PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 32

PLANT PROFILE

"We've made it extra hard on
ourselves by having a very
limited ingredient deck so
there are only so many knobs
we can turn to adjust for
ingredient variances."
Aaron Merrell

Creative solutions
are a team effort at
Plato. From left: Aaron
Merrell, Albeena Rivera,
Colter Miller, Hanna
Bemer, Ray Owen and
Ricardo Salazar

32

goal is to fill the wall with certifications much like a
General earns medals for his uniform. "Certifications
are one way we're working to stay ahead. As a small
company, that third party influence helps keep us on the
right path as we grow and expand our product lines,"
Merrell says.
Plato's process includes multiple checks and balances for not only the ingredients coming in, but also for
the finished products. As part of many quality checks
including a third-party validation prior to packaging,

PET FOOD PROCESSING | March 2018 | www.petfoodprocessing.net

finished product passes through Eriez magnetic metal
detectors both before and after packaging along with
checkweighers as a final precaution prior to cartoning.
These steps and many others give Plato validation at
critical control points.
Following Plato's process from raw material to sealed
cartons ready to ship, it's clear a lot of thought has gone
into maximizing every step. When Plato switched to a
Multivac vacuum pouch machine to individually package
its meat sticks, Merrell says the equipment paid for itself
in the first nine months by reducing both labor and product giveaway. Another boost to efficiency was an Ishida
combination scale and an MFG pouch packaging system.
Merrell says this focus on improving efficiency during the
past two years has been a targeted effort to shore up the
company's foundation and prepare it for growth.

Entrepreneurial spirit
From the custom-built control system on Plato's dehydrators to new product launches, Merrell works to support and foster an entrepreneurial spirit within Plato. It's
a team effort. Nichole Nonini, Plato's marketing specialist, first introduced Merrell to the concept of bone broth
for animals, and Hanna Bemer, food scientist, created a
proprietary natural preservative, antimicrobial agent


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PET Food Processing - March 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PET Food Processing - March 2018

PET Food Processing - March 2018
CONTENTS
OFF THE LEASH - Refreshing Passion
THE "REAL" CUSTOMER
PLANT PROFILE - OVERTHINK EVERYTHING
FOOD SAFETY - FSMA INSPECTIONS: READY OR NOT?
INGREDIENTS - FLAVOR FRENZY
FORMULATION - Fetching NUTRIENTS
EQUIPMENT - BUILT TO LAST
OPERATIONS - More than STAINLESS STEEL
PACKAGING - On a Roll
BEST IN SHOW
EQUIPMENT INNOVATIONS
EVENTS
INDEX
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - PET Food Processing - March 2018
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - PET Food Processing - March 2018
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 2
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 3
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 4
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 5
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 6
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - CONTENTS
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - OFF THE LEASH - Refreshing Passion
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 9
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 10
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - THE "REAL" CUSTOMER
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 12
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 13
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 14
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 15
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 16
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 17
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 18
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 19
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 20
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 21
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - PLANT PROFILE - OVERTHINK EVERYTHING
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 23
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 24
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 25
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 26
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 27
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 28
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 29
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 30
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 31
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 32
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 33
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 34
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 35
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 36
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - FOOD SAFETY - FSMA INSPECTIONS: READY OR NOT?
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 38
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 39
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 40
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - INGREDIENTS - FLAVOR FRENZY
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 42
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 43
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 44
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 45
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 46
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 47
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 48
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 49
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 50
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 51
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 52
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 53
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 54
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - FORMULATION - Fetching NUTRIENTS
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 56
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 57
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 58
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 59
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 60
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - EQUIPMENT - BUILT TO LAST
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 62
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 63
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 64
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 65
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 66
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 67
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 68
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 69
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 70
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - OPERATIONS - More than STAINLESS STEEL
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 72
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 73
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 74
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 75
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 76
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 77
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 78
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 79
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 80
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 81
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 82
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - PACKAGING - On a Roll
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 84
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 85
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 86
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 87
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - BEST IN SHOW
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 89
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - EQUIPMENT INNOVATIONS
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - EVENTS
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 92
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 93
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - INDEX
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 95
PET Food Processing - March 2018 - 96
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-march-2024
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-january-2024
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-november-2023
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-september-2023
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-july-2023
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-may-2023
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-march-2023
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-december-2022
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-october-2022
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-september-2022
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/-pet-food-processing-june-2022
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-march-2022
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-december-2021
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-october-2021
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-september-2021
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-june-2021
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/pet-food-processing-march-2021
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2020_12_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2020_10_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2020_09_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2020_06_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2020_03_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2019_12_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2019_10_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2019_09_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2019_06_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2019_03_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2018_12_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2018_09_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2018_06_01
https://digital.petfoodprocessing.net/sosland/pfp/2018_03_01
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