Kathy Barbeire

Kathy Barbeire

Throughout my career, I’ve helped organizations think of creative ways to (1) harness new technology to maximize effectiveness, (2) collect relevant data to measure and improve performance, and (3) use data to tell compelling stories to customers and stakeholders. In 2015, I became CAT Squared’s marketing manager. In this role, I monitor industry trends to (1) ensure our products are flexible enough to adapt to new industry standards and (2) prepare our customers for new technologies with the potential to disrupt the industry. I’ve represented CAT Squared as a participant in a blockchain learning group that has grown out of Blockchain for Arkansas (BC4AR), an initiative launched by Governor Asa Hutchinson to promote capacity building around blockchain technology. As my own knowledge and capacity grow, I develop new content to educate our supply chain partners and help them prepare for the transition ahead. Prior to launching my career, I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in professional and technical writing and a double minor in sociology and information technology. I later returned to UALR and completed the MBA program. Before joining CAT Squared, I applied my passion for data-driven storytelling to help nonprofits define their goals, track program metrics, and engage donors and community stakeholders in their missions to fight hunger, poverty, and homelessness, first as a program manager for the Our House Homeless Shelter in Little Rock, and then at The Salvation Army Central Arkansas Area Command.

Recent posts by Kathy Barbeire

2 min read

CASE STUDY: Improved Data Quality Saves $ Millions

By Kathy Barbeire on May 19, 2023 12:07:01 AM

A case study coauthored by GS1 US and Nestlé Professional demonstrates that good data governance saves time and money while providing transparency and trust to the customers.

Topics: food traceability GS1 Standards data quality management
1 min read

Fieldale Farms Implements RFID Technology to Enhance Traceability

By Kathy Barbeire on May 3, 2023 11:42:55 AM

In 2022, Fieldale Farms received a customer request to implement new traceability requirements. The customer’s goal was to increase traceability transparency for their consumers, eliminate manual scanning at all levels of their supply chain, improve their inventory accuracies, and build consumer trust. Fieldale brought in CAT Squared to build seamless integrations between the traceability platform and plant-floor hardware to meet the customer’s request.

"CAT Squared helped us achieve the goals our customer asked for by providing new developments in RFID technology systems," said Cameron Smith, IT plant liaison at Fieldale Farms Corporation. Because CAT Squared’s plant-floor solutions are hardware- and software-agnostic, the team was easily able to integrate with readers from Zebra Technologies, software from Mojix, and labeling systems from Avery Dennison.

The customer’s RFID program required Fieldale to incorporate label attributes that comply with the GS1 Foodservice traceability program. The GS1-128 barcodes are scanned throughout the supply chain, capturing the physical location and context of specific products, their lot numbers, production dates, and expiration dates. RFIDs rely on the serialization of each case and linking that serial number to a product commissioning event.

To meet that requirement, CAT Squared handled the encoding (and decoding) of serials to SGTIN-96 (Serialized Global Trade Identification Number) for creating the RFID labels. The system then transmitted Fieldale’s production data by product to Mojix for commissioning events.

In addition to meeting their customer’s requirements, the RFID initiative is anticipated to save Fieldale time on inventory management and stock rotation, mitigate human error, and increase expiration date visibility. Ultimately, the goal is to create a more transparent supply chain through a best-in-class traceability system to enable safety, efficiency, and the verification of food with integrity.

Topics: Traceability technology food traceability GS1 Standards
2 min read

Webinar: Building a Framework for Digital Success

By Kathy Barbeire on Apr 13, 2023 12:39:47 PM

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) with the support of CAT Squared will present "Building a Framework for Digital Success," a webinar sharing industry best practices for technology adoption for meat and poultry producers.

Topics: meat industry poultry industry continuous improvement multi-site benchmarking
2 min read

CAT Squared Supports NAMI Protein PACT with Meaningful KPI Data

By Kathy Barbeire on Apr 10, 2023 6:36:20 PM

"The Meat Institute’s first-ever continuous improvement report is a game changer for transparency in the sector – setting transparent baselines that will allow us to measure progress and verify our sector’s contributions to global goals,” said NAMI President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. Potts was referring to the first of many reports to come from the North American Meat Institute’s (NAMI) Protein PACT (for the People, Animals, and Climate of Tomorrow). 

Topics: meat industry poultry industry continuous improvement multi-site benchmarking
1 min read

IPPE TECHTalk Examines a Business’s Readiness for Smart Automation

By Kathy Barbeire on Jan 8, 2023 8:59:10 PM

Join CAT Squared's Jack Teague for his IPPE TECHTalk presentation Assessing a Business's Readiness for Smart Automation and Winning Stakeholder Support. The presentation will feature three main objectives:

Topics: continuous improvement food manufacturing automation food manufacturing AI gaining support for technology projects industrial internet of things digitized plant floor industry 4.0
3 min read

Important Dates and Details for FSMA Traceability Requirements

By Kathy Barbeire on Dec 26, 2022 11:55:35 PM

New FDA traceability requirements are effective January 20, 2023. The FSMA Final Rule: Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods includes a requirement for those who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to establish and maintain records containing Key Data Elements (KDEs) associated with different Critical Tracking Events (CTEs). The FDA notes that while the proposed requirements only apply to those foods on the FTL, “they were designed to be suitable for all FDA-regulated food products. FDA would encourage the voluntary adoption of these practices industrywide.”

Topics: Era Smarter Food Safety Traceability technology food traceability Labeling key data elements critical tracking events GS1 Standards
1 min read

Join us at the CYNERGY Pavilion at IPPE in Hall C-12825

By Kathy Barbeire on Dec 13, 2022 4:06:18 PM

At the 2022 CAT Squared User Summit, CEO Vernon Smith first introduced our customers to CYNERGY, a digital ecosystem that allows seamless connection for CTB equipment enabling   CTB, Inc.  and partners to build value‐added digital services for customers to produce a more efficient food supply chain.   Vernon's full presentation is available by clicking here.
Topics: mes software food manufacturing software continuous improvement software manufacturing operations management software ctb food supplychain solutions improving manufacturing performance digitized plant floor
3 min read

The First 5 Steps to Digitize Your Plant-Floor

By Kathy Barbeire on Nov 29, 2022 11:55:25 PM

If you’re a protein processor that has yet to take a significant step into the world of Industry 4.0, you're not alone. Globally, 90 percent of manufacturing companies are Digital Novices, Followers, or Innovators, and less than one-third are well-advanced on their digital journey. If you are just starting out, here are five practical steps to help meat and poultry processors improve manufacturing performance by digitizing their plant floor operations with Industry 4.0 technology.

Topics: manufacturing automation technology adoption manufacturing technology plant-floor software production optimization industrial internet of things improving manufacturing performance digitized plant floor industry 4.0
1 min read

User Summit Early-Bird Pricing Ends March 15

By Kathy Barbeire on Mar 14, 2022 11:54:17 AM

Last Chance to save $100 off the Registration Price

The theme of this year's User Summit is Accelerating Continuous Improvement by Applying Industry 4.0 to Protein Production. CAT Squared along with our CTB sister companies are building a fully integrated platform that enables smart-manufacturing concepts such as the application of AI and machine learning to manufacturing processes. Several keynote presentations will demonstrate how these Industry 4.0 principles are being applied to meat and poultry processing.

Topics: News continuous improvement manufacturing software process alignment ctb food supplychain solutions improving manufacturing performance CAT Squared User Summit
3 min read

5 Reasons Why Meat & Poultry Processors Should Attend the User Summit

By Kathy Barbeire on Mar 8, 2022 11:07:51 PM

The CAT Squared User Summit is designed to add value to food production operations by sharing best practices in the industry for adopting new technology in manufacturing processes. This year's Summit will be hosted at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute atop Petit Jean Mountain. The Institute provides an inspiring, secluded, historic setting to learn, connect, and innovate. This year's theme is Accelerating Continuous Improvement by Applying Industry 4.0 to Protein Production. Here are the top five reasons meat and poultry processors should attend the User Summit:

Topics: poultry industry News Arkansas Business manufacturing software process alignment production optimization overcoming end-user resistance successful mes implementation improving manufacturing performance