Baking & Snack - November 2007 - 34

R&D PERSPECTIVE

IBIE
IDEATION
Sharing innovations reaped from IBIE
2007 now can benefit your company for
years to come.
BY THERESA COGSWELL
ost companies went to the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) with a shopping list.
Maybe yours included reducing
head count on the packaging end of a snack
cake line, so you were focused on robotics.
Perhaps the purchase orders that were put
on hold for the past few years had finally
been approved, so you were looking for
fleet trucks and a new mixer. Now that you
are back, you might think, "Great, that was
easy! My shopping is complete. The company will be happy with the results of my
efforts. My time away from the office was
well spent. And the family enjoyed Disney
World and Epcot. The show was a win-win
for everyone." Well don't pat yourself on the
back too quickly.
Let us fast forward 12 months. What great
new products will hit the market based on
ideas sparked at IBIE? That's right, new
products. Or did you discount the ingredient side because the focus at IBIE for your
company was equipment?
But what about your competition? Did
they approach IBIE the same narrow way
you did, or will their new product concepts
be in focus groups before Thanksgiving?
On the other side of the equation, if you
were a technical person attending IBIE focused on new product development and
R&D, did you take the opportunity to walk

36 / BAKING & SNACK / Novemberr 2007

the show with someone from engineering,
operations, supply chain or marketing?
Did anyone from your marketing department even attend?
If innovation, new technology and new
ingredients are met with an open mind and
a can-do attitude, then the benefits of an
amazing show like IBIE are endless. Did you
find the wheat-based product with three
times the antioxidant level of blueberries or
the vitamin D-enhanced yeast? Those new
ideas may have real consumer appeal and
an opportunity for improved margins. But
did you stop by that small, non-equipment
booth and ask what was new?
Once back in the office, long hours,
demands, deadlines and the daily grind
will cause your excitement and new ideas
to wane. Keep the excitement alive! Take
the time to relive the IBIE experience with
those in your company, and your everyday life, who were not fortunate enough
to attend. Taking this time will help you
increase your company's return on investment from Baking Expo.
Share the innovative ideas, new technology and new ingredients with anyone
who will listen - your assistant, your coworker, your boss or other members of the
team, even your children or your spouse.
Whether it is a lunch-and-learn where you
bring your technical team together or coffee

and donuts before work, share your excitement and new learnings. Excitement feeds
new ideas and generates more application
opportunities. More application ideas lead
to more new product possibilities.
Capitalizing on a triennial opportunity
like IBIE is critical to your professional
health, your company's health and the
health and prosperity of the baking and
snack industry. It is not too late.
As you read the November edition of
Baking & Snack, IBIE 2007 will be just 30
days old. But you still have time to maximize your ROI by sharing the innovation
in ingredients and technology you found
at IBIE with others within your company.
Renew the energy and excitement, and
we may be talking about your innovative
product next year.
Ⅲ
After 15 years as vice-president of R&D with
Interstate Bakeries, and more than 27 years
in the baking industry, Theresa Cogswell
recently started her own baking industry
consultancy, BakerCogs, Inc. She also devotes time to recruiting and fundraising for
the Kansas State University Department of
Grain Science and Industry. Ms. Cogswell is a
member of the American Bakers Association
FTRAC Committee, AIB Scientific Advisory
Committee, American Society of Baking (past
chairman) and Society of Bakery Women.

Baking & Snack - November 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - November 2007