Category: Processing Equipment

CHICAGO — John Bean Technologies (JBT) Corp. was given a two-week extension by the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority to issue a decision regarding its takeover bid for all shares in fellow food equipment company Marel.

Before the announcement, JBT needed to decide on the deal by Jan. 5.

“Marel is in the process of reviewing JBT’s non-binding proposal with due care and process to assess its merits, consistent with the long-term interests of the company and all shareholders, and together with its advisors is in preliminary and high-level discussions with JBT as part of this assessment,” the company said on its website. “At this time, there is no certainty whether the non-binding proposal will lead to a binding offer, or the terms on which such an offer might be made.”

JBT said in its statement on Jan. 5 that the issuance of a binding offer remains subject to the approval of its board of directors.

“The potential merger with Marel is consistent with JBT’s strategic plan and M&A objectives of pursuing transactions with strong industrial logic and with significant synergy potential to enhance shareholder value,” JBT added.

During November, JBT made its first non-bind proposal to the board of Marel, which was rejected.

A month later, it made a second proposal in which JBT offered 3.4 euros ($3.71) per share for all outstanding shares in Marel.

Food technologists at GEA’s new Technology Center in Frisco, TX have been collaborating with customers to test a variety of products. Testing occurs using numerous pieces of GEA equipment and, in some cases, complete process lines.   A survey of the most popular tests include:

1. Flavor profile trials with roasted products baked in the GEA CookStar spiral oven;
2. Breading tests using the GEA CrumbMaster, Optflour and MultiDrum;
3. Frying assessments for poultry tenders and nuggets in the GEA EasyFry;
4. Grinding evaluations on both fresh and frozen product on the GEA PowerGrind, utilizing efficient bone elimination;
5. Forming tests with meat, plant-based and vegetable mixes using the GEA MaxiFormer;
6. Marination comparisons on brine/pickle retention and purge loss using the GEA MultiJector combined with GEA Shaker technology;
7. Dehydration tests for pet food products using the GEA CookStar two-zone spiral oven;
8. Slicing assessments for meat and cheese products on the GEA OptiSlicer;  
9. Bag style and seal evaluations for snack, candy, salad and protein products with the GEA SmartPacker; 
10. Purge loss and protein content measurements on meats defrosted using the GEA ColdSteam T. 

Customer teams can reserve time at the Technology Center to evaluate product and processes. They benefit by being able to “experiment” without interruption to revenue generating lines at manufacturing plants. Additionally, the Technology Center can also be used to optimize settings on existing equipment. Located just outside of Dallas, the facility offers nine complete production line set ups. See a short video here.

To find out more or schedule a visit, call the center at 214-618-1100 or email sales.northamerica@gea.com.