The future ham processing and supply will be managed primarily from Rheda-Wiedenbrück and the Sögel site in Lower Saxony plans to close its ham production site in Ahlen The company, which rebranded its corporate identity effective this year plans to consolidate its ham production operations at its main site in Rheda-Wiedenbrück by 1 June Germany-headquartered meat producer PFG said in a statement that the future ham processing and supply will be managed primarily from Rheda-Wiedenbrück and the Sögel site in Lower Saxony In consolidating production in Rheda-Wiedenbrück and relocating “partial” quantities to Sögel in Lower Saxony “strong synergies” will be leveraged ensuring that the ham-cutting division is “optimally” positioned for the future Ahlen managing director Frank Böckenkötter said the business has “no longer been able to maintain high capacity utilisation” at the site adding “there is therefore no alternative to consolidating in Rheda” The company said the “majority” of the workforce will be offered jobs at the Rheda site and colleagues were “informed” of the plans earlier this week Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis said: “We are delighted to be able to offer the majority of our 210 colleagues a job we are aware of the upcoming changes and consequences for everyone involved and will accompany them responsibly and closely.” PFG also confirmed that consolidation will not affect delivery capability The Ahlen site will be “gradually” phased out with plant and machinery either relocated to other locations or sold although the business is “examining” various potential uses for the building The move comes as the company closed one of its export packaging departments for Asia in March last year the family-run business serves “millions of consumers” daily with a wide array of food products In September, PFG (then Tönnies) struck a deal to acquire beef assets in Germany from Netherlands-based peer Vion Nominations are now open for the prestigious Just Food Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation This is your chance to showcase your achievements Don't miss the opportunity to be honoured among the best - submit your nomination today Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Ohio – In conjunction with the Cleveland Guardians the Lake County Captains today announced their coaching staff for the 2025 season Lake County’s staff will once again be led by Manager Omir Santos, who returns as the Captains’ skipper for his third season. Ordomar Valdez returns as Lake County’s Hitting Coach for his second season while Strength & Conditioning Coach Andrew Coleman and Head Athletic Trainer Frank Sammons return to their respective roles for their second seasons as well The Captains also welcome three new staff additions for the 2025 campaign. Yan Rivera returns to the team as Bench Coach for his second season after serving this role for Lake County’s 2022 Midwest League runner-up squad. Also, Andrew Moore joins the Captains as Pitching Coach after serving as Assistant Pitching Coach for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 2024 Laura Gutiérrez-Sogel joins the team as Assistant Athletic Trainer after serving as an Athletic Trainer Intern at the Guardians’ Goodyear Santos played five MLB seasons across four teams from 2008 through 2013 and 40 RBI in 96 games with the New York Mets He also spent 2013 with the Cleveland organization playing 62 games with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers and one game with Cleveland Rivera enters his fourth season as a coach in the Cleveland organization He most recently served as Manager of the 2024 Arizona Complex League Guardians The 29-year-old joined the Guardians organization in 2022 as the Captains’ Bench Coach then served the same role with the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats the following year Rivera was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 36th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame High School in Caguas he elected to play collegiately at La Salle University (PA) and 20 stolen bases in a combined 137 games across four seasons with the Explorers from 2015 through 2018 Rivera is the son of Lake County’s first-ever manager Luis Rivera) (2003-04) who was named the 2003 South Atlantic League Manager of the Year after leading the Captains to the South Atlantic League Finals in their inaugural season He is the franchise’s all-time winningest skipper with 170 victories and eventually spent a combined 17 seasons as an MLB coach before retiring following the 2023 season Moore enters his second season as a coach in the Guardians organization The 30-year-old most recently served as Assistant Pitching Coach for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 2024 His pitching staff led the International League in holds while ranking top-five in: fewest hits allowed (second) as the Clippers were the International League runners-up Moore brings extensive playing experience to Lake County’s coaching staff as well After being selected 72nd overall in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners the former right-hander pitched in MiLB for seven seasons and was named a Seattle MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2015 and 2016 He eventually made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2017 recording 33 strikeouts to nine walks in a combined 12 appearances (10 starts) across the 2017 and 2019 campaigns Moore also played three collegiate seasons at Oregon State where in 2013 he was named a First Team All-American by both Baseball America and the ABCA as well as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Valdez signed with the Cleveland organization in 2010 as an international free agent out of San Pedro de Macoris The former primary infielder played in the Cleveland Player Development System from 2011 through 2016 This included suiting up for the Captains in 2015 and 2016 and 33 stolen bases in 140 combined games with Lake County Coleman enters his third season with the Guardians organization He served as the Captains’ Strength & Conditioning Coach last year and was the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats’ Strength & Conditioning Coordinator in 2023 Prior to his time with the Cleveland organization Coleman was an Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning at Florida Atlantic University and a Graduate Assistant Athletic Performance Coach at Gardner-Webb University (NC) He earned his bachelor’s degree in wellness and sports medicine in 2016 from Averett University (VA) and his master’s degree in sports education in 2019 from Gardner-Webb Sammons enters his seventh season with the Cleveland organization He served as Lake County’s Head Athletic Trainer last year and was the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats’ Athletic Trainer in 2022 and 2023 Sammons was also the Athletic Trainer for Cleveland’s Dominican Summer League 2 team in 2021 He earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training in 2018 from Manchester University (IN) Gutiérrez-Sogel enters her second season with the Guardians organization She most recently served as an Athletic Trainer Intern last year at Cleveland’s complex in Goodyear Gutiérrez-Sogel brings over four years of combined physical therapy and athletic training experience to Lake County a professional women’s soccer team in Spain She earned her bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy in 2021 and master’s degree in athletic training and therapy in 2024 from Camilo José Cela University in Madrid The Captains will begin their 2025 season with a three-game road series against the Great Lakes Loons First pitch for Lake County’s season opener is scheduled for Friday The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means We are committed to supporting our community and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day The town of Sögel in Lower Saxony, Germany, is not a big place. There are a couple of hotels, a lovely 18th-century hunting lodge, a hospital, and a few cafés. And four miles outside of town there are two dozen Leopard I and M47 Patton Tanks, just rusting away in a field. The tanks are lined up in very strict and regimented rows, but there is little indication why they are there. There is a sign post that reads (in German) “Meppen Shooting Range,” although Meppen is 15 miles away from Sögel. The sign also says that unauthorized entry is forbidden, with a vague mention of prosecution, but the tanks are just hanging out, without any barrier between them and strollers wandering the countryside. Information about the tanks is scarce, but the field does appear to be an active military zone, one that is still in use on occasion. There is some indication that they are used for target practice for helicopter pilots, and military exercises do take place. But it all seems pretty hush-hush, at least as hush-hush as 24 tanks can be, sitting in a wide-open field. Update as of March 2022: You can no longer get up close to the tanks. They are fenced in and signs warning you of live ammunition and that trespassers will be prosecuted. Warning: Note that it is an active military zone, and warning signs may be posted. Generally the field is unoccupied, but at times there are military exercises that take place here, in which case the the roads are blocked. It is best to exercise caution at all times, but it is visible from the road (especially with good binoculars). The site of a dress rehearsal for D-Day that ended in disaster. Tour a Cold War-era U.S. military missile launch site in Anchorage. A relic of the Cold War tucked away in the forested hills above Bratislava. Dedicated to the American general whose reply to a German demand for surrender was simply "Nuts!" A former special storage facility for documents during the Cold War. A southern Swedish island is home to the last ERSTA artillery battery, meant to protect the shoreline during the Cold War. This Cold War–era fallout shelter was actually a storage facility for the nation's emergency currency. A restored World War II Churchill Mark VII Tank now stands guard in Carrickfergus. Read one of the UK’s favourite restaurant critics Enjoy wine expert Jancis Robinson’s peerless column of news Enjoy Alice's popular HTSI column about drinks and bar culture Learn what's new and trending according to our our award-winning HTSI food columnist Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times It is with great sadness that the Department announces the death of Dr Joachim Steinke We are sad to announce that our dear friend and colleague Below are some words in memory of him from his friend Dr Rob Law his family has suggesed that you could make a donation in his honour to:Children in NeedAccount number 1191170347at the Sparkasse Sögel BLZ 266 500 01IBAN: DE02266500011191170347BIC/SWIFT: NOLADE21EMS A memorial event/symposium to commemorate Joachim’s life is being arranged and details will be announced in due course I knew Joachim for the last 23 years having done our PhD’s together at the University of Strathclyde under Professor David’s Sherrington’s fine leadership Joachim was the “crazy” German guy The overwhelming thing that struck you about Joachim was that he was always utterly madly enthusiastic and passionate about chemistry really loved his own discipline - polymers He would gabble on for hours and hours about twiddling this and altering that part of the polymer and would then turn and ask me what effect it would have on the outcome of the polymer structure To which I would often reply “I’ve absolutely no idea” I shared a flat with him for a long time during that period and learnt all about his silly foibles - his obsessions with Macintosh mugs awful fondues and Birkenstocks – all the things that made him so much of a colourful character we both went our separate ways he went to US to join Fréchet’s group at Cornell and then returning to Cambridge whilst I went to Japan after our post-doc’s we both started at the same time at Imperial College but at the same time they had sparkles of brilliance flecked through them That was a very difficult time of my life and I simply cannot say how helpful and generous he was to me during that time Joachim always expected the highest standards from himself and others He was a true scholar in the real sense of the word; leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the truth He was exceedingly well read and knowledgably about a vast range of subjects both and would severely chastise anyone who was not as well prepared as him I fear that many a research proposal wilted under that fearsome gaze He had a formidable intellect and was incredibly generous as an individual giving his time endlessly to any student or anyone else who needed help He was exceedingly selfless in this regard Joachim really grew to love this country that became his home and all things British – the good bits and the bad and he genuinely loved the “British” way of looking at the world intellectual giant and the best friend a man could ever have he will be very sorely missed by one and all Natasha and my thoughts are with her at this time Department of ChemistryImperial College London Article text (excluding photos or graphics) available under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons license. Photos and graphics subject to third party copyright used with permission or © Imperial College London.