by Kevin Payne | Oct 23, 2018 | Freshness Management
The PMA Fresh Summit did not disappoint! This year’s Produce Marketing Association’s annual conference had over 21,000 attendees and over 1.1 million square feet of trade show floor space housing 1,200 exhibitors spanning 55 rows from one end of the hall to the other. In addition to a plethora of produce – from apples to zucchini – there were a number of technology vendors exhibiting, some new and some who’ve been exhibiting for years. What’s Changed at the PMA Fresh Summit? Last week’s blog discussed my expectations for this year’s...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 16, 2018 | Freshness Management
This week is the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Conference and Expo – the largest fresh fruit, vegetable and floral show in the Americas. The event brings over 18,000 people from across the supply chain and around the world together to discuss ideas, network and experience the latest industry innovations. We’ve been planning for the PMA Fresh Summit for months and ready to go! Having attended more trade shows than I care to remember, I have to say that this is one of the most interesting events there is, if for...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 9, 2018 | Freshness Management
If you care about food, these statistics about applying artificial intelligence from a recent Progressive Grocer article Grocers Embrace AI to Optimize Supply Chain might alarm you: 43 percent of grocers are challenged by lack of real-time inventory visibility 48 percent of grocers rate their forecasting technology from very poor to average 43 percent of retail supply chain professionals say their technology can’t keep up with business demands These are flashing red lights – with the above data illustrating significant...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 2, 2018 | Freshness Management
First principles thinking can set leaders apart. How? Well, what do Southwest Airlines, SpaceX and the newest approach to pitching in baseball, “bullpenning,” have in common? Each took a new approach to solving an existing problem: Southwest eliminated the hub-and-spoke model favored by other airlines, reduced turn times at airports and standardized on a single type of airplane (the Boeing 737) to reduce and simplify maintenance. The result was lower fares and cornering the market on inexpensive air travel. This sparked change in...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Sep 25, 2018 | Freshness Management
The Game of Life, created by Milton Bradley, is intended to be a fun way to mimic life – you’re born, you decide to pursue a college degree or go directly to work, you get married, have kids, lose your job, lose a turn. It’s a race to the finish, but life often has its delays along the way. This process through the life-cycle is similar for fresh produce. In “The Game of Shelf-Life,” produce such as strawberries or lettuce is harvested, field-packed, rushed to the pack house, pre-cooled, warehoused, shipped in a...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Aug 7, 2018 | Digital Transformation, Freshness Management
Is it finally time for digital transformation technology to come to the world of food and agriculture? E-commerce? It’s been around for years and most of us don’t think twice about buying something online from Amazon or Target. For many of us it’s a part of our daily activity but, in the grocery industry, maybe not so much. Is it Time for Tech? A recent blog by the Food Marketing Institute’s Doug Baker, Vice President of Industry Relations, Private Brands and Technology, raises the question of whether technology is finally going to...Continue Reading...
