Snac World - August 2016 - (Page 22)

Leading with Innovation BY KERRY LYNCH AND SARAH HUBBARD I f Taylor began his career in the snack food industry in 1976 as a packaging engineer at Arnott's Biscuits - the largest producer of biscuits and secondlargest supplier of snack foods in Australia. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Mr. Taylor moved up through the company quickly, becoming the manager of the entire manufacturing site at the age of 29. His love of the snack industry and passion for engineering led him to his next career as an entrepreneur and co-founder of tna Australia. Mr. Taylor and his wife, Nadia, launched the company in 1982, first in a consulting role to other food packaging companies. Expansion came quickly, with the company incorporating high-speed packaging machines that featured the first product designed by Mr. Taylor - the tna robag, the first high-performance vertical form/fill/seal (f/f/s) packaging system. It redefined the performance standard for vertical f/f/s systems and today is still one of the best-selling in the world. This revolutionary invention changed bagging systems as it took a rotary continuous motion machine and flipped it vertically, thereby increasing its speed to package around 90 bags per minute. "This move in 1984 allowed tna to develop from a packaging pioneer into a leading global supplier of integrated food processing and packaging equipment solutions," said Mr. Taylor, who serves as tna's CEO. "We never let go of our dream to turn a revolutionary idea for packaging food products faster and much more efficiently into a reality and successful business." Now in its third generation, the tna robag packaging system achieves a speed of up to 250 bags per minute and is known as tna's "flagship" product. However, tna has continued to expand and offers many other brands 22 SNAC World August 2016 www.snacintl.org in its portfolio. The company provides a range of products that support the snack food industry, including fryers, conveyers, seasoning and coating systems, metal detectors, weighing/inserting/labeling solutions and packaging equipment. "We've never stopped trying to make our machines better, faster and more efficient," Mr. Taylor said. "We can see where the market is going, and we'll make sure our customers are equipped with the right tools to meet those demands." With 29 offices worldwide, Mr. Taylor's goal is to continue expanding the range of lasting technology tna offers its customers. More than 14,000 tna integrated food processing and packaging systems have been installed across more than 120 countries so far. In 2011, Mr. Taylor handed responsibility of global operations for tna to Michael Green, the current managing director. Today, Mr. Taylor remains hands-on in the business, working with the research and development team on product innovations. "We are committed to delivering the best technology at the best value to our customers," Mr. Taylor said. "We do this by taking the time to understand individual challenges and apply innovative thinking." Its leaders know one way they can achieve their goals is following their plan for the future. Their vision is to provide the ultimate in food processing and packaging solutions for manufacturers around the world. With more than 400 employees, tna continues to grow and value its quality employees. "We maintain our culture throughout our global expansion with a great team and lots of frequent flyer miles," Mr. Taylor said. "At tna, we're lucky enough to have a global team of amazing, dedicated people, http://www.snacintl.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snac World - August 2016

Snac World - August 2016
Table of Contents
LETTER FROM SFA - SNAC International Leading the Way
GMO Free: Supplier’s Perspective
News - Reasons millennials find snacking fulfilling
Consumers willing to pay extra for quality ingredients
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS - Policy Outlook
LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT - Legislative Summit Brings Industry’s Voice to DC
BUSINESS MEMBER PROFILE - B&G Foods
ASSOCIATE MEMBER PROFILE - Leading with Innovation
CONVENIENCE STORE TRENDS - Victory in Variety
NEW SNACKS
PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Snac World - August 2016