Milling & Baking News - July 9, 2013 - 28

I.B.I.E. Update 

Baking Expo 2013 brings great expectations
KANSAS CITY — Expectations will
be at an all-time high when the show
floor opens onto Baking Expo 2013,
scheduled for Oct. 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. With just three
months to go before the big show, bakers and suppliers alike are planning
their show floor strategies.
While bakers prioritize their lists of
critical needs and add to their everexpanding lists of wants, suppliers
prepare exhibits to meet those needs,
fulfill those wants and reach those
high expectations. After all, as Ken
Hagedorn, vice-president of sales and
marketing and a partner at Naegele
Bakery Systems, Inc., Alsip, Ill., noted,
“I.B.I.E. is often the only opportunity

to show bakers new technologies.”
The latest in process control systems, labor-saving devices and hygienic equipment designs are just a
few items topping bakers’ lists.
“I am interested in seeing new technology that will give us great process
control,” said Delroy Walsh, operations manager, The West India Biscuit
Co., Barbados. “We want to see realtime numbers on moisture and product color on our lines.”
Hearthside Food Solutions, Downers Grove, Ill., plans to have engineers
take full advantage of the time at Expo.
“Because I.B.I.E. is every three
years, and there is actually new news
that’s been created for this show, we
bring all our engineers to Las Vegas,”
said Rich Scalise, president and chief
executive officer of Hearthside and
second vice-chairman of the American
Bakers Association board of directors.
“We conduct our management meeting at I.B.I.E., so the senior team will
be there. We’ll meet with the engineering group every day and talk about
what we’ve seen on the show floor.”
28 / July 9, 2013 Milling & Baking News

Dave Van Laar, president, Oak State
Products, Inc., Wenona, Ill., hopes to
see ideas for flexible automation.
“We recently invested in robotics
and packaging, and now we’re looking at projects that can combine ingredients as well as smaller systems that
can handle labeling and weighing,” he
said.
Sanitary design continues to be one
of the biggest trends in baking, and
bakers looking for advances in this
area will not be disappointed.
“When we evaluate equipment, we
look at function first,” Mr. Van Laar
explained. “If three different systems
from three different manufacturers offer equal functionality, then we evaluate them on Food Safety
Modernization Act requirements and then
sustainability.”
Equipment shopping
also tops the I.B.I.E.
to-do list of Robert
Brookhart, president of
Burlington, Iowa-based
Baker’s Pride.
“We’re in growth
mode here, so we’re going to be looking for similar equipment to what
we have now but that
has maybe taken the next
step. So many advances
happen every three years at this show.
The time span in which the differences
in design take place is just amazing.”
Of course, I.B.I.E. is all about making face-to-face connections in a digital world.
“For us, the show is about networking, educating and account management,” said Scott Fischer, director of
sales and marketing, Shick, Kansas
City. “We go to the show to reach out
to customers who are not familiar with
us, to touch base with customers we
haven’t worked with in a while and
update them on what we have going
on, and to maintain our current relationships.”
Another expectation many suppliers have for the show is locking in customer awareness.
“Brand recognition is really big for
us this year,” said Eric Kartlick, regional sales manager, Zeppelin Systems, Inc., Odessa, Fla. I.B.I.E. 2013
marks the second Expo since the Zeppelin-Reimelt merger.
“We also want to expand our knowledge base by visiting exhibits and

‘Because
I.B.I.E. is every
three years,
and there is
actually new
news that’s
been created for this
show, we bring all our
engineers to Las Vegas.’
— Rich Scalise, president and
chief executive ofﬁcer of Hearthside
Food Solutions and second vicechairman of the American Bakers
Association board of directors.

sitting in on some education seminars,” added Mr. Kartlick’s colleague,
Lisa Arato, applications engineering
manager. “We may attend T.I.A.’s
Technical Conference session ‘Equipment and maintenance modifications
to improve yields and decrease waste’
and the ‘Ask the experts’ panels on
baking technology and plant construction and expansion.”
The Banner-Day contingency also
plans on taking advantage of Expo’s
educational opportunities.
“We typically attend sessions in
AIB’s Technical Seminar and the
Business Management and Marketing track,” said Mike Day, president,
Banner-Day, Saginaw, Mich. “As
far as expectations for the show, as
a supplier and exhibitor we hope
to meet and engage with potential
customers and be available to our
current customers to answer questions and initiate future projects. As
attendees, we like to keep abreast
of what is new and interesting. We
focus on changing trends with the
bakers and how we can meet their
expectations.”
One thing is clear: Bakers and suppliers across the board have great expectations for I.B.I.E. 2013.
“This show is once every three
years, so it’s a large gathering of customers,” said Tim O’Brien, vice-president of sales, Urschel Laboratories,
Valparaiso, Ind. “Economic conditions
are certainly better than they were in
2010, and even better than 2007, so
we’re optimistic that we’re going to
have a good show.” MBN
— Mari Rydings
Mari Rydings is managing editor of I.B.I.E.
publications at Sosland Publishing Co.
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - July 9, 2013

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