The TechHelp Team participated in a number of manufacturing related events during the spring of 2023. It was great to visit many parts of the great state of Idaho and to visit with manufacturers and colleagues. It is amazing to see how much great work is taking place across the state and the wealth of resources available to help manufacturers succeed.
The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act – Preventive Controls for Human Food requires processing facilities to have at least one Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) on staff to oversee the food safety plan and system.
Our upcoming online FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food Course is one way to gain that credential. This FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food course is the “standardized curriculum” recognized by the FDA. This course covers regulation Title 21 CFR 117 – Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food.
People make mistakes—more often than we might like to think. Studies have shown that no matter how well-trained a worker is, or how well-maintained the equipment is, errors still occur. Tasks are forgotten, and equipment breaks. Standard work and “one right way” can help reduce errors.
Mistake proofing, also known by its Japanese equivalent, “poka-yoke,” is a method used to reduce or eliminate errors, or to make those errors immediately obvious. Ensuring that non-conforming product is never created—or at least never arrives at customers’ doorsteps—is invaluable in the food industry. Reduced downgrade, less rework, and decreased out-of-specification product are all benefits of mistake proofing.
TechHelp was thrilled to add Luke Fuess as a Client Manager in March of 2023. Luke will rely on his extensive manufacturing management and operations background to help Idaho manufacturers improve operations, quality, and profitability. Luke is based at the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene and will focus on North and North Central Idaho companies from the Canadian border south into Grangeivlle. Luke’s work experience covers Aerospace, Weapons Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, and other technical trades.
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program is aligned with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) information security requirements for Defense Industrial Base (DIB) partners. If your organization doesn’t meet minimum CMMC-level requirements, you may be unable to bid on certain grants and contracts.
TechHelp in partnership with the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity (IPC) at Boise State is looking for a few companies to complete a CMMC level 1 or level 2 assessment over the next 6 months. A CMMC assessment starts your company on the path to certification in cyber security which could put you on the path to seeking grant funding for further certification. It raises awareness of critical steps to implement foundational cybersecurity protection needs.
TechHelp’s Grey Beaudry joined Idaho Governor Little and business leaders from across Idaho on a trade mission to Taiwan and Singapore in December of 2022. Attendees met with leaders to build international business relationships and to increase sales of Idaho products.
A sanitation program is a key component of any food processor’s or food handler’s food safety plan. A well-written and well-executed sanitation program can mitigate, or reduce to an acceptable level, all three classifications of hazards (microbiological, chemical, and physical) in a hazard analysis. Sanitation is one of the four preventive controls (process controls, allergen, sanitation, and others) in the Preventive Controls for Human Food rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Sanitation has long been a major prerequisite program for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). Consequently, it is imperative that the sanitation program be functioning and performing according to expectations.
If you look around, you may find many examples of ‘TIM WOODS’ in a food processing facility. TIM WOODS is an acronym for the ‘eight wastes’ that can plague a processing facility. In lean manufacturing, waste is any cost, effort, or material that is used in a processing facility that does not directly lead to a completed unit.
According to the Idaho Business Review, there were about 470,000 Idaho workers eligible for the Accomplished Under 40 (AU40) award in 2022. From among that huge cohort, Food Processing Specialist Catherine Cantley of TechHelp and the University of Idaho stood out and was recognized as one of Idaho’s AU40 business professionals.
TechHelp’s Jessica Lambert Wins Women in STEM, Medicine and Law scholarship