Indiana Convention Center — For the first time ever, two companies were honored with the NCA Ruby Award for Supplier Innovation. Yesterday evening, Mantrose-Haeuser Co., Inc. was recognized for MantroShield, its newly developed line of food-grade acids, and Schubert Additive Solutions GmbH earned the honor for Partbox, a program that provides spare parts via 3D printing technology.
The Ruby Award, founded in 2018, is presented to suppliers that have enhanced the confectionery industry through breakthrough technologies and innovations. The 2021 winners were chosen by an expert panel of judges.
In presenting the awards, Jerry Hagedorn, executive vice-president of business development for Barry Callebaut Americas, noted that the judging was extremely close. “The panel felt that both recipients were deserving of this recognition. In the evaluation period, the scoring of each of these nominees came down to fractions of a point. And in the spirit of the innovation taking place at this year’s show we decided to double down and celebrate these two companies.”
Mantrose-Haeuser has been developing edible coatings and specialty products for more than 100 years, according to Scott Bergeron, director of sales, North American Coatings. The company’s MantroShield line can be used to create a spectrum of sour flavor profiles. Manufactured using a proprietary encapsulation process, MantroShield does not add fat, will not go rancid, stays blended with sanding sugar and has a significantly lower application rate, according to Bergeron.
“We have been a thoughtful, reliable and responsible partner to the confectionery industry for many years,” he said. “We are looking forward to providing even more groundbreaking developments for the candy of the future.”
Schubert Additive Solutions, part of Gerhard Schubert GmbH, has been focused on 3D-printed parts for the past eight years, noting that its mission is to be the world’s first networked platform for industrial 3D printing on demand. According to the company, anyone, anywhere can now independently produce formatting parts, replacement parts and wear-and-tear parts in batches of any size through a “click & print” model.
“It makes us very proud to present this innovation to confectionery manufacturers,” said Julia Junker, project manager market intelligence & exhibitions at Gerhard Schubert. “We are convinced that with Partbox we can create tremendous benefits for the production processes in the confectionery industry.”
