Food Engineering has revamped its schedule of most prominent annual features. Casey Laughman shares some of those changes as we kick off 2021.

There are many different foreign materials that could and actually have ended up in foods. The most insidious of these and the one most feared is glass.

Any fundamental shift in how you produce your product is a scary thing, and it requires buy-in and cooperation across multiple departments to ensure it’s done properly.

It is imperative that food processors understand that innovation is an imperative, and a failure to innovate can mean that they will begin to fall behind their competitors.

There’s a helicopter on Mars.

It’s still pretty amazing to be able to type those words. 

A long list of concerns continues to keep businesses in the food processing industry on their toes. Inflation. Supply chain issues. Hiring challenges. The pandemic. However, a connective thread runs through these four: automation.

The Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) held its fall membership meeting October 28-30 at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida, drawing approximately 120 industry representatives. The gathering featured an impressive lineup of expert speakers addressing economic trends, regulatory matters, and market analysis.

AFS Group, the nation's fifth-largest independent flooring retailer based in Columbus, Ohio, has acquired Flooring Solutions, a Memphis, Tennessee-based flooring and tile retailer reporting more than $10 million in annual sales.

This November and December, designers and flooring professionals come together for a fun, festive competition where they create themed Christmas trees based on ideas appropriate for kids in J+J Flooring’s 8th annual Helping Hands initiative. 

Mohawk Industries has announced key leadership changes as Chris Wellborn prepares to retire from his position as President and Chief Operating Officer in February 2024. Paul De Cock, currently serving as President of Flooring North America, will succeed Wellborn in the role. Ken Walma, an experienced manufacturing executive from Madison Air, will join Mohawk this month and take over De Cock's position as head of Flooring North America on February 1.

The 11th Annual Installation Awards celebrates skilled flooring installers in residential and commercial settings. This year’s winners showcased unique projects and challenges, and we welcomed several new faces to this year’s contest. 

Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing showed mixed results year-over-year in the third quarter, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Approximately 90% of metro markets (196 out of 226, or 87%) registered home price gains in the third quarter of 2024, as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate ranged from 6.08% to 6.95%, according to the National Association of Realtors’ latest quarterly report.

Following recent management changes, Bella Flooring Group reaffirms its market presence under new leadership, with plans for significant investment and product expansion in 2025. 

The Dodge Construction Network reports that nonresidential building projects decreased 4.2% in September.

Big D Floor Covering Supplies in Phoenix, Arizona hosted the fourth and final 2025 TISE Regional Installation Competition. Cesar Haro-Pena with Mike's Custom Flooring won the luxury vinyl plank category, and Hugo Gutierrez with Golden State Contract Flooring won the carpet category.

Flooring choice is integral in defining a space, but what about open-concept spaces? Here, Anthony Espinoza, co-owner of Music City Improvements, shares a few tips to assist designers in preserving the flow of open-concept spaces.

The Home Depot reported higher overall sales but declining comparable store performance in its third quarter, as the home improvement giant continues to navigate challenging macroeconomic conditions while benefiting from hurricane-related demand.

The technology, marketed as "P-SPC" (PET-based Solid Polymer Composite), offers manufacturers a PVC-free alternative that maintains the familiar characteristics of traditional SPC (Solid Polymer Composite) flooring products.

SpreadStone pre-mixed stone coating from Daich Coatings presents the appealing look of natural stone or ceramic tile and is a 100-percent real stone.

Riva Max, a new engineered hardwood collection from Riva Spain, comes in two grades, Select and Character. 

Engineered to fight moisture, Zephyr can also be used as a primer, or even an encapsulator, eliminating the need to remove existing or cutback adhesive residue.

ECB Classic and ECB 75 are self-adhering, sheet-applied elastomeric membranes designed for use under floor surfaces that require protection from structural movement.

SolidTech R is engineered with a unique stone recycled core, replacing all PVC with 100% recycled single-use plastic. Each square foot of SolidTech R contains the equivalent of 20 recycled water bottles. Additionally, every purchase of SolidTech R goes toward stopping ocean plastic in collaboration with Plastic Bank.

Performance Accessories Treadbond is a fast-curing, 100%-solids, moisture-curing adhesive designed for installing wood, HDF, and vinyl stair treads, as well as vinyl and HDF stair noses.

AssurGrip Rx vinyl flooring provides support and safety for commercial surfaces. 

TractionSafety is a collection of slip-resistant flooring products created for spaces that require additional slip resistance.

The structured pattern in warm and cool neutrals with unique accent colors provides a sophisticated look for workplace, retail, education, multifamily, and healthcare spaces

PerimeterSeal® Tape seals the perimeter of any room, safeguarding both the flooring’s surface at the perimeter and the subfloor against spills and moisture damage.

Infinity Drain now offers customization capabilities for its product lines, and it also offers Next Day Custom Linear Drains. 

Laticrete is sponsoring the printing costs, so all proceeds of the fundraiser go to the Tile Heritage Foundation (THF) and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF)

The ceramic mix and the surface of the tiles are enriched with small colored flakes, "stardust" that embellishes and strengthens the material.

This mix blends the richness of V8 tomato juice, natural cucumber flavor and a medley of spices with the tang of Grillo's signature brine.

The threats facing food processing facilities are already here, and there is no longer any time to delay implementing minimum protections for these sites.

Although the top 5 companies stayed the same, there was extensive movement throughout Food Engineering’s 2020 list of the Top 100 food and beverage companies.

A volatile year for food and beverage companies of every size has seen a reshuffling of Food Engineering’s Top 100 food and beverage companies.

Following closely behind PepsiCo, Nestlé reported organic sales growth of 8.1% for its first half, after its results were boosted by strong demand for its coffee products.

After a brief stint in the top spot for PepsiCo, Nestlé reclaimed the mantle of top food and beverage producer by revenue in this year’s Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies. Plus, there was a massive jump in revenue reported by Archer Daniels Midland, giving the company enough to vault into the second spot, pushing PepsiCo down to third.

The rising cost of ingredients due to inflation and supply is deflating food and beverage manufacturers’ revenue, which has created movement in this year’s list.

Securing the top spot once again, Nestlé reported 9.3% organic sales growth in the first quarter, driven by the company’s price hikes.

Inflation and changing consumer habits forced companies to get creative in terms of maintaining margins, and pet food is going strong.

The new website was designed with the end-user in mind for individuals looking for product information, where to buy and how-to videos.

Floor Trends reports on the latest flooring technologies and sustainable initiatives from Domotex in Hannover, Germany. 

Küberit USA will debut its new integrated process for profile selection, sample acquisiiton, and resources for specification support at this week’s TISE. 

In 2023, Performance Accessories further expands this promise by enhancing its stair tread program and emphasizing its waterproof accessories.  

Laticrete, a leading manufacturer of globally proven construction solutions for the building industry, is adding profiles and trim to its growing roster of tile, stone and flooring installation products, making it the industry’s first manufacturer to provide a complete tile installation system including trim options.

The company announced plans to launch an e-commerce platform in the second quarter of 2023. The new site will highlight Versatrim's high-end product offering and will offer improved functionality to streamline the online order-entry process.  

The newest flooring accessories for 2023 check all the boxes: they are great looking, easier to install, and have better functionality than ever before. 

Attendees will be able to expand their knowledge, find solutions and connect with others in the flooring community with Performance Accessories from September 20 to September 22, 2023. 

Versatrim's new Quick Ship program offers seven trim profiles in 60 stock colors ready to ship next business day with no minimums.