The Food Industry Centre is one of the world’s leading centres for applied food safety research, providing consultancy services and training programmes for a wide range of clients, both in the UK and overseas.
The Food Industry Centre has, as its primary objective, the development of links between the academic and research resources available at UWIC and the food processing sector. With access to over 20 food scientists, auditors, microbiologists, chemists and quality experts the Centre is a unique resource within the principality. In recent years, the services offered within the centre have extended to other disciplines within the UWIC portfolio. Examples include the development of IT software for new product development, food marketing expertise to product launch, and the development and advice of innovative packaging and labeling.
The core areas of the business emanating from the Food Industry Centre are tailored to the needs of a modern food processing company:
- Auditing techniques (e.g. BRC)
- Weight calibration service
- Quality management development
- Food law advice
- Hygiene systems development
- New product development
- Sensory evaluation
- Market analysis
- Baking technology
- Dairy technology
- Average weight development
- Training
The Packaging Innovation Group
The food industry is highly competitive and in order to evolve every business must consider the ‘next step forward’ and implement it effectively. The Packaging Innovation Group has the unique capability of drawing on the resources of two industry-renowned centre’s – one specializing in design and the other in food – to offer an expert service in food industry branding, packaging, promotion, development and research and business implementation.
The Packaging Innovation Group has been established within the National Centre for Product Design and Development Research (PDR), in collaboration with Wales Food Industry Centre (FIC), in order to combine and channel the existing capabilities, facilities and expertise that lie within the two specialized Centre’s. The focus of the group is to deliver tangible, innovative solutions in food branding and packaging to all sizes of operation within the food and packaging industries. Its unique position enables it to provide an efficient ‘one-stop-shop’ approach for all clients, facilitating all stages of the development process from concept, prototype, pre-production trials through to product launch and debrief.
PDR was established in 1994 to provide innovative design, development and research services to individuals and companies throughout the UK. The centre has been dedicated to harnessing innovative design and development technologies, and combining these with the skills of industry professionals of the highest caliber. Through combining technology, experience and knowledge in this way, PDR has been able to deliver impressive results for over 5,000 customers in the field of design, as well as winning a variety of prestigious design awards and being recognized as A Centre of Excellence in Technical and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC) by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG).
PDR now employs 50 staff and offers a range of design services to its customers including the following;
- graphic design
- branding
- packaging design and development
- product design (concept and industrial)
- innovation management
- rapid prototyping
- model making
- rapid batch manufacture
- tooling and moulding machining
- design research
The Centre is a member of British Design Innovation (BDI) and Institute of Packaging and works directly with industry in various commercial, research and knowledge transfer capacities.
The focus of the group is to deliver tangible, innovative solutions in food branding and packaging to all sizes of operation within the food and packaging industries. Its unique position enables it to provide an efficient ‘one-stop-shop’ approach for all clients, facilitating all stages of the development process from concept, prototype, pre-production trials through to product launch and debrief.
You can access this expertise and assistance in both short and longer term programs, many with special rates and support funding for smaller organisations’ who need to develop, present and market world class products.
The group is headed by Helen Taylor who has 12 years extensive industry experience (contact Helen Taylor 02920416075 or e mail HRTaylor@uwic.ac.uk ).
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