It only takes a few seconds after stepping into Vital Farms’ Egg Central Station (ECS) to realize that the company truly loves its egg-related puns. If there’s writing nearby, be it on a wall, memo or bulletin board, there’s a pun not far behind. They’re part of an ethos that starts from the top and flows down the company’s ranks to put a smile on someone’s face, even if just for a second. That idea of doing good extends beyond the facility walls to its other locations, the farmers who supply the eggs, the consumers who buy the product and, finally, to the planet itself. That visible commitment to the environment is why the addition at ECS was chosen as FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year.

Sustainability efforts at Meati Foods’ Thornton, Colorado facility match the sustainable intent of the mycelium-based products it produces.

Both awards will be presented at Food Engineering’s Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Fla. held April 8-11, 2018.

Being able to adapt on the fly is great, but it's a lot easier to do when you've accounted for as many potential contingencies as possible.

Submissions are now open for the 2020 Food Engineering Plant of the Year.

Submissions for the 2021 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award are now open.

We are now accepting entries for the 2022 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award. Submissions are due Friday, March 4, and eligible facilities need to have been completed in 2021 and opened by January 31, 2022.

We are now accepting entries for the 2022 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award. Submissions are due Friday, March 4, and eligible facilities need to have been completed in 2021 and opened by January 31, 2022.

Bell & Evans earned our 2022 award by establishing a new benchmark for innovation and efficiency in a poultry plant, while elevating employee and animal welfare.

We are now accepting entries for the 2023 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award. Submissions are due Tuesday, January 31, and eligible facilities need to have been completed in 2022 and opened by January 31, 2023.

Two expansion projects have earned this year’s honors, with the awards to be presented at the Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo in October.

Construction projects, like stories, tend to follow a regular, logical progression. Delivery systems vary, but they all typically start with a client’s need, selecting a project team, site visits, design meetings, groundbreaking and so on—but in the case of Hatfield North, the project began with the smokehouses.

Food Engineering's 41st annual Plant Construction Survey reveals that the ratio of the number of plant renovations and expansions versus new, greenfield projects has again risen from last year, indicating several owners and operators are trying to stay put.

Processors are turning to automation to fill jobs where people are unavailable.

FSMA’s Intentional Adulteration rule is still a work in progress for some sites, meanwhile processors and retailers are eyeing indoor grow facilities.

Retailers have a new tower display for Innovius SPC and new step displays for Encompass and Oterra laminate collections. 

Oterra features AC4 durability, painted bevel, and an emboss in register that adds to the look and feel of natural wood. 

The high-performance laminate flooring offers marble and porcelain visuals in a user-friendly, click-lock tile. 

The North American Laminate Floor Association announces its newest member, Cali. Cali is an omni-channel brand in the flooring industry. 

LF-02, created by NALFA as a benchmark in environmental responsibility for laminate floor coverings, aims to systematically document and enhance the sustainability profile of products. 

Välinge announced that Changzhou Chenglu New Materials CO., Ltd. became a 5G Dry licensee and launched a collection of laminate products with increased waterproofness using the technology.

Mohawk is refreshing its popular RevWood line to represent recent product enhancements and evolving market demands. 

AHF Products, a manufacturer of hard surface flooring in the U.S., announced the launch of new product lines by Bruce, Armstrong Flooring, Hartco and Crossville, the company's brands.

Mohawk Builder + Multifamily is building a more sustainable world with a diverse portfolio of carpet, laminated wood and resilient flooring all made in the USA to help customers create greener communities.

This initiative marks the first major revision of the standard since its last update in 2019, emphasizing NALFA's commitment to ensuring the highest quality standards within the industry. 

Certainly there are exceptions to the rule and we had an opportunity to visit one of those when we were in Philadelphia recently to attend the Greenbuild expo and conference.

Since bamboo’s initial introduction to the U.S. flooring market in the early 1990s, it has continued to evolve into different flooring formats, which has served to increase the product’s use and demand, especially in today’s eco-conscious flooring market.

Since its opening in 1960, Detroit’s Cobo Center has become one of the country’s most famous venues, drawing visitors to the banks of the Detroit River for the nation’s premier auto shows, concerts, political conventions and an endless variety of other events.

Connecting with customers is vital to the success of any business. Flooring contractors are no different, but which customers and how? Who do you spend time with—architects, designers, end users or general contractors? What about product manufacturers?

When you speak with David Martin, you cannot help but recognize his sense of history, place and responsibility. He is the fourth generation of Martins to work at one of the country’s largest flooring retailers. 

Ted Gregerson found true love as a young man. Working for a Carpet One store in his hometown right out of high school he discovered flooring was in his blood. His love for people, integrity and helping customers create beautiful homes inspired him to his core.

While wood floors are built to withstand the abuse of foot traffic and furniture, humidity is an invisible enemy that can quickly wreak havoc on even the best surfaces.

Distribution remains a vital part of the floor covering trade, but distributors are facing increased competition from e-commerce sites and retailers who go direct to manufacturers to buy their flooring products.

Choosing and installing the correct commercial floor covering can be a detailed and complicated process that necessarily looks beyond aesthetic preference and examines every aspect of the installation, beginning with the substrate and its condition and ending with the required maintenance regimen once the flooring is installed.

From the earliest days, Ruggieri Brothers of Cranston, R.I., was a hometown, family business.

Interface introduces project-specific embodied carbon metrics on all floor plans created by its Design Studio. This industry-first initiative allows customers to easily understand the carbon impact of their flooring choices, comparing Interface products to industry averages.

In a move to reshape flooring distribution, Transom Capital Group has announced the formation of Artivo Surfaces, a new parent company that brings together distributors Virginia Tile and Galleher. This strategic consolidation creates a multi-regional powerhouse with 48 locations across 18 states, offering an extensive range of flooring solutions from coast to coast. 

Nineteen flooring manufacturers, including AHF Products, showcased a curated selection of products and met with architects and designers from the greater New York City area. 

Toronto-based Metropolitan Floors is challenging misleading acoustic rating requirements in condominiums, warning that increasingly demanding Impact Insulation Class (IIC) standards are often unattainable in real-world conditions. The company aims to educate industry stakeholders about the gap between laboratory test results and actual building performance.

From the Starnet Worldwide Commercial Flooring fall meeting, commercial flooring contractors report that diversified services and building and durable business models are helping them sustain growth into 2025.

The National Floorcovering Alliance (NFA) members demonstrated classic American entrepreneurial resilience at their fall meeting in Washington, D.C., October 27-30, reporting flat to positive business performance in 2024 despite broader market softness.

The SmartLoad FramePro 751XP clipped head framing nailer, SmartLoad FramePro 752XP full round head framing nailer, and SmartLoad SCN65XP coil nailer mount easily to most popular bridge systems, providing dependable fastening performance for machine- driven, high-volume assembly of walls, floors, roofs and other wood construction.

The Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF), in partnership with the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Innovation Center, Drake State Community College, and the Industry Task Force, announced the completion of its first pilot cohort for the Flooring Installation Technicians course.

Mark Bischoff, president and CEO of Starnet, shares his perspective on how its flooring contractor member companies have built infrastructures for growth and longevity.

Infinity Drain identifies emerging bathroom trends of 2025.

CalFlor’s new BlueZone Perimeter Sealant Tape removes the pain of messy, outdated methods for sealing the perimeter of a floor after installation.

WFCA’s Steve Abernathy and FCICA’s Pat Kelly discuss the growth each association has experienced in terms of education and membership as well as what business looks like for the commercial and residential segments over the course of the next year.

Glenn Wayne Wholesale Bakery manufacturers donuts, muffins, Danish pastries, cookies, brownies and other baked goods from its full-line manufacturing facility in Bohemia, N.Y.

Wheat processor Crespel & Deiters commissioned the construction of a €18.5 million ($20.7 million) silo building at its main site in Ibbenbüren, Germany at the beginning of the year – the largest single investment in infrastructure in the company’s history. 

Miracapo is a contract manufacturer of frozen pizzas for convenience stores and branded customers serving the retail channel.