The ABA Convention’s closing day of sessions emphasized strategies to drive future success in areas such as automation, community engagement, sustainability and state-level advocacy.
Speakers aimed to reduce the complexity of these topics by relaying manageable approaches to progress. The program included the presentation of the annual Safety Recognition Awards and updates on ABA board elections.
Tapping into Emerging Technology
The convention showcased AI and automation on Tuesday with two panels that illuminated the potential of emerging technologies and best practices for success. ABA’s recent research on AI in commercial baking found that nearly 70% of the baking industry has adopted or plans to adopt AI in some capacity in the next 12 months.
- Participants in a panel called Leveraging the Power of Automation said major drivers for use of emerging technology include increasing capacity and optimizing labor. They emphasized the opportunity for efficiency by automating menial tasks and prioritizing training for teams. The panel was moderated by Jorge Zarate, Grupo Bimbo, and included Joe Turano, Turano Baking Company; Raymond Nogael, MECATHERM; Bill Quigg, Richmond Baking; Hartmut Siegel, Schubert North America; and Michael Greco, Cusanos Bakery.
- Speakers in the panel Baking in an AI World urged attendees to examine whether emerging technologies will be on target for their specific needs and to experiment with these technologies while examining lessons learned. They pointed to AI use cases that include workforce management, energy efficiency, supply chain optimization and computer vision. The panel was moderated by Eric Dell, President and CEO, ABA, and included Greg Powers, Gray Solutions; Murray Thom, D-Wave; Marco Petruccelli, Lallemand; and Dr. Natalia Connolly, AlixPartners.
Celebrating Community Efforts
Baking industry companies are leaders in making positive contributions to communities, and a panel discussion showcased opportunities to share these narratives with consumers, workforces, customers and other stakeholders. Speakers spotlighted community improvement efforts that include food donations, volunteer work and sustainability activities.
They relayed the following key insights:
- Building engagement with teams and identifying internal champions helps drive successful awareness of the community initiatives.
- Leveraging social media, digital platforms and influencers is effective in getting the word out about company and brand efforts.
- Relaying emotion in storytelling and connecting as people rather than brands helps to drive the connections with consumers and the workforce..
- Raising the profile of a company’s positive contributions can help attract future employees because people want to work for organizations that engage with communities.
The panel was moderated by Bess Eastman, Account Director, CRAFT Media and Digital, and included speakers Jaina Wald, Puratos USA; Heeth Varnedoe, Flowers Foods; and Beau Netzer, Aspire Bakeries.
Eyeing Policy Impacts of Scope 3 Emissions
Baking industry companies should become familiar with the emerging sustainability topic of Scope 3 Emissions, according to speakers in a convention panel. Scope 3 is a complex topic that involves emissions outside of an organization’s direct control, which makes them more difficult to monitor. This needs to be on the industry’s radar as stakeholders — from retail customers to investors — seek more information from baking companies. The panel included JP Frossard, Rabobank, and Raechel Kummer, Morgan Lewis. The discussion was moderated by Rasma Zvaners, ABA’s Vice President, Government Relations.
Getting Engaged with State-Level Advocacy
ABA is actively focusing on state-level policy issues as an area of growing focus, according to Bill Dumais, ABA’s State Affairs Manager, who spoke during a convention session. In the current legislative cycle, the association is monitoring state-level packaging regulations; ingredient-ban efforts; and activity related to PFAS chemicals. ABA’s State Affairs Working Group is a valuable resource that helps identify the biggest focus areas. The association encourages its members to become engaged in advocacy at the state level, where important issues often emerge quickly.
What’s Ahead from ABA
The Convention is over but there is lots ahead from ABA. The 2024 Fly-In and Policy Summit will take place June 11 to 14 in Washington, DC, scheduled alongside FTRAC and the NextGenBaker Leadership Forum. ABA’s 2025 annual Convention will be held March 23 to 26 at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando Resort in Florida.
