Diversifying Revenue Streams
March 29, 2018
Kevin Kacere, President and CEO, previously wrote that diversification of revenue streams within your business can help mitigate risk and balance revenues in new markets. Equipment adaptability and…
Category: Business Strategy & Finance
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Quality Controls: Self-Evaluation Can Be Tough, Do It Anyway – Here’s Why
March 8, 2018
I’ve worked in various settings where quality controls were used. I’ve also developed diagnostic tests that would be used in quality control testing protocols. As a result, I…
Help! I Need Soybeans!
March 1, 2018
The world will grow another 350 million tonnes of soybeans again this year. Soybeans are the largest source of vegetable protein on the planet, but supply can still…
Every Business Needs Customers – Don’t Lose Them!
February 1, 2018
Chances are if you are reading this you either are, or want to become a producer, integrator, machinery provider, services provider, or contractor in the food and feed…
Adding Value by Processing Locally Grown Ingredients
October 12, 2017
I recently visited Sri Lanka to participate in Lanka Livestock, a regional agricultural trade show. Our booth attracted numerous new prospects interested in extrusion technologies as well as…
Machine Hours and Man Hours
August 10, 2017
Equipment efficiency is measured in operating hours, energy consumption, output, processing losses, and so on. Man, too, likes to measure his work time in hours. Managing employee hours…
Mid-Year Business Considerations & Planning Ahead
July 27, 2017
We recently crossed the halfway point for 2017. At this time of year, you are reflecting on your strategic plans and getting ready to make more decisions that…
Personal Service: A Thing of The Past?
June 29, 2017
Recently, my friends and I were discussing our frustration when calling to get service support, only to get a recorded message asking us to enter information. This frustration…
90-day Ex-Im Financing Successes
May 25, 2017
It has been about 9 months since Insta-Pro started offering 90-day terms on parts and equipment orders to our international customers. In that time, several of our customers…
Trials and tribulations of African food processors
April 27, 2017
Much of the food that we eat has been processed by small & medium enterprises, often family-owned. It is no different in Africa. The food giants are present,…
Adopting New Technologies Due to Customer’s Need
March 16, 2017
As I traveled throughout countries in Southeast Asia attending seminars, meeting with prospective clients and speaking at USSEC & WISHH seminars, I met many different kinds of people.…
Hidden Losses At An Extrusion Plant And How To Avoid Them: Part II
March 9, 2017
As mentioned in Part I, we will be discussing the management of hidden losses. This is what my father and greatest mentor calls Management By Walking Around, MBWA.…
Hidden Losses At An Extrusion Plant & How To Avoid Them: Part I
March 2, 2017
There can be many times where, as a manager, you find yourself looking at your revenues wondering why the numbers are not adding up as you had projected.…
Value Stream Mapping: How? Part II
February 23, 2017
In last week’s blog, we covered what value stream mapping is and what its purpose is to an organization; to highlight problem areas or inefficiencies to improve. Below…
Value Stream Mapping: What and Why? Part I
February 16, 2017
Lean manufacturing is still a big part of business, but it has become second nature in most places and lost some of its original effect. Buzzwords and phrases…
What Capacity Does My Plant Need?
February 2, 2017
I often receive RFQ’s for new extrusion plants. This, aside from a business card or an email, is the first step in the process of acquiring a new…
Preparing for Equipment Start-Up: What to Plan For
January 26, 2017
So you recently became the proud owner of new equipment. You heard a lot of positive feedback, saw how it works and how it produces high quality product,…
Food Grade vs. Sanitary Design
January 5, 2017
Our extruders may be best known for processing feed ingredients, but several customers are producing products for human consumption. These products can include things like fortified blended foods…
