CRB announced that Jim Vortherms, senior director of automation delivery, and Jerry Steenhoek, senior director of automation technology, have joined the company’s Food and Beverage group. With nearly six decades of combined experience, Vortherms and Steenhoek will enhance CRB’s project delivery by leveraging their combined automation expertise from early process design through to start-up.

The hires reflect CRB’s sharp focus on helping clients use and manage data to make smarter manufacturing and equipment decisions, which can address challenges ranging from labor productivity and product safety to capacity and regulatory requirements. 

“From increasing throughput to identifying new efficiencies, clients are on the hunt for automation solutions that bring their products to market quickly and safely,” said Jason Robertson, CRB’s vice president for food and beverage. “Jim and Jerry’s combined expertise will be invaluable to our clients across virtually all facets of their projects.”

Both Vortherms and Steenhoek bring keen insights and knowledge about the food and beverage industry and “value-added” agricultural, chemical processing, and life sciences fields to CRB, a global provider of engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to F&B clients. 

Vortherms has more than 28 years of project management, standards development, automation and process systems design, and product design and development experience. During his career, he has focused on domestic and international industrial facility projects, including oilseed processing, feed and flour milling, sugar production, pet food manufacturing, vegetable oil extraction and refining, corn oil extraction, chemical processing, ethanol, and biodiesel production. 

Steenhoek has nearly 30 years of experience in automation and process systems design, OT networks, and cybersecurity. He has spearheaded development and systems integration teams throughout his career across all project phases, including high-level design, detail design, development, commissioning, and start-up. Steenhoek, an experienced team leader and expert in the development of corporate processes and standards, has also been heavily involved in innovation and R&D initiatives with various companies.