Degussa, Parsippany, N.J., a leading global chemical company, opened a new headquarters for its Fruit Systems business in Philadelphia. The 18,000-sq-ft facility houses Fruit Systems' management, a dedicated technical center and customer service. It is located next to the business line's 150,000-sq-ft production plant, which houses state-of-the-art production lines and employs more than 150 people. "The relocation next to our production plant will increase communication between senior management of all our functions, which will enable us to be more innovative and to achieve a seamless transition between the R&D bench and production," says Ken Hughes, v.p. and g.m., Degussa Fruit Systems. Degussa's Fruit Systems business line designs and sells new food solutions based on the interaction between fruits, flavors and other ingredients in food processing.

The Fuji Seal Group announces the formation of a new center of technology, American Fuji Technical Services (AFTS). The new organization includes the former Machine Group of American Fuji Seal, but represents a broader range of engineering services to meet its customers' ever-expanding needs. AFTS is a team of Project Engineers and Service Engineers from within the Fuji Seal Group, boosting the support level for the North American, Mexican, Latin American, and South American markets. The company represents both Fuji Seal's Astec[r] and Intersleeve[r] equipment from Japan and the Netherlands, respectively.

G. C. HAHN & Co., Pleasant Prairie, Wis., a global custom stabilizer blender, conducted an Aerated Products Training Seminar on May 22 at the Center For Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The one-day, invitation-only event included presentations from various partner suppliers, with the program addressing all aspects of formulating, manufacturing and marketing high-quality, aerated dairy desserts--yogurt- and pudding-style. Twelve dairy manufacturers attended the event, which included a hand-on manufacturing session, as well as a taste test of commercial products from Europe and American-made prototypes. For more information, call 262/857-3527, or visit www.gchahn.com.