only prove costeffective, but also improve a product’s appeal. One such product is cardamom, of which the price of has fluctuatedglobally in recent years. Cardamom is one of the most expensive spicesafter saffron and often termed “Queen of spices”. A member of the gingerfamily, it is a highly versatile spice as it can be used in both sweet andsavoury foods. This greater availability of the crop in recent years has led to a boost inpopularity, especially in the UK food manufacturing sector, whereAbove: T Freemantle provide solutions such as sleevers for packagingneeds ready meal producers may needBelow: Taste is an element most consumers are concerned withT. Freemantle AutomationLtd offer this simple,adaptable and cost effectiveall in one solution toconvey, orientate, guideand code your product.This complete solution isconstructed in stainless steeland is fitted with a food gradefibreless belt.The compact, robust andmaintenance friendly designincludes an `easy offʼ beltand an easy toprogram lowmaintenance inkjet coder.Complete solution£ 5,950+ VATCONVEY IT, TURN IT, GUIDE IT, CODE IT....T.FREEMANTLE LIMITEDAtkinson Way, Foxhills Industrial Park, Scunthorpe, DN15 8QJ UK+44 (0)1724 276908+44 (0)1724 276909sales@tfreemantle.comTFE43-45:Layout 1 23/3/12 10:46 Page 2READY MEALSwww.fdiforum.net45Substantial efficienciesfrom Stevens GroupParamount 21, the frozen food manufacturing company,has chosen Stevens Group to implement a factorywidepaperless traceability system delivering substantial materialefficiencies and cost savings.Paramount is known for creating quality recipes. This has beendemonstrated through the many awards they have won and thefact it has held BRC Certification for over ten years. Themanagement team approached Stevens with a vision of developinga complete factory process control system that would control andmanage the food manufacturing process – from raw materialreceived to finished product.Stevens Receiving Software is installed on a PC and connectedto a label printer, removing the need for a paper-based booking-insystem. The integration with Paramount 21’s Pegasus Opera MRPsystem allows cross-referencing with purchase orders to ensuresupplier compliance while providing price information for later jobcosting analysis. Stevens Receiving Software allows Paramount 21to control use of ingredients throughout the factory process,saving money through ingredient rotation.Paramount 21 also installed the Stevens Vantage RFS to controlthe weighing accuracy of ingredients used to make up processedmixes. The mixes are weighed up on scales connected to theVantage Terminals. The easy to follow screens utilise simple dialdisplays and guarantees the elimination situations of too much ortoo little. Paramount 21’s Financial Director Jon Phillips says, “Stevensdemonstrated their proven solution and modified their existingsoftware to work with and meet our needs 100%. Their attitudeand support is second to none and we are delighted with theimplemented solution.”Stevens manufacture a range of weighing solutions whichinclude Recipe Formulation, Average Weight and In-LineProduct Inspection Systems. Visitwww.stevensgroupltd.com for further details.Weighing & Traceability Solutionscardamom is increasingly being used in curries and stews as wellas cookies and cakes. Cardamom is highly aromatic and has apungent flavour and is widely used in Indian and Middle Easterncuisines as well as in Scandinavian sweet bakery goods andpastries. As a result, prices have fluctuated over the last twelvemonths with prices soaring to record levels. Tasneem Backhouse, Sales Director at EHL Ingredients, aprocessor and seller of a variety of spices and ingredients says:“Cardamom is experiencing a wave in popularity at the momentand it’s important for food manufacturers to keep abreast ofpopular flavours among British consumers. “Cardamom in its various formats can be added to ready meals,sauces, pastes and marinades and is available for foodmanufacturers to add to a range of Indian and Middle Easterndishes.”Expansion within convenienceIn a move that seems natural to many within the business, 2Sisters Food Group have recently acquired ready meals producerBrookes Avana from Premier Foods. With 2 Sisters being analready diversified food company, having already explored theretail, foodservice and manufacturing sectors, acquisition of aready meals specialist makes perfect sense.Boparan Holdings, the holding company for 2 Sisters FoodGroup acquired the Brookes Avana business from Premier Foodsfor a cash sum of £30 million. Ranjit Singh, Chief Executive of 2 Sisters Food Group, says,“We are delighted to reach agreement on the acquisition ofBrookes Avana. The business has a strong track record indelivering high quality products for its customers and wouldprovide a growth platform for 2 Sisters and increased productdiversity. This is an excellent strategic fit and, followingcompletion, we will focus on delivering future growthopportunities and enhancing the performance of the business.”This is just one example of expansion, but we are possiblylikely to see growth within the sector as the cost of producingready meals is relatively low, while the on-shelf price for thehigher end of the market can be high. Innovation withinproduction will surely see a boost too, with this much demand,making the manufacturing process more reliable and streamlinedshould be a priority.Packaging solutions including sleeving mean ready meal producers can presenttheir product in an effective way.43-45:Layout 1 23/3/12 10:46 Page 3Invaluable advice fromindustry specialistsMeet the expert46www.fdiforum.netSuppliers of a comprehensive range of products to the food industry. •Ingredients•Addives•Vitamins•Colourings •Flavourings•Sweeteners•SeasoningsWe believe in giving the customer what they want, when they want it, to the specificaon and in the pack that they require, with no extra costs or hidden charges.We look forward to hearing from you...Jon & Dawn Sermon May Products Ltd, 18 Heathfield Road, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 1AD Tel: 0121 550 7872 Fax: 0121 550 1817 Email: mayproducts@btconnect.comwww.mayproducts.co.uk One of the most underestimated hazards in the workplace.Often workers can be unaware of the risks of irreversible long term damage.Across Europe approximately 60% of workers exposed to noise in the work environment never, or onlyoccasionally wear hearing protection.Damage often goes unnoticed at first because it does not always cause pain.Therefore, the risk of permanent hearing damage is very high.INFIELD Hearing Protection has already proved a major success in Germany.With a dedicated production facility in Bavaria, this unsurpassed range is now available in the UK.INFIELD Hearing Protection offers optimum protection through a totally customised fitting process and a wide rangeof filters.Important sounds and signals can still be heard and the custom fit ensures unsurpassed comfort levels, ensuringwearer acceptance is extremely high.Compared to conventional products, INFIELD Hearing Protection offers significant cost savings and ʻpaybackʼ time can besurprisingly short.Find out more and request your copy of our Hearing Protection DVD from INFIELD Customer Services today.T: 01223 836222 F: 01223 836201 E: info@infield-safety.co.uk W: www.infield-safety.deInfield Safety UK Ltd, Unit 1-7 Apollo, Olympus Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 4NF46-47:Layout 1 26/3/12 11:28 Page 1www.fdiforum.net47Infield Safety UK LtdHearing & Safety Eyewear ProtectionYour eyesight and hearing is irreplaceable. Infield protects it at work, during sports and DIY. Infield safety spectacles are a combination of functional and aesthetic design, as they have been for nearly twenty years. Millions ofpeople worldwide trust in safety eyewear by Infield. Customers requiring Prescription Safety or DSE Eyewear lenses are offered an unsurpassed prescription service. As a sister company ofthe lens manufacturer Signet Armorlite, Infield has decades of expertise in the field of ophthalmic optics and supply high-techprescription lenses from its own UK laboratories.Since the product’s introduction in 2008, thousands of users have discovered the advantages offered by Infield custom-made hearingprotection. Anatomically fitted to each user’s ear canal, the protection can neither slip nor cause pressure points and the protection isconsistent throughout the life of the product. Infield’s large range of acoustic filters allows protection in a multitude of noisyenvironments, eliminating under or over-attenuation.For more information, call 01223 836222, email info@infield-safety.co.uk or visit www.infield-safety.de.May Productsoffer all types of products to the manufacturing industryMay Products are an independent supplier of a comprehensive range of ingredients to the food industry, based in the West Midlands.May Products deals direct with UK-based manufacturers and sourcing houses on the continent or in the UK with in-house QC, with whomthey have developed a long-term relationship based on mutual trust.Personnel involved in the company have over fifty years combined experience in the industry. With long term connections developedthroughout the food sector, May Products offer a comprehensive range of both natural and artificial ingredients including seasonings,colourings, flavourings, sweeteners, baking powders and vitamins, as well as the usual range of chemical additives and preservatives. Theydon’t have minimum order quantities and they don’t believe in delivery charges.May Products have gained accreditation to ISO 9001:2008 standard for the company’s activities. The company is determined to be apleasant, honest company to deal with – a friendly, familiar voice on the other end of the phone, giving you a straight answer. For more information, call 0121 550 7872, email mayproducts@btconnect.com or visitwww.mayproducts.co.uk.Datelpresents Sage ERP X3 – the ERP choice for food and drink businessesMore than most industries, food and drink companies need an effective IT system to integrate processes across the business,accommodate changing operational demands and provide accurate information to maintain control.Sage ERP X3 combines advanced manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, customer relationship management and accountingfunctionality with features that address the unique and specialised needs of your company. Datel, Sage’s largest UK business partner,specialises in working with food and drink companies to provide Sage ERP solutions that help meet customer demands.Sage ERP X3 has been adopted by a number of companies including Ruskim Seafoods, a leading importer and distributor of fish, meatand poultry. Andrew Russell, Financial Director at Ruskim Seafoods, says, “Sage ERP X3 contains impressive functionality within a single,up-to-the-minute system that will be easy to deploy and cost effective across our five sites. Datel understand the industry and how we canget the most out of an ERP solution”Datel’s expertise combined with the functionality, low cost of ownership and rapid deployment of Sage ERP X3 provides a return on yourinvestment.For more information about Sage ERP X3 for the food and drink industry, visitwww.foodanddrinksoftware.com or call 0845 521 1875.46-47:Layout 1 26/3/12 11:28 Page 248www.fdiforum.netMULTIMODALClarion Events, the organisers of Multimodal2012, feel the encouraging response from thelogistics industry reflects the fact that the eventhas become an enduring highlight in the supplychain calendar.The event, now in its fifth consecutive year atthe NEC, promises the strongest showing fromexhibitors yet, and will host a wide spectrum ofcompanies, including third party logisticsproviders, ports, deep-sea and short-sea shippinglines, freight forwarders, international hauliers,rail service providers, terminal operators andequipment and technology suppliers. A host ofindustry leading companies have confirmed theirpresence thus year, including ABP, DBSchenker, Pall-Ex and many more.In addition, a host of first time exhibitorshave recognised that Multimodal is the venue atwhich buyers review innovative logisticsLogistics companies’ rapidresponse to Multimodal 2012Multimodal 2012, the only gathering for all sectors of the UK and Irish logisticsindustry and its customers, is held at the NEC in Birmingham on 1st to 3rd MayVisit us at Multimodal on Stand 225www.atlet.co.uk48-50:Layout 1 23/3/12 11:07 Page 1MULTIMODALwww.fdiforum.net49solutions and where they are encouragedto take those first steps towards doingbusiness with new partners. Newexhibitors include ocean container carrierMaesk Line, which operates over fivehundred modern containerships, andHapag Lloyd, operator of 135 ships oneighty line services.As in previous years, Multimodal’sexhibition will be complemented by aseries of thought-provoking seminars anddiscussion forums. Now in their fifthyear, the Supply Chain Insight Seminars,organised by Shippers Voice, are tutorialsgiven by panels of various experts ontopical supply chain issues. The tutorialsare designed to help logistics practitionerskeep up to date with the latesttechnologies and regulations and assistthem in tackling the current challenges ofcost savings, increased efficiency andmore demanding compliance.Topics covered on day one will includethe potential of cloud computing andSoftware as a Service in the supply chain,the implications of customers and tradecompliance regulations and themaintenance of Authorised OperatorStatus. Day two moves onto green issueswith decarbonising the supply chain andbenchmarking CO2 emissions beingtacked. The middle day will also seeseminars on HR and risk managementchallenges in the supply chain, while thethird day includes a look at warehousingand transport refrigeration.Event director Robert Jervis says,“Today’s astute logistics operators areaware that in the current tough businessclimate they need to maximise theirmarket profile, and Multimodal 2012 is theideal forum in which to achieve that goal.”Multimodal 2012 is at the NEC inBirmingham on 1st to 3rd Mayand for more information, visitwww.multimodal.org.uk.CollyersCollyers specialises in managing freight liability and marine cargo claims and risks,as well as loss adjusting and surveying. They are highly competitive in providinglocal, national and global services and delivering expert, experienced and cost ef-fective solutions; each specifically designed for the freight and cargo industries.Claims cost more than time and money. They can grow in aggravation out of allproportion to their actual value, divert people from key business tasks and adverselyaffect business relationships and profitability. Collyers have successfully handled hundreds of thousands of claims, hold client delegated settlement author-ities of up to €250,000 and their claims adjusters have, on average, nearly 25 years of experience each.Collyers’ folio of claims, loss adjusting and risk management solutions are specifically designed to save money, time and trouble. They can tailor their so-lutions to meet a client’s needs, business model and budgets.Tel: 0844 801 7100 Email: enquiries@collyers.com www.collyers.comStand 10448-50:Layout 1 23/3/12 11:07 Page 2Next >