World Perspectives

Problem Off the Farm

COVID revealed the raw underbelly of the U.S. food manufacturing industry. While politicians are blaming consolidation and greed for the disrupted supply chain and skyrocketing food inflation, the industry’s problems are far more complex than the sound bites produced in Washington. In sum, food manufacturing is too labor intensive and unproductive relative to overall manufacturing in the U.S. Notably, U.S. food manufacturing was considered the envy of the world in the 1970’s. A major U.S. export at the time was used food processing equipment as manufacturers fought to stay ahead of one another in productivity. Spin forward to today and part of the reason for a labor shortage is not just the pandemic but a failure to automate as...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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