Addressing Labor Challenges By Working Smarter Is Theme Of 2017 Tech Knowledge

Newark, Del. — Fresh produce and floral businesses face many labor challenges – scarcity, competition, rising costs and skills gaps, to name just a few. The fresh produce and floral supply chain can reduce or solve labor challenges and better compete by leveraging emerging technologies that permit us to work smarter and more efficiently. To learn how your business can work smarter, plan to attend Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) 2017 Tech Knowledge conference May 4-5 in Monterey, Calif., USA.

This year’s two-day conference will provide practical guidance that can help you work smarter; in particular, for the production and processing side of the fresh produce and floral supply chain. Attendees will learn how to identify operational inefficiencies, assess technology-based solutions and measure their business impacts. They will also learn the importance of product flow and operational assessment and evaluation throughout the labor innovation process.

In addition to its timely focus on addressing labor challenges, the 2017 Tech Knowledge conference will also provide the stage for PMA’s announcement of the first winner of its new Science & Technology Circle of Excellence award. Educational sessions will also be recorded for attendees by a visual note taker.

Tech Knowledge will also include a Career Pathways program to encourage top university students studying science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) to consider careers in the fresh produce and floral industry.

Agenda: Working smarter is an innovation process

“One of the keys to solving your business’s labor challenges is to work smarter,” said PMA Chief Science & Technology Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker. “We are going to teach attendees to look at working smarter as a holistic innovation process, from how to evaluate available technologies and decide what’s right for your business, to how to assess and fine tune those solutions to get the best results for your business.”

The 2017 conference will mix classroom-style education with opportunities to get hands on with technology, through short lightning learning sessions and even an interactive happy hour. The event is designed for executives of businesses that grow, ship, process, wholesale and distribute fresh produce and floral products.

PMA’s Whitaker will open the conference by setting the stage for how assessment, technology and efficiency are currently changing labor requirements for growers and processors. His extensive corporate background includes innovation, R&D, product development, and food quality and safety.

Robotics and artificial intelligence are gaining an increased presence in industry operations, and automation and mechanization technologies have moved out of concept and into commercial reality in some segments of the industry. Industry veteran Minos Athanassiadis of Fresh Link Group will explore the potential opportunities and near-term impacts for our industry. Athanassiadis, who led value-added innovation for several produce leaders before becoming an industry consultant, will also teach attendees to decide how and when to invest in tech.

Efficiencies expert Lisa Montanaro and crop discovery and development authority Dr. John Purcell, Monsanto vice president and global vegetable R&D lead, will explore additional ways that industry companies can streamline labor to increase productivity, from processes to plant genetics. This two-part session will help attendees focus their efforts to boost efficiencies, from the field to the packing shed or processing plant.

To help attendees capture and internalize learnings, visual artist Kelly Kingman will take visual notes throughout the conference, capturing its key ideas in images and words. Kingman’s visual notes tap the brain’s ability to process visual information, making content easier to recall and use. 

“Tech Knowledge has been designed to deliver concrete knowledge and skills that attendees can put to work immediately and to provide an enriching atmosphere where peers can exchange ideas,” said Andy Kennedy, co-founder of food safety and traceability software provider FoodLogiQ, and member of PMA’s Board of Directors and Science & Technology Committee.

STEM student attraction program

To help the fresh produce and floral industry address its increasing need for science and technology professionals, for the third year Tech Knowledge will include a STEM-focused Career Pathways program. The program is a collaborative effort between PMA’s Science & Technology team, led by Whitaker, and Center for Growing Talent by PMA (CGTbyPMA). This year, 16 students deemed the best and the brightest by their professors have been selected to participate from California State University, Monterey Bay, University of Arizona, University of California, Davis, and University of Delaware.

CGTbyPMA’s mission is to attract, develop and retain talent for the fresh produce and floral industry.  CGTbyPMA now hosts nine Career Pathways-branded student attraction programs at industry events throughout the year, in the United States and abroad. To date, 67 percent of students who participated in a Career Pathways program took a job in the industry after graduation.

Register early and save

Register for the 2017 Tech Knowledge conference by March 31 to save; for more information and to register, visit www.pma.com/events/tech-knowledge. PMA members, and supporters of PMA’s Gold Circle food safety-focused program, receive discounted rates compared to non-members. To encourage growers, shippers and processors to attend, registration is discounted additionally.

Tech Knowledge is one offering of PMA’s Science & Technology portfolio, which helps members grow their businesses by offering informative content, inspiring events and business-building connections. To learn more, visit www.pma.com/topics/technology. 

About Produce Marketing Association (PMA)

Produce Marketing Association is the leading trade association representing companies from every segment of the global produce and floral supply chain. PMA helps members grow by providing connections that expand business opportunities and increase sales and consumption. For more information, visit www.pma.com.

About Center for Growing Talent by PMA (CGTbyPMA)

Center for Growing Talent by PMA was created by the produce and floral industry to grow the people across our industry. We help attract, develop and retain the talent needed to feed our industry’s growth, including educational programming and networking events. We offer a variety of industry-specific solutions across the career continuum, for university students, young professionals and women, emerging leaders, mid-level individuals and senior executives. We were created December 2005 as the PMA Education Foundation and later became PMA Foundation for Industry Talent; we evolved into Center for Growing Talent by PMA in 2016. For more information, visit GrowingTalentbyPMA.org.

Source: Produce Marketing Association (PMA)