From Calibration to Confidence: Building Trust in Process NIR
Join this webinar to explore how producers can build confidence in Process NIR – across both lab and production – by addressing the technical challenges and team concerns that often stand in the way.
This webinar explores how food producers can build confidence in Process NIR technology by aligning lab and production teams. It highlights why trust—not hardware—is often the greatest barrier to successful NIR adoption. Attendees will hear expert insights, real-world experiences, and strategies to close the trust gap.
In modern food production, speed and accuracy in quality control are more critical than ever. As producers adopt Inline, Online, and At-line NIR technologies to meet these demands, many find that technical performance alone is not enough. Trust in the data—especially when it challenges previous lab results or long-standing assumptions—is a major factor in whether these technologies succeed. Lab teams may worry about being sidelined, while production teams may hesitate to act on new real-time insights. Understanding and addressing these human and operational dynamics is essential for building confidence in NIR across the entire process.
The webinar will address challenges related to scepticism about real-time data, misalignment between lab and process teams, and confusion over different types of NIR setups. Many users experience hesitation when new data contradicts historical norms, or when implementation raises concerns about job roles or reliability. The session will explore how to overcome these challenges through communication, validation, and shared understanding.
Attendees will learn how to validate and communicate NIR results, align expectations between lab and production teams, and choose the most appropriate NIR setup for their specific process. The session will focus on building trust in the data, handling doubt or resistance, and ensuring that teams work together toward consistent quality outcomes. While not the central focus, broader trends like the shift toward real-time monitoring and smarter quality control systems will be touched on as context for why confidence in Process NIR matters more than ever.
The webinar will include real-world examples where unexpected results from Process NIR initially caused disbelief but ultimately led to improved process understanding and control. These stories will illustrate how scepticism was turned into confidence and how both lab and production teams were brought along in the journey.
The speakers will also discuss the importance of calibration and validation, how to handle field objections, and strategies for bridging communication gaps between departments. They will take live questions and share insights from direct conversations with producers navigating the transition to real-time NIR.
Key learning points:
- Clarify the differences between Inline, Online, and At-line NIR, and when to use each
- Understand how trust impacts the success of NIR implementation
- Learn how to validate new NIR data, especially when it challenges expectations
- Gain strategies to align lab and production teams without conflict or fear
- Hear real examples of companies overcoming doubt and building belief in online data
- Leave with practical next steps for integrating NIR into a unified process strategy
Presenter: David Honigs (Sr. Scientist, PerkinElmer)
For the last almost 20 years David has worked at Perten (part of Perkin Elmer) on Near Infrared Instrumentation and applications in the food industry. He has 35 research papers as listed on ResearchGate.com. He has 10 issued US patents.
Presenter: Stefan Lundgren (Business Leader EMEAI, PerkinElmer)
Background in Electronics. Working with NIR since 1987. In the early days with another Scandinavian manufacturer but since 2007 working with all aspects of the Perten range of NIR products.
