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Kathy Barbeire

Kathy Barbeire

Kathy Barbeire is a strategic marketing professional with a passion for leveraging data-driven storytelling, process optimization, and digital transformation to support the food processing industry. As the Marketing Manager at CAT Squared since 2015, she develops content that educates meat and poultry processors on emerging technologies, regulatory compliance, and industry best practices to help them navigate an evolving landscape. With expertise in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), traceability, and automation, Kathy ensures that CAT Squared’s solutions remain adaptable to industry advancements, including real-time data collection, IoT integration, and food safety enhancements. She stays engaged with industry developments, formerly participating in blockchain learning initiatives associated with Blockchain for Arkansas (BC4AR). Kathy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional and Technical Writing (magna cum laude) with minors in Sociology and Information Technology, as well as an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). Prior to joining CAT Squared, she applied her skills in data analysis and stakeholder engagement to support nonprofit organizations in defining objectives, measuring program impact, and enhancing community outreach.

Recent posts by Kathy Barbeire

3 min read

CAT Squared and Meyn Unveil  CYNERGY Solution at Alimentaria FoodTech

By Kathy Barbeire on Aug 14, 2023 2:53:06 PM

CAT Squared, a leading provider of advanced software solutions for the food industry, and Meyn, a global leader in poultry processing solutions, are proud to announce the joint presentation of their groundbreaking CYNERGY™ solution at Alimentaria FoodTech. The event is scheduled to take place from September 26th to 29th, 2023, at Fira Barcelona - Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. Industry professionals are invited to experience the future of poultry processing and food production at Booth D82.
 
CYNERGY™ represents a cutting-edge collaboration between Meyn and CAT Squared, leveraging the strengths of both companies to deliver a comprehensive and intelligent solution that transforms the poultry processing industry. The innovative technology combines Meyn's expertise in poultry processing equipment with CAT Squared's advanced software suite, providing seamless integration and real-time data analysis for enhanced production efficiency and quality control.
 
At Booth D82, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the following key features of CYNERGY™:
 
Poultry Processing Excellence: CYNERGY™ showcases Meyn's state-of-the-art poultry processing equipment, renowned for its precision, speed, and reliability. Attendees will witness firsthand how the machinery optimizes the entire processing line, from evisceration and cutting to deboning and portioning.
 
Real-time Data Insights: CAT Squared's advanced software suite seamlessly integrates with Meyn's processing equipment, offering real-time data insights on key performance indicators. This data-driven approach empowers decision-makers with actionable information to enhance production efficiency, reduce downtime, and minimize waste.
 
Traceability and Quality Assurance: CYNERGY's farm-to-fork traceability solution, powered by CAT Squared, ensures complete transparency throughout the supply chain. From tracking the origin of raw materials to monitoring quality metrics, food manufacturers gain confidence in delivering safe and traceable products to consumers.
 
Compliance and Food Safety: With a focus on meeting industry-specific regulations and certifications, CYNERGY™ streamlines compliance management, reducing the risk of food safety incidents and ensuring adherence to international standards.
 
AI-driven Insights: AI capabilities enabled by the CYNERGY™ Cloud delivers predictive maintenance insights, optimizing equipment performance and prolonging the lifespan of processing machinery.
 
"We are thrilled to introduce CYNERGY™ at Alimentaria FoodTech," said Vernon Smith, CEO at CAT Squared. "This revolutionary solution represents the convergence of two industry leaders, Meyn and CAT Squared, to redefine the future of poultry processing. CYNERGY™ empowers food manufacturers with a level of automation, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making that sets new industry standards."
 
"CYNERGY™ is the result of a synergistic collaboration between Meyn and CAT Squared," said Eric-Jan Radstake, Chief Innovation Officer at Meyn. "By combining Meyn's best-in-class poultry processing equipment & software programs with CAT Squared's powerful software suite, we are delivering a solution that not only enhances productivity but also elevates food safety and quality throughout the entire production process."
 
Don't miss this opportunity to witness the future of poultry processing and food production. Join Meyn and CAT Squared at Booth D82 during Alimentaria FoodTech in Barcelona, Spain, from September 26th to 29th, 2023. Experience CYNERGY™ firsthand and learn how it can transform your poultry processing operations.
 
CONTACT:
 
CAT Squared: Guillermo Milman, Technical Sales Manager Iberoamérica, Guillermo.Milman@catsquared.com, +34 635 507 140  
 
MEYN: Albert Ribalta, Commercial Director, Meyn Food Equipment Iberica, aribalta@meyn.com  +34 620043209
 
About Meyn:
Meyn is a leading global supplier of innovative poultry processing solutions, offering a comprehensive range of equipment and services to poultry processors worldwide. With a commitment to excellence, Meyn's cutting-edge technology and reliable machinery set the industry standard, ensuring efficient and high-quality poultry processing operations.
 
About CAT Squared:
CAT Squared is a trusted provider of advanced software solutions for the food and beverage manufacturing industry. The company's software suite empowers food manufacturers with real-time data insights, traceability solutions, and predictive analytics to optimize production processes, enhance food safety, and ensure compliance with industry standards.

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
5 min read

FSMA 204 Traceability Compliance: What Food Processors Need to Know (Updated 2025)

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

The FDA’s FSMA 204 Food Traceability Rule has introduced stricter data requirements for certain foods—but many processors are still unsure how this affects them. If you manufacture, process, or pack foods on the FDA’s Food Traceability List (FTL), FSMA 204 applies to you.

Update (May 2025): The FDA has officially extended the compliance deadline for FSMA 204 from January 2026 to July 20, 2028. While this delay offers more time to prepare, it doesn’t reduce the risk of costly, overly broad recalls for companies that lack robust traceability systems.

Topics: GS1 Standards food traceability software KDE and CTE data FDA traceability rule 2028 audit-ready traceability system FSMA 204 traceability compliance food safety modernization act software real-time food traceability
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