CONSUMER TRENDS AND CASE READY - Marel · quality. CONTENTS. 03. CASE READY SOLUTIONS - Responding to consumer trends 04 . TRAYTRACK - An innovative, new solution in tray handling

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Living in a single

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CONSUMER TRENDS AND CASE READY

No time for cooking

Concerned about meat

quality

CONTENTS03 CASE READY SOLUTIONS - Responding to consumer trends

04 TRAYTRACK - An innovative, new solution in tray handling

05 BEEF STEAKS - Flexibility and efficiency to cater for variety of demands

06 SCHNITZELS - Producing with the utmost efficiency

07 FRESH PORK SAUSAGES - From one end to the other

08 MARINATED BONELESS PORK CHOPS - Producing a quality product

09 VALUESPRAY - It’s in the savings

10 MINCED MEAT - Easy flow of fixed weight case ready trays

10 HAMBURGERS - A product that does not go out of style

11 HOW EFFECTIVELY ARE YOUR PRODUCTION LINES RUNNING? - Know your OEE

12 SUCCESSFUL MAREL MEAT SHOWHOW - Demonstrating complete lines

The trend towards case ready products is growing fast. In order to keep pace with retailer and consumer demand for these types of products, we are working with processors to streamline production methods, automate processes and add value at every stage of the meat processing chain. We aim to ensure that our equipment helps them remain competitive when responding to this and other industry trends such as food safety and affordable pricing.

In this edition of Insight Meat Processing, we take a look at the various processing steps required to produce some typical case ready products. We hope you will find inspiration and discover solutions which will help you to efficiently organize and optimize production.

David Wilson

Managing Director, Meat Industry, Marel

EFFICIENCY, TRACEABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

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I N S I G H T – M E A T P R O C E S S I N G

In order to keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of retailers and consumers for case ready products, fresh meat processors have to constantly innovate and optimize their production processes.

It is essential for processors to streamline their production methods in order to remain competitive when responding to this and other trends in the industry, such as food safety, affordable pricing and convenience products.

Optimizing the processing chainMarel’s Case Ready solutions help processors to automate production and add value at every stage in the value chain, including: • Receipt of raw materials• Deboning and Trimming• Trim Handling Systems• Grinding• Mixing• Portioning• Marinating• Meat Harvesting• Batching • Packing and labeling

Tailored to individual needsOur Case Ready solutions are modular and designed to suit individual production needs with regard to capacity, processing flexibility and supply regulations.

Automated continuous flowOur solutions provide an automated, continuous flow which results in an efficient, labor saving process and also reduces processing time. The use of raw material is also optimized which significantly minimizes give away and increases yield.

All this combines to result in increased profits, improved product quality and products with a longer shelf life.

Monitoring every step There is also the option to add a full traceability system to the process-ing lines. This is ideal for retailers with just-in-time processing require-ments. Marel’s Innova software not only monitors production efficiency, costs and yields, but also executes production orders. The software can also collect and store the neces-sary information that accompanies products from the processing plant to the retailer.

FOOD SAFETYConsumers around the world have become less trusting of food processors due to recent high-profile meat scandals (e.g. pink slime, horse meat, out-of-date relabeling, etc). This means that there is currently a huge task in the meat processing industry to restore consumer confidence by adding more transparency to processing and by incorporating safety measures.

PRICE Today, fifty per cent of households in developed countries are single house-holds and have have a low to moderate income. As a result, new meat cuts and products such as flank steaks and several-size-packs, are emerging. This makes meat eating more affordable for the consumer and the carcass more valuable to the processor.

CONVENIENCE Convenience is crucial to the consumer. In developed countries, nearly one-third of consumers believe that 40 minutes, from start to table, is too long to wait for their meal. Nearly 70 per cent say an hour is too long. In addition to demanding easy-to-cook products, consumers also require a greater variety of food items and flavors e.g. by means of marinating.

SIGNIFICANT

CONSUMER TRENDS

Case Ready Solutions

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TrayTrack

Enter TrayTrackThe new TrayTrack system takes unsealed/unwrapped trays of meat products from where they are loaded and distributes them intelligently over multiple sealing/wrapping and labelling lines.

An innovative, way of using an overhead conveyorA TrayTrack line consists of an overhead conveyor system with covered tray carriers. Trays are loaded automatically into the carriers which then move them to the sealing/wrapping and labelling lines.

Better packaging room layoutWith TrayTrack, tray filling and tray sealing/ wrapping and labelling can be kept entirely separate. This gives the advantage of one clear central tray sealing/wrapping and labelling area. Moving product between the two areas does not take up valuable floor space as this happens on an overhead conveyor system.

Full tracking and tracingThe system software can be easily programmed and will then run automatically. In addition it makes full tracking and tracing possible.

An innovative, new solution in tray handling.

• An automatic system to take trays from where they are filled to a remote, dedicated tray sealing/wrapping and labeling area and chill store, without taking up valuable floor space.

• A flexible system using automatic buffers to match different size trays to multiple tray sealing/wrapping and labelling lines.

• A system allowing all products to be tracked and traced through to the end of the packing process. At the same time giving management real-time information on the efficiency of sealing/wrapping and labelling equipment.

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I N S I G H T – M E A T P R O C E S S I N G

Beef SteaksPacking of steaks to fixed weight or fixed count is growing in popularity in the retail sector. It caters to consumer demand and at the same time eases logistical planning.

Marel’s beef steak line is highly efficient and flexible. It enables products to be tracked through the entire production process and ensures optimal utilization of raw material. In addition, manual handling of products is minimized which increases quality and shelf life.

Trimming Primals are usually trimmed prior to portioning. They can either be purchased as primal cuts or fed directly from deboning e.g. from a StreamLine, Marel’s deboning and trimming system. Having the process as an in-line operation means less product handling, better hygiene and ability to monitor yield.

The StreamLine deboning and trimming system also allows individual operator performance to be monitored.

PortioningA portion cutter - e.g. the I-Cut 55 - cuts trimmed products to individual customer requirements, for example, fixed weight, fixed thickness or catch weight. The flexibility of the I-Cut 55 machine settings allow it to be used for most portioning requirements. The I-Cut 55 is suitable for both small and large operations and is perfect for frequent changeovers of product type.

Accurate portioning is a very important factor for reducing giveaway, improving yield and restricting labor requirements. Sometimes running with crust frozen products will improve the yield and product presentation.

PackingAfter portioning, the steaks are automatically or manually styled into trays which are then sealed. After tray sealing, they run through a Weigh Price Labeller to add a customer-specific retail label.

Finally, the case ready trays are manually or automatically boxed according to customer specifications. They are then labeled and palletized, dispatched or stored.

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Schnitzel production starts with pork loin trimming. The loin then continues through portion cutting, flattening, battering and breading and is packed into trays. With Marel’s Schnitzel line, optimal raw material utilization is ensured with minimal manual handling of products.

Deboning and trimmingStarting at the StreamLine, Marel’s deboning and trimming system, operators debone and trim the pork loin from the mid-section. It is then conveyed to the portioning line - going through an optional injecting and tempering process.

PortioningThe pork loin is cut into portions, either on a conventional belt portion cutter, like the I-Cut 55 or I-Cut 11 or a volumetric portion cutter, like OptiCut. The OptiCut delivers slices in a singulated row, all with the same shape and orientation.

FlatteningA Platino Flattener then flattens the slices using rotating “knuckles”, simulating a meat hammer. This has a tenderizing effect on the meat, and gives better yield because less fluid is squeezed out of the meat.

Battering and breadingThe automatic battering and breading process, is the final step before the stream of products are loaded into trays. The BatterApplicator and BreadingApplicator from Marel Townsend Further Processing allow the user to set the type and amount of batter and breading required.

SchnitzelsSchnitzels can be produced in many ways and often the raw material and production method is rooted in local area culture. The common feature of the schnitzel though, is sliced and flattened meat, with a coating of batter and breading. The challenge in production is to have an effective process flow whatever the material or the local traditions.

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I N S I G H T – M E A T P R O C E S S I N G

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Marel’s line for fresh sausages, includes deboning, trimming, grinding, mixing, pumping, linking and tray loading. There are many benefits to the line, including automatic processing , improved food safety, total recipe control and production monitoring.

Deboning and trim inspectionDeboned pork meat for fresh pork sausage production may be received straight from a DeboFlex pork foreend deboning line or bought from a trim supplier. Before being ground, the meat may go through a fat analysis and bone detection system using, for example, Marel’s Trim Inspection System or Trim Management Sytem.

Grinding, mixing and portioningFor fresh sausage production, a two grind system is often chosen. The meat is first passed through a 3/4” plate for coarse grinding and then transferred to a mixing system. Here, spices and other ingredients are mixed with the meat before being reground through a fine-hole plate. After this, the meat mass is led to a MasterLink from Marel Townsend Further Processing, a highly efficient, in-line sausage portioner, that produces a wide variety of length and weight consistent fresh sausages. The MasterLink operates with natural, alginate or collagen casings without a twist, directly saving on casing costs.

The products are subsequently conveyed to a MasterLoader, also from Marel Townsend Further Processing, where they are automatically loaded into trays.

Pork SausagesPork meat is used to make the majority of fresh sausages produced globally. Fresh pork sausages are usually considered to be the third most popular processed meat product, outranked only by frankfurters and bologna. Fresh Pork sausages can be manufactured from chilled trimmings and primal cuts.

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Fresh

Adding value to products through marinating is an increasingly common process in the food industry. It allows processors to fully utilize and increase the value of different meat cuts and at the same time meets the consumer demand for new, exciting flavors and products that are easy to prepare.

With Marel’s marinating line, optimal raw material utilization is ensured, with minimal manual handling of products.

DeboningStarting at the DeboFlex pork deboning line, operators remove the neck from the fore-end.

The DeboFlex is a pork fore-end deboning system which simplifies operations such as neck removal, deboning, skinning, defatting and shank cutting. With the DeboFlex system, the flow of products is more streamlined and the products move in an overhead carrier line from one step to the next. This results in greater line efficiency, less manual handling and more effective operator tasks.

Trimming When the pork neck enters the StreamLine trimming line, an operator trims it according to pre-set specifications.

The StreamLine is an intelligent and flexible system for monitoring, analyzing, and maximizing the deboning and trimming processes. With the system, data can be collected and analyzed with Innova software, giving a full overview of yield figures, throughput and quality.

With the StreamLine, it is possible to track each product in the line and monitor the efficiency and performance of each individual operator.

After trimming, the pork neck is crust frozen and pressed into shape ready for cutting.

PortioningThe OptiCut portion cutter is designed to cut boneless meat into portions with a uniform shape whilst ensuring optimal material utilization.

Each pork neck is automatically evaluated by the portion cutter and the most economic cut configuration calculated. This ensures high cutting accuracy and outstanding yields with uniform portion size and shape.

MarinatingThe marinating line incorporates a ValueSpray, a small foot-print spraying module which is designed for wet marinating with an accurate controllable pick up and a superb coverage of marinade.

The ValueSpray offers great flexibility for all types of marinade, spices and spray patterns. During spraying, the surplus marinade flows back to the unit’s reservoir and is reused thus minimizing the waste of valuable marinade.

Packing and labelingThe products are automatically shingled according to customer specifications and made ready for packing into trays or thermo former, labelled and dispatched.

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Marinated Boneless Pork Chops

I N S I G H T – M E A T P R O C E S S I N G

Plant manager Claus Hubberman smiles when asked about the reasons for installing a ValueSpray unit at Oldenburg Convenience. “It’s the savings”, he says, “along with the flexibility the system allows. And both are substantial!”

ValueSpray at Danish Crown Oldenburg Convenience

Flexibility“As a supplier to a large supermarket chain, we have to produce large amounts of pork to different specs at relatively short notice. Especially in the summer season, the morning’s weather forecast determines the day’s product varieties as well as volumes. This means that short-term flexibility and just-in-time production are the key to success in our business,” explains Hubbermann. ”The ValueSpray is very easy to clean and set up for the next production run”, says Hubbermann. “I can have the whole thing up and running again in just 5 minutes!”

Substantial SavingsAnother major advantage of the ValueSpray over traditional dipper systems is its ability to generate substantial savings. It sprays marinade directly onto the meat product, allowing for a much smaller marinade reservoir than in dipper systems. “If we change marinades between production runs in a dipper system, a lot of marinade is simply lost. With the ValueSpray our overall marinade use has reduced by as much as thirty percent”, Hubbermann explains.

Everything just works“Together with the 2.5 - 3 percent yield increase realized by the OptiCut [a volumetric portioning machine] and the solid reliability and precision of the Value Drum [system for in-line production of coated or marinated fresh products], to name two other Marel systems we currently use, we are very satisfied with the performance of our line-up.” Hubberman concludes.

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Danish Crown Oldenburg Convenience GmbH in its current form was founded in 2008 as a processor of convenience meat products. Since its merger with Danish Crown Fleisch GmbH in 2013, the company has produced and packaged around 250 tonnes of pork and beef portions per week, including fillets, marinated meat varieties, bratwursts, cutlets and seasoned products.

More and more meat from the carcass is used for minced meat – as a result of growing consumer demand for this type of product. Approximately fifty percent of case ready beef is minced.

When producing minced meat, hygiene and food safety are of utmost importance - as is minimal product handling. These elements are key to Marel’s system for minced meat –where hygienic construction, fat analysis and bone detection are all central features.

TrimmingAt the StreamLine deboning and trimming line, primals and trim are produced either for downstream further processing or to be sold for retail.

The trim may be passed through a trim handling system such as Marel’s Trim Inspection System or Trim Management System, after which it enters the grinding and mixing process, before being pumped and formed into blocks of minced meat and placed into trays.

Minced Meat

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HamburgersMarel has considerable experience in supplying fully automated hamburger production lines. Great importance is attached to the entire production process and the quality of the finished hamburger.

Formed hamburgers go through the same steps as minced meat with the key focus on hygiene and food safety. Marel’s hamburger line is almost fully automated, with only minimal labor needed. The formed hamburger is made with low pressure portioning which results in a uniform, high-quality product with improved shelf life

Handling begins when meat is delivered from the StreamLine deboning and trimming system or when the frozen meat blocks or fresh meat are delivered to the factory. The trim meat is fed through a trim handling system to measure chemical lean (CL) and for bone detection, after which it is ground and mixed according to pre-set recipe specifications.

PortioningThe mass then enters the RevoPortioner from Marel Townsend Further Processing, which makes perfectly portioned products at low pressure whilst retaining the texture and structure of the raw material. Each product will always have the same shape, weight, size and be of uniform quality.

Ground beef patties (hamburgers) are the most popular beef item for most of the developed world. Process monitoring and efficiency are essential when it comes to achieving consistent, uniform quality products with a long shelf life.

I N S I G H T – M E A T P R O C E S S I N G

How Effectively

The new Innova OEE module will help you answer this question and take your performance to the next level.

The new Innova OEE module calculates Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and provides detailed information about process performance.

The average machine in an average factory doesn’t normally run at 100 per cent and is therefore not effectively using its full capacity. This could be due to, for example, stoppages, running at reduced speed or producing products of the wrong specification.

The exact reason for any reduction in efficiency needs to be clearly defined and understood in order to enable processes to be improved.

The Innova OEE module compiles performance profiles which include detailed figures for breaks, stoppages, wastage etc.

Quickly identify production problemsMost importantly, the Innova OEE module presents data in the form of easy to interpret charts and graphs.

Using the full report suite and analysis tool, it is possible to quickly identify and address the cause behind the most costly production losses.

Respond immediately to production problemsDuring processing it is important to respond quickly if production is running inaccurately.

The software identifies the reason for stoppages or losses. It then registers the details which allow an evaluation of the system to be conducted. Corrective action can then be immediately implemented in order to improve equipment effectiveness.

Once corrective actions have been started, the software tracks the effect of the improvements and quickly identifies whether the expected outcome has been achieved.

WHAT IS INNOVA?Innova software allows you to monitor and control every step of the production process, from receipt of raw material to dispatch of products.

It links together a range of Marel’s processing equipment and can communicate with other applications, such as ERP software, to give a powerful, interconnected management system.

The insight that the software gives, enables processors to identify opportunities for improvements and ensure production conforms to quality and food safety standards.

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Are Your Production Lines Running?

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At our latest Meat ShowHow more than 200 visitors came from companies around the world to Progress Point in Copenhagen to see the latest and best in meat processing technology.

Live product demonstrations throughout the day showed visitors how we can help them optimize their production processes to respond to industry trends, such as food safety, affordable pricing and convenience products.

In addition, presentations from Marel specialists and external keynote speakers centered on the topics of efficiency, traceability and sustainability.

In the spotlightThe focus at this year’s Meat ShowHow, was on demonstrating complete processing lines with different case-ready products.Richard Altham from Althams Butchers in the UK attended Meat ShowHow for the first time this year. He said, “It’s been really exciting to experience all the products that Marel offers in one room. It’s really given us an insight into what Marel is all about.”

Visitors were particularly keen to see the minced meat lines and the trim handling and grinding-mixing applications. They were able to experience for themselves how this equipment can improve the value of trim, for example by creating hamburgers on a Marel Townsend Further Processing RevoPortioner. “It's been really exciting to see all the products that

Marel offers in one room. It's really given us an insight into what Marel is all about.”

• At Marel, we aim to stay at the forefront in providing you with innovative processing technologies.

• With our expertise and extended sales and service organization, we deliver advanced equipment and systems, creating maximum process performance and value for you.

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