In episode 23 of The Downtime, a weekly manufacturing podcast from WTWH Media, co-host Sarah Wynn chats with Matt Jones, vice president of sales at Hoosier Feeder, ahead of Pack Expo Las Vegas. They discuss the company’s centrifugal system for coffee pods, which will be on display at the show.

Co-host Sheri Kasprzak highlights three individuals who were recently named to the Engineering Leaders Under 40 list for Control Engineering and Plant Engineering. Kasprzak also shares 2025 salary research.

The Downtime · The Downtime | Episode 23: Luck Be Two Ladies

Hoosier Feeder highlights centrifugal system for coffee pods

Jones previewed what attendees can expect from the event, which will run September 29 through October 1, 2025, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“This year’s Pack Expo in Las Vegas is going to feature over a million square feet of space and 2,300 exhibitors,” Jones said. “Many of the exhibitors are our customers as well, and probably north of 30,000 attendees.”

At Booth SL-12026, Hoosier Feeder will display a centrifugal feeder with a Dorner FlexMove (an alpine chain) conveyor. The system is designed to handle single-serve coffee pods at rates of up to 800 per minute.

“It is highly flexible and scalable. The system we’ll have at Pack Expo will be a smaller system. We can make them much larger,” said Jones.

Once the pods exit the feeder, the FlexMove conveying system serves as a buffer, highlighting Hoosier Feeder’s DornerFlexMove integration. “That allows us to demonstrate our ability to partner up with Dorner and their FlexMove conveyance. We’re an authorized integrator for Dorner,” he added.

The company will display additional systems, including an orienting conveyor with a vision system, a mini centrifugal feeder, a vibratory feeder, and an opposing conveyor.

Matt Jones, VP of Sales at Hoosier Feeder, joined The Downtime to discuss the company’s centrifugal feeder for coffee pods. You can see the system in action at Pack Expo Las Vegas in Booth SL-12026. — Matt Jones, vice president of Sales at Hoosier Feeder, joined The Downtime to discuss the company’s centrifugal feeder for coffee pods. You can see the system in action at Pack Expo Las Vegas in Booth SL-12026. Source: Hoosier Feeder

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Episode 23 | Show notes & time stamps

00:17 – Co-hosts open the show

02:40 – Headline segment begins with Wynn sharing Packaging OEM’s story on Novakon’s industrial PCs, which are compatible with Siemens Industrial Edge and can enable smarter packaging lines with data-driven maintenance and sustainability features.

03:23 – Wynn urges listeners to download the free Packaging OEM eBook on energy-efficient packaging machinery

03:32 – Kasprzak spotlights Engineering Leaders Under 40, including: Johnnie Burness, Mena Francis, and Jasmine Nguyen. Read the full list of winners on Plant Engineering’s website and Control Engineering’s website

03:57 – Kasprzak recognizes Johnnie Burgess, 39, engineering manager with Factory Systems and Test with Verdagy

04:28 – Kasprzak celebrates Mena Francis, 37, project manager for Applied Control Engineering

04:53 – Kasprzak highlights Jasmine Nguyen, 27, controls & automation engineer at Hargrove Controls & Automation

06:18 – Kasprzak addresses recent stories she wrote about careers in engineering, including advice and salary survey research. Read the article on Plant Engineering’s website and check out the piece on Control Engineering’s website

07:27 – Wynn talks about Pack Expo Las Vegas and introduces today’s interview guest, Matt Jones, VP of sales at Hoosier Feeder.

08:34 – Interview with Jones begins

08:50 – Jones shares his background and perspective on 35 years in the packaging industry

09:20 – Jones previews Pack Expo Las Vegas and shares information on Hoosier Feeder’s centrifugal feeder integrated with a Dorner FlexMove conveyor that will be displayed at the event

11:04 – Jones addresses the collaboration with Dorner and details how the centrifugal feeder system is both flexible and scalable

14:30 – Jones interview ends

14:45 – Game time segment begins “All In”

22:05 – The co-hosts wrap up the show

About The Downtime podcast and co-hosts

The Downtime is a weekly manufacturing podcast from WTWH Media that features insights from its automation and controls publications. It’s co-hosted by Wynn, who serves as the senior editor (digital) for Packaging OEM, and Kasprzak, who is the managing editor for Plant Engineering, Control Engineering, and Consulting-Specifying Engineer.