INDIANAPOLIS—Schubert North America was named the winner of the 2024 Ruby Award for Supplier Innovation at the 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo. The award comes in recognition of its development of Cobot tog.519, a collaborative robot designed to work alongside humans – rather than replace them – in a manufacturing or packaging environment.
“The chocolate and candy industry invests heavily in its people and innovation, and new technology that supports both is remarkable and worthy of recognition,” John Downs, president & CEO of the National Confectioners Association, host organization for Sweets & Snacks Expo, said. “The industry is at its best when suppliers find creative solutions that improve operations, create efficiencies in manufacturing, and support employees.”
Created in 2018 to celebrate breakthrough innovations from the supplier community that advance the confectionery industry, the Ruby Award for Supplier Innovation recognizes a National Confectioners Association supplier member company that has developed an innovation in the past year that improves the ability of confectioners to manufacture, distribute, market, and/or sell chocolate and candy.
The award was chosen based on supplier submissions and judged by a panel of industry experts:
Francisco (Paco) Tello, Perfetti Van Melle North America
Eric Guilford, Spangler Candy Company
Mark Schlott, RM Palmer Company LLC
Bhavna Ramani, PIM Brands, Inc.
Steve Genzoli, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
Danielle Laubenstein, Hawaiian Host LLC
Iris Eshoo, See’s Candies, Inc.
Rachel Sweet, Sweet Candy Company
Heather Boggs, Ferrara
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About Sweets & Snacks Expo
The Sweets & Snacks Expo is the premier event for the confectionery and snack industries. Featuring new product launches, business-building solutions, and merchandising innovations, this annual trade show brings together qualified candy and snack retail professionals and company representatives who showcase the latest in candy and snack products. The event is sponsored by the National Confectioners Association. Learn more at SweetsAndSnacks.com.
About the National Confectioners Association (NCA)
The National Confectioners Association is the leading trade organization for the $48 billion U.S. confectionery industry. NCA advocates for an environment that enables candy makers to thrive and works to ensure that chocolate, candy, gum, and mints are celebrated for their contributions to culture, society, the economy and everyday moments of joy. The industry employs nearly 58,000 workers in more than 1,600 manufacturing facilities across all 50 states and supports an additional 635,000 jobs in related fields. The U.S. confectionery industry has made a commitment to increasing transparency, providing more portion guidance options and educating consumers about the role of confectionery in a happy, balanced lifestyle. Learn more at CandyUSA.com or follow NCA on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
