Pacing technologies in the fats and oils industry

Embryonic Growth Mature Aging Technology is the practical application of scientific knowledge derived from engineering or any other basic science. Within the context of practical application, it is implicit that the expected end result is a commercial product (i.e., the product could be a new process, an equipment, a consumer product, or improvements thereof) (1). In the fats and oils industry, some of the needs triggering technology innovations are: cost savings, environmental and safety concerns, and nutrition issues. Like industries, technologies are dynamic. They have a life cycle and go through stages of maturity.This transition follows an "S-shaped" curve (Fig. 1). Like industries, technology maturity can be classified in four phases: embryonic or emerging, growth, mature, and aging. Not all technologies go through the entire cycle. Some never achieve full development potential and are abandoned. Technologies have widely differing potential for competitive impact (generally in two main areas: product differentiation and cost advantage). This is the basis for the classification of technology into base, key and pacing technologies. B a s e technology is available or known to all industry participants; it cannot provide competitive advantage. K e y technology is a proprietary technology and is critical to the basis of competition. P a c i n g technologies are those technologies in the developmental stage with a demonstrated ability to change the basis of competition. Some, but not all, of the pacing technologies of today will be tomorrow's key technologies; and some key technologies become base technologies and serve as foundation for the industry. The classification of technologies is useful in evaluating how a company's technology compares to its internal needs and targets and to those of its competition, and in providing direction for its R&D efforts. This discussion will be confined to just one element of the overall matrix the pacing technologies. There are numerous new and emerging technologies in the fats and oils industry. Only a few will be covered in this discussion with out implying th at the others not included in this discussion fall outside the domain of pacing technologies. Indeed, there are a number of pacing technologies in the nonfood category that we will not even mention. To elucidate the processing steps which will be affected by the six pacing technologies to be discussed, reference is made to Figure 2 -the classical edible oil processing scheme (using soybean oil, the world's major oil source as model); it includes further processing technologies to produce modified fats and oils. Six pacing technologies are: Automation and process control impacts on all operations from seed handling to extraction, refining and quality control. Physical refining impacts traditional caustic refining of soybean oil.