Processed Food Machines - How The HELL Do They Dream Up These?

[matcom]

watching foodtv (as i often do) and when they do stories on processed foods (today's is Cheez-Its), they always show these special machines that form, shape, fry, coat, sort, etc... these boxed, bagged, packaged foods.

just WHO the HELL thinks up these multi-million dollar machines??

i mean they have to be some of the most intriguing devices ever made!

how the HELL do you think up something like that? :shrug:

[Vincardog]

1. One step at a time

[Pithlet]

2. And what about the machines that make those machines

and the machines that make THOSE machines? Is there one master machine somewhere that all other machines descended from?

BTW, I love watching how things are made for just that reason. Particularly foods that require an extruder. Because that is just a fun word to say :)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. necessity is the mother of invention

[fit4life]

8. I disagree.

LAZINESS is the mother of invention, Necessity is just the non-support paying father. lol

Benjamin Franklin himself admitted that almost everything he invented (like the dumbwaiter) was to cater to his own laziness.

[rug]

9. Are Cheez-its really necessary?

[trof]

4. I've decided never again to eat anything that's "extruded".

blech

[Kali]

6. no pasta?

;-)

[trof]

7. I'm hand cutting it from now on.

;-)

[Nikia]

5. Some people are paid to do this

My husband used to work for such a company and I work for a food processor. They have people who come up with an idea or modification on an existing product. They build a prototype and they test it out. They often give or make a good deal with a company or two to have the first one(s). They stay in regular contact with that company if not bring someone in every day to see how it works for them and what problems there are. If things go well and they fix any potential problems, they sell it to other plants for full price.
I think that at some bigger food companies, they have engineers or scientists who design the original idea and then work with these machinery companies.