On March 29, members of the CAT Squared team attended the 2019 Blockchain Conference hosted by the Center for Blockchain Excellence at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business. The conference included several keynote speakers including Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas. There were also breakout sessions with panels of blockchain innovators and opportunities for developers to break out their laptops and practice interacting with blockchain development platforms. However, of all the sessions we attended, the one I found most exciting was a discussion led by Golden State Foods (GSF) Chief Technology Officer Guilda Javaheri.

For nearly 25 years, CAT Squared has developed manufacturing execution systems (MES) to manage plant-floor processes for food processing facilities. CAT Squared’s MES delivers end-to-end traceability from receiving of ingredients and dry goods through shipping of final product. By combining our MES with blockchain and other IIoT technologies, CAT Squared can now expand the reach of our capabilities outside the four walls of the plant, connecting all participants of the food value chain.

On September 24, Walmart released a letter to their leafy greens suppliers requiring end-to-end traceability back to farm by September 30, 2019. This mandate is in response to multiple high-profile recalls and outbreaks associated with these types of products. To help their suppliers meet Walmart’s traceability goal, the letter refers suppliers to the IBM Food Trust network, a blockchain solution pioneered through a partnership between Walmart and IBM to improve food safety.

New Functionality Available in FSQM

Dynamic Data Keys - Users now can create and modify their own dynamic data keys. We only advise users with some SQL knowledge should use this as these data keys can have major impacts on system functionality.

Process-Change Logging - FSQM now offers Process Change Logging. With this functionality, users can monitor changes on various parameters, personnel, and departments against a product code. This will allow users to document how specific changes affect processes.

CUSUM - Per the US Government Publishing Office 2016 CFR, title 9 vol. 2, part 381, cumulative sum (CUSUM) is defined as a statistical concept used to determine compliance with finished product standards (pg 455). CAT Squared developed a software solution for calculating CUSUM scores, CUSUM status (InAction or InControl), and scheduling audits. This SOP goes over how the initial setup for CUSUM with the CUSUM Wizard.

On June 27, 2018, CAT Squared along with dozens of business, government, agriculture, and education leaders from across Arkansas met with Governor Asa Hutchinson and IBM to explore the evolving use of blockchain technology to track the distribution of food from farm to fork. This workshop was a part of the Governor’s new initiative: Blockchain for Arkansas, or BC4AR, an initiative to coordinate and align safety and distribution efforts among key industry leaders.

About two years ago, our training team arrived at a plant to teach plant-floor operators how to use our newly installed MES system to track and manage production data. On the first day of training, an older employee was handed a touchscreen tablet he would now use to perform quality checks. His hand was trembling as he first touched the screen. Our sales representative asked what was wrong, and the gentleman responded that he had only touched a computer once in his life.

On March 20, Cargill Thailand hosted CMT / CAT Squared Modernization Day, a technology event promoting to their employees the work Cargill Meats Thailand is doing with CAT Squared and SAP. CAT Squared specializes in developing MES (manufacturing executions systems) that manages a company’s plant floor and interfaces production data into ERP systems like SAP ERP.

For industrial-scale food producers, staying compliant with a patchwork of state, federal, and international regulations is challenging. The State of Alabama requires commercial manufacturing operations like Mar-Jac to maintain National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) certification on their weighing and measuring instruments. Not only do the scales and other hardware devices themselves need to be certified, but the software reading data from these devices must also conform to the standards of the National Conference on Weights and Measures, ensuring the manufacturer’s data is accurate.