Pet Food Processing - March 2023 - 62

OPERATIONS
what we do is R&D work - innovation work. We are kind
of an innovation incubator for our customers. "
Unlike some other technical centers that demonstrate
industry equipment, Wenger's Technical Center features
real-time scalable testing. The equipment in the center represents
full-scale, commercial versions of nearly every piece
of equipment Wenger manufactures.
Aside from having access to Wenger equipment, visitors
also have access to the company's engineering experts. The
staff process engineers have the knowledge to test, analyze
and produce product prototypes, and can help visitors develop
processes to manufacture that product.
" We have the best process engineers in the world and
that knowledge really gives us a better opportunity to help
clients with their trials and, in a lot of cases, develop their
products, " said Justin Moore, Technical Center manager.
" We're a step above everybody else when it comes to our
process technology people. "
The extruders, dryers and
ancillary hardware featured
in the tech center are fullscale,
commercially available
pieces of equipment.
clients, academia and other industry partners visit
the
Technical Center for their own needs.
Visitors include potential Wenger customers interested
in seeing the equipment capabilities firsthand. These companies
have the chance to work with Wenger R&D experts
and process engineers to see if the company's equipment
suits their production needs.
Existing Wenger customers also utilize the tech center
to take advantage of in-house expertise and processing
capabilities.
" Our existing customers come to us to work
on their own R&D. Maybe they're working
on a new product and they want to see
how it will work on the equipment, maybe
they're changing ingredients or exploring a
new market, " King said. " They can use the
tech center for a period of time to run these
tests without having to shut down operations
at their own facilities. That's a big benefit to a
processor. "
Even though the Technical Center features the opportunity
for equipment demonstrations, King said its capabilities
go far beyond that of a " demo center. "
" Equipment demonstrations are important, but that's
only maybe one-quarter of what we do, " he added. " Most of
The new Wenger Technical Center features updated technology,
including cameras throughout the production room to provide
off-site clients with views of the equipment in action.
62 PET FOOD PROCESSING | March 2023 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
Upgraded technology
The biggest upgrade the tech center saw was to its digital
communications technology. It now features a state-ofthe-art
media center, The Galen J. Rokey Education and
Outreach Center, which provides visitors with the capability
to be more interactive during demonstrations and product
test runs.
" We took a hard look at what our digital capabilities were
not only from the tech center but also from a marketing
standpoint, " King said. " We knew our video technology
was limited, but then when COVID hit, it really pushed us
to upgrade so that we could provide customers high resolution
remote viewing of trials. "
The tech center features 20 mobile cameras located
throughout the production floor. While production runs
are being tested, the cameras can provide a live stream
to members of the visiting company not in attendance.
The live stream has interactive capabilities, including the
ability to zoom in and out of equipment in operation,
and to switch from one view of the operating equipment
to another. Test runs are also recorded and archived for
future use.
Additional technology provides the opportunity for
customers to see more than what the standard production
cameras display. Drones are used to get a bird's eye view of
the equipment in action, and the addition of a 3D camera
also provides the tech crew members with the ability to
show customers a more complete view of the operation and
the equipment.
The upgraded Wenger Technical Center delivers on the
company's promise to provide state-of-the-art equipment,
technology and expertise to its current and future clients.
" It's a place where innovation can grow in real time, on
real-sized equipment, " King concluded.
PFP
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Pet Food Processing - March 2023

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