On September 10–11, 2026, the country park-hotel Yarki (Brest region) hosted one of the key events of the year in the food processing industry: the IV International Conference "NOT BY MEAT ALONE 2026", timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Machinery Enterprise KOMPO LLC.
Over two intensive days, the forum brought together business owners, C-suite executives, industry experts, and strategic partners from Belarus and Russia. The central agenda revolved around market transformation, industrial automation, labor market challenges, and long-term business resilience strategies.
Strategic Vision: Service as a Key Competitive Advantage
The conference was opened by Valentin Pikul, CEO of Machinery Enterprise KOMPO LLC, with his keynote address: "KOMPO: Company of the Future".
In today’s volatile market environment, business sustainability requires a mindset shift—turning external disruptions into sources of strength. Mr. Pikul emphasized that uncompromising service quality serves as KOMPO’s core Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in the global market.
Expanding on service innovation, Nikolai Lisovsky, CEO of KOMPO Technologies (Moscow), unveiled the "Avatar" AR Smart Headset—a remote technical support system.
Hands-Free Engineering Support: The headset enables KOMPO engineers to see equipment through the operator's eyes anywhere in the world, control the camera, and project laser cues onto specific components while keeping the operator’s hands completely free.
Field-Tested: Having successfully tested the system in real production environments, KOMPO is selecting the best solutions among 19 market benchmarks to make remote AR support a standard feature of its service contracts.
Market growth perspectives were highlighted by Oksana Penkrat, Deputy CEO for Commerce and Marketing at KOMPO. In her report, "Current Market Landscape: Key Trends, Challenges, and Growth Points", she outlined strategic export vectors across Belarus, Russia, and international markets.
Consumer Insights & The 2026 Shopper Profile
To provide delegates with actionable market data, research agency MAXME conducted a fresh consumer study in September 2026. Agency Director Tatiana Lisitskaya presented an in-depth analysis of shifting consumer habits.
Building on these insights, Yulia Ilyushina, Head of Marketing at retail chains ALMI, ZAKRAMA, and Vygoda, delivered a talk titled "The 2026 Consumer: Budget-Conscious, Experimental, and Health-Minded". She showcased how checkout expectations are changing and how physical retail stores remain the decisive point of brand engagement.
HR Physics: Overcoming Labor Shortages with Tech & MES
Vladimir Romanov, founder of the Meat Expert portal, challenged the myth that labor shortages can be solved merely by increasing wages.
With the rise of gig economy platforms offering flexible schedules, rigid shifts in cold processing rooms have become less attractive to the workforce. To win the talent war, manufacturers must offer transparent operations, clear shift milestones, and robust mentorship. Mr. Romanov demonstrated how MES systems (Manufacturing Execution Systems) act as live audit tools, allowing plants to optimize product portfolios based on the real cost of human labor.
Operations, Lean, and Artificial Intelligence
Leading experts shared actionable strategies for production optimization:
Lean Manufacturing as a Foundation for Digitalization: Industry expert Alla Matus stressed that implementing AI or ERP systems on an unorganized production floor is a waste of capital. Lean tools create the structured groundwork necessary for IoT sensors and robotics.
Executive Well-Being: Natalia Navrotskaya (CleverUp Center) demonstrated a platform designed to unlock employee potential in real time, showing how tackling executive burnout can preserve up to 20–30% of company revenue.
Smart Automation & Industry 4.0: Evgeny Andrievsky, KOMPO's Chief Electronics Engineer, unpacked automation architecture, Industry 4.0 standards, and KOMPO's proprietary ISSI system.
AI on the Factory Floor: Digital transformation expert Andrey Tsygan conducted a practical session showing how autonomous AI agents can automate market intelligence gathering and generate complex analytical models in Excel.
Next-Gen Machinery: Alexander Yaskovich, Head of Product Management at KOMPO, presented "Equipment of the Future", forecasting how smart machinery will reshape daily plant operations.
Advanced Processing & Technology Track
The technical segment was concluded by top-tier industry experts:
Ivan Kovalev (Air Master / REICH) revealed advanced thermal processing and airflow techniques for dry-cured meats.
Igor Terletsky (Mirotek Engineering) presented automated packaging, poultry deboning, and 0%-loss microwave defrosting technologies.
Olga Kuznetsova (A.I. Zharinov Training Center) and Elina Pozdeeva (FOREST Group / Investbel) analyzed ingredient markets and pathways to overcoming technical talent shortages through specialized training programs.
35 Years of Engineering Excellence
A major highlight of the conference was the grand celebration of KOMPO’s 35th Anniversary. Guests enjoyed a curated tasting program hosted by official conference partner Investbel, alongside hundreds of anniversary wishes celebrating long-standing international partnerships.
The event concluded with a memorable tradition: guests and organizers sealed a "Letter to the Future" time capsule containing industry forecasts and humorous predictions regarding future robotics and raw material markets.
As the two productive days came to an end, the organizers officially announced: The V International KOMPO Conference will return in 2027!
