In this edition of ‘Key Business Outlooks 2025,’ Justin Lai, Vice President Sales & Marketing, FPS Food Process Solutions, discusses the key trends shaping the potato processing sector for the year ahead. With 2024’s challenges in the rearview mirror, he shares his vision for overcoming uncertainties and seizing new opportunities in 2025.

Potato Business:Considering the market volatility, supply chain disruptions, energy costs, and workforce scarcity, what does this past year look like for your company when you draw the line?

Justin Lai, Vice President Sales & Marketing, FPS Food Process Solutions: With major fluctuations in equipment demand, the year started slow due to an increase in geopolitical concerns which hindered capital expenditure. Towards the end of 2024, the markets turned around and have increased but not to the levels of 2022 and 2023. We see a demand for more OEM support in technical expertise and automation processes to alleviate the staff shortage.

What are your expectations for next year, keeping in mind the legacy of 2024, but also the current challenges?

We expect 2025 to pick up for FPS with our growth in End-to-End solutions and growth in product offering.

How do you estimate the market will evolve and what is your priority list for 2025?

We expect large capital projects in North America and Europe will slow down with more growth in the Middle East & Africa and Asia. Our priority is to develop the infrastructure so we can support investments in those areas.

Where did the growth opportunities come from and what is the most important lesson you have learned in recent times?

We have seen growth in India and the Middle East & Africa regions. We have also been growing our scope of offering. What we have learnt is the ability to be flexible producing in different manufacturing hubs to accommodate schedules and our own manufacturing bottlenecks.

What strategies are you implementing to maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly saturated market? How do you prioritize your investments versus your R&D efforts?

We are investing in becoming more vertically integrated so we can be more cost effective along with the ability to develop specialized technologies for our equipment. We prioritize our investments based on our customer demands and work closely with many customers to develop new technologies to keep them ahead of their competition.

What was unexpected in 2024 and how did it impact your business?

There were disruptions in some projects due to the conflicts in the Middle East. We had to come up with remote processes to help support our customers.

Which are the most important drivers of change for your business in 2025? How do you plan to prepare for them?

Most important is the ability to provide knowledge and support for our customers. We have invested in a Remote Monitoring Control Center in our new Asia Pacific Headquarters, so we have multiple sites to support customers. We will invest in AI technologies to help minimize manual interventions and optimize equipment performance.

What would you like to see happening in 2025 for your stakeholders and business environment (in terms of policy, regulations, and market) in order for your business to thrive more?

In 2025, we plan to develop standardized policies and design requirements for food safety.

What is your vision for the industry over the next five years, and how does your company plan to contribute to its growth?

At FPS, we look forward to more automated production lines with feedback controls to optimize production. This will ensure food safety, reduce food waste and minimize utility resources. FPS plans to contribute to this vision by creating a platform both in equipment and software so production lines can work seamlessly.