Articles

Meet a Member - Jeff Hetherington

By CFIN Newsdesk posted 09-26-2023 08:00

  

Welcome to YODL! In addition to daily original content, YODL helps CFIN Members find new partnersresources, and funding opportunities to grow their food business. Learn more about this growing community and become a CFIN Member (for free!) today 

Since launching in 2022, CFIN has grown to more than 3,500  members, which includes professionals from every sector of the food industry. This series highlights the many different CFIN members across Canada who visit YODL to learn, make connections, find funding, and discover new ways to grow their businesses. 

 

 

Head of Project Development, Laplace Robotics 

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON 

 

Tell us about your job 

 

As head of Project Development at Laplace Robotics, and being a veteran leader of the food industry, I help bridge the connection between AI vision systems and robotics and the food industry to bring value to manufacturers. As a Lean Six Sigma professional, I’m always looking at continuous improvement opportunities for businesses. 

 

How  is YODL helping you do your job? 

 

YODL connected me and the team at Laplace Robotics. I served as an advisor for the business and then joined them full time. So, making connections is how it helps me do my job. 

 

How often do you visit YODL? 

 

When I see an email update with a summary of new posts, which is usually weekly.  

 

What’s your favourite aspect of YODL?  

Lifelong learning from others, and learning about new trends and innovations in the food sector. 

 

Can you tell us something  you  learned on YODL? 

 

So many new innovative products, I’m always amazed at what Canadian companies can do! 

 

What type of connection partners are you looking for? 

 

Food and beverage or consumer packaged goods businesses that want to implement AI vision, robotics and automation into their process to create value for them. We also partner with integrators looking to leverage AI for businesses they supply. 

 

What areas of food innovation interest you the most?  

Artificial intelligence-based vison systems, robotics and automation, as well as innovative food and beverage products. 

 

What has been your favourite discussion post?  

 

My favourite discussion post was when I created a post looking to offer my food industry experience and knowledge as a mentor/advisor to any startups. That’s where I met the team at Laplace Robotics. They created an exceptional AI vision and robotics program that addresses and solves labour and yield issues we have in the industry and make it possible for any size of business to implement. 

 

What’s your favourite food?  

 

Well-marbled steak, char broiled on the BBQ, with seasonal vegetables! 

 

Interested in participating in our Meet a Member series? Contact yourRegional Innovation Director for more information! 

#robotics

#automation

#networking

#collaboration

#AI

#FoodInnovation

CFIN Members get exclusive access to funding opportunitiesfive Regional Innovation Directors, and YODL. Learn more about what it’s like to be a CFIN Member and how you can join our growing community of food professionals.  

Comments

09-27-2023 10:14

Aside from BBQ'd steak and seasonal veg, I can also get behind the idea of life long learning through our members.  It's been terrific getting to know more about the Laplace innovation from you @Jeff Hetherington and @Rae Chan Jeong

The strides Laplace has made - and continue to make - in AI and ML are inspiring.

09-26-2023 14:39

Love that YODL helped you to connect with an employer!  We'd like to involved in more happy collisions of this kind and are building a career hub for YODL that we hope will launch later this year or early in 2024.