Published: August 14, 2025

Five Questions with Josh Stiever

Josh Stiever
President, Protein Tools & Equipment,
Fortifi Food Processing Solutions

How can the protein-processing industry meet the challenges of a growing world population and a changing planet?

We see enormous strength in our enduring partnerships with food processors. One area of our primary focus is automation’s power to increase output and optimize yield in the face of long-term instabilities in the workforce. The food processing industry faces some significant challenges to fill in the gaps left by the ongoing retirement of the baby-boom generation. Especially in protein processing, which has been known for dangerous, stressful jobs, automation transforms these workplaces with interesting, engaging employment that involves the implementation and use of high technology instead of back-breaking labor. Thanks to automation, fewer people can manage more work with greater safety and job satisfaction.

Automated production technology generates a constant flow of data about yields, waste, sustainability and environmental impact, including water conservation. With the right software – and thoughtful implementation of AI to analyze these large datasets – food processors know more about their processes and can do more to capitalize on positive aspects of their production environment. At the same time, that same knowledge enables food processors to correct the weaknesses revealed in the data.

If you could give prospective customers three reasons to consider automation for their production facilities, what would they be?

1. Safety is the essential priority in any workplace, and automation frees up employees from difficult, unsafe tasks that involve repeated motion and physical stress. Robotics and software tackle these duties without mid-day fatigue, end-of-day pain or ups and downs in productivity. For the consumer, automated vision systems and other food-safety detection equipment remove hazards from food products, which yields a safer, higher-quality food supply.
2. Human beings have to learn processes and must recognize the value in abiding by standard operating procedures. Even the most attentive employee can slip into bad habits that compromise products’ compliance with specifications and safety protocols. Robots follow SOPs to the letter every time, which boosts food quality.
3. Even if a new generation steps in to fill skilled labor gaps and today’s workforce challenges subside, labor challenges are inevitable and always will require a multi-phase approach. Robotics contribute unwavering efficiency that always produces predictable outputs and outcomes.

What aspects of traditional approaches to food processing do you hope the industry preserves as it evolves?

As food processing continues to embrace automation and advanced technologies, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of what has always made this industry resilient and innovative: people and their ideas. Technology can streamline production and improve consistency, but it’s human insight that sparks the next great food product, rooted in nutritional needs, cultural preferences, and emerging trends.

People remain essential inside the plant, too. While automation can boost productivity, safety and yield, there are still critical tasks that require a human touch. Preserving traditional tools and manual processes, when thoughtfully designed for safety and ergonomics, ensures that workers can continue to play an active, valued role in food production. Innovation shouldn’t replace tradition – it should build on it.

What are the most significant new developments you see coming in food processing?

1. Historically, this industry has experienced massive swings in production output. The difficulties in balancing supply and demand lead to negative impacts that include significant waste and considerable pressure on profitability. Software and AI can optimize supply and demand, and we’ve only scratched the surface of the ways in which this pair of technologies can transform food processing.
2. Vision systems and inspection/detection equipment continue to advance our abilities to avoid food contamination and improve food quality. The technology we have now has progressed lightyears beyond early measures of its capabilities, and we anticipate further revolutions in this aspect of automation.

What do you see as the keys to success for processors in today’s marketplace?

1. Food processors need to invest in automation for long-term profitability. The returns on investment in these technologies come more quickly than ever. Rather than chase short-term labor fluctuations, food processors need to take the long view and invest in technology that levels out their processes even as it increases their output and efficiency.
2. To really optimize supply and demand, food processors need to extract every bit of information out of the data they accrue during production. When they use AI to find insights that otherwise would remain concealed in large volumes of information, they turn their production data into the answers to many of their questions about how to predict and meet the market’s demands.
3. Take advantage of the innovations available to improve yield, safety and profitability. At Fortifi, we believe that our collaborations with food processors provide endless opportunities for mutual benefit. We help food processors find the right automation technologies for their unique production environments. At the same time, we learn new aspects of the challenges of this industry from our customers’ experiences and their outcomes with automation.