Preparing for growth in the USA

Baker Perkins Inc. is preparing for growth in its established and emerging markets by strengthening its sales and marketing organization. The company, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan serves the baked products, confectionery, extrusion and cereal sectors of the food industry, and also provides twin-screw extruders for industrial applications. Mark Beaver, appointed director of sales and business development, says “Baker Perkins recognizes expansion opportunities in all these areas. This re-structuring will take full advantage of ongoing investment in facilities, product development and people. It will give customers a clear focus on the company’s unique products and technologies. “All the people appointed have been with Baker Perkins for many years, and have hands-on experience of the company’s expertise, and of working with our customers. They are backed by service technicians with wide experience, and by an extensive equipment range in the Grand Rapids Innovation Center where customers can develop new products and processes.” Mark Beaver has wide managerial experience with Baker Perkins and other companies in the UK and USA. His role is to expand and develop the company’s products and services. Katie Winkle is appointed to the new position of product manager, and Mark Glover senior account manager, for the baked products and extrusion sectors. In her new role Katie is responsible for managing and developing the sales and sales support functions and supporting the Baker Perkins development teams in the UK and USA. Baker Perkins service to the baked product sectors includes cookies and crackers, bread, pet treats and frozen dough. Extrusion covers a range of applications from snacks and ingredients to TVP and biodegradable packaging. Technologies from unit machines to complete systems are backed by a century of process know-how. Development is continuous: a patent has recently been granted for the servo driven mechanism of the new TruClean wirecut, and further patents are in the pipeline. Colin McCallion is appointed to the new position of product manager for confectionery and cereal. Baker Perkins is world leader in starch-free confectionery cooking and depositing systems - increasingly recognized as the most hygienic, accurate, efficient and versatile method of making high-quality confectionery. There is rapid growth in products which cannot be made by any other method including functional and medicated confectionery, and in specialities such as 3-dimensional products. In the cereal industry a focus is on Baker Perkins’ ability to supply production and process expertise for the growing market in cereal clusters and granola bars. Systems for ready-to-eat cereals are based on either extrusion or rotary cereal cookers.

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