Canadian Company Using Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Food Waste Coming to Southfield in First U.S. Location
Detroit Regional Partnership along with Southfield, Oakland County, and LTU’s Centrepolis Accelerator collaborate to bring Savormetrics’ R & D and sales office to region
DETROIT – (July 22, 2021) – A global innovator in efforts to reduce food waste is bringing its cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive food spoilage technology to Michigan. The Detroit Regional Partnership and the City of Southfield announced today that Savormetrics is opening R & D and sales office space in Lawrence Technological University’s Centrepolis Accelerator.
“Our state has long been one of this country’s largest agriculture and food producers providing a major market opportunity for Savormetrics’ data-driven predictive technology to reduce food waste,” said Maureen Donohue Krauss, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Partnership. “We are particularly proud of how this project came together. Our business development team used virtual platforms to showcase the region, connect Savormetrics with our partners, and highlight the opportunities here.”
Globally recognized and based in Toronto, Savormetrics is an artificial intelligence sensor company that provides real-time quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) systems to the food and agriculture industries. It offers solutions for greenhouses and vertical farms, food processors and retailers that help decrease operating costs and where applicable help increase yields.
“Our award-winning AI technology predicts food spoilage and out-of-spec products and helps grocery stores, food processors and producers eliminate waste throughout the entire supply chain,” said Harjeet Bajaj, founder and CEO of Savormetrics. “We needed a location that offered access to high quality technical talent, a strong customer base and a collaborative ecosystem, and found that in the Detroit Region.”
The Detroit Regional Partnership connected with Savormetrics during its virtual Canadian trade mission in 2020. Through continued engagement, its business development team exposed the company to the collaborative, dense ecosystem for food processing and agriculture technology. It also introduced them to key public, private, and university partners to support their operations as well as prospective new clients and grant opportunities.
“Savormetrics brings impressive technology and talent to the table for Michigan’s food and ag industries,” said Dan Radomski, director of the Centrepolis Accelerator. “With our focus on Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things, we are confident that we can help Savormetrics grow in Michigan. We are connecting them to local food processors and vertical farms looking for technology to bring increased efficiencies to their operations.”
According to Feeding America, 108 billion pounds of food or nearly 40% of all food in the U.S. is wasted annually – equating to more than $161 billion worth of food being thrown away.
“This is a perfect example of innovative technology being used to solve complex problems,” said Dave Coulter, Oakland County Executive. “Eliminating food waste and addressing food insecurity go hand in hand and we are proud to have this initiative in Oakland County. Through the combined efforts of the Detroit Regional Partnership, Lawrence Technological University and the City of Southfield, we are proud to welcome such an important company to our county.”
The company was working with Deloitte at the time it connected with the Detroit Regional Partnership to identify a cost-effective U.S. region to locate expanded operations. The location within Centrepolis is Savormetrics’ first in the U.S.
“The City of Southfield is pleased to welcome Savormetrics to our ever-growing corporate community,” commented Mayor Dr. Kenson Siver. “We trust Savormetrics employees will enjoy our central location and the convenience of working in Southfield – the Center of It All, as they open their new R&D and sales office space in Lawrence Technological University’s Centrepolis Accelerator.”
About Lawrence Technological University
Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers nearly 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.
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