040138 Poultry Expo Displays New Products

James Petersen, director of sales and marketing at Gainco, is enthusiastic about several new products the firm plans to showcase this week at the 56th International Poultry Exposition.

The annual event is set for Wednesday-Friday at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Gainco, located at 1655 Oakbrook Drive, manufactures automated sorting and weighing equipment for the poultry and meat processing industry.

"We're very excited about the future, especially about our role in the development of new products for the industry," Peterson said Thursday.

Among its newest product lines are the Infiniti, a programmable weight indicator that converts information into a digital readout, and an online vision grading system. It captures images of chicken to determine defects such as blood spots.

Gainco is among more than 10 local companies that plan to display their newest poultry products at the exposition. Other firms include Stork Gamco, Merial Select and Cantrell Machine Co.

Poultry is a major industry in Northeast Georgia, where three of the state's largest producers are based, employing thousands and processing as many as 12,600 birds an hour and more than 2.4 million eggs a day.

Last year, poultry and eggs brought $213 million into Hall's economy, or 5.7% of the $3.7 billion generated throughout Georgia, according to figures from the Hall County Extension office.

"The expo is certainly great for people in Hall, Georgia and the international community," said Abit Massey, executive director of the Gainesville-based Georgia Poultry Federation.

"It provides an opportunity for people to be able to attend the largest poultry exhibit in the world," Massey said.

Kit Dunlap, president of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, said the yearly event spotlights area companies that are associated with the poultry industry.

"There's the possibility that people from all over the world who attend the expo could end up visiting our area to meet personally with companies that produce some of those products," Dunlap said.

"When that happens, it's good for business and tourism," she said.

Tucker-based U.S. Poultry and Egg Association sponsors the event, whose 2004 theme is "Partners in Progress." Organizers said the theme echoes the relationship the group has with the industry.

"The expo has been a constant in the industry for the past 56 years and we're committed to the continued growth and excellence of the industry through the expo," said Don Dalton, president of the trade association.

In addition to more than 1,000 exhibitors, participants can attend various workshops and educational sessions. Topics include "The Global Poultry Industry: A Strategic Analysis" and "Biosecurity: A Necessity ... Not an Option."

Also planned is an international scientific forum featuring information on industry topics such as environmental management, nutrition, pathology, processing and products and avian diseases.

The expo plans to have an international flavor, with the participation of more than 101 foreign firms.

The eight countries with the most exhibitors are Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands and Spain.

For the third year, the expo also will present the Latin American Poultry Hall of Fame, according to organizers.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com