ATLANTA — On Aug. 15, the Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) and Messe Frankfurt North America announced the creation of three new production lines that will be on display at the Equipment, Automation and Technology Show for Food & Beverage (EATS), which will be held Oct. 28-30, 2025, in Chicago’s McCormick Place. Among the new lines are solutions for manufacturing sliced pepperoni, baked turnover pastry and fresh pet food product.

“FPSA members began discussing which lines would be of interest for next year’s show before we even closed out the 2023 event,” said Matt R. Ott, FPSA president and chief executive officer.  “That is how popular the production line program is. Members know there’s probably no better way to spotlight just what their equipment can do in a tradeshow environment. Participating in these lines greatly enhances their tradeshow presence and drives traffic to their booths.”

Since the production line program was launched in 2017, exhibitors at the show have come together to build innovative lines that manufacture products with actual ingredients during live guided demonstrations throughout the show day.

Along with the announcement of the three lines, project managers for the lines were also named. Epstein will oversee the pepperoni line, Gray Solutions will take point at the fresh pet food line and Dennis Gorup will spearhead the pastry line. As sponsors of the project, each project manager will coordinate with the various equipment manufacturers over the next fourteen months to build the lines, coordinate production schedules and address the various issues that can arise when working with a large number of suppliers.

“We look forward to this next edition, and the return of one of the most exciting and educational components on the show floor,” added Kristy Meade, vice president of technical shows at Messe Frankfurt. “The production lines offer a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the production processes, providing suppliers a unique perspective to explore new technologies and the implementation of a seamless integration. This live display is just one more element that sets EATS apart from other industry events.”    

Equipment selection for the three lines will begin in September once the process flow charts are finalized. FPSA and Messe Frankfurt said equipment manufacturers with innovative technology that might be incorporated into such lines are encouraged to consider participation.