Little portions, big challenge – smart packaging solution for premium meat

Starting situation:

Our customer, a major meat processor based in Paraguay, is experiencing a steadily increase in demand for smaller meat portions under one kilogram. End customers prefer the visual appeal of vacuum packaging compared to conventional thermoformed packaging. In order to keep in step with this market development, the packaging process needed to be adapted – mind you, under challenging conditions.

Challenge:

The company needs a solution for an extremely high throughput but at the same time only has a very limited space available. This is aggravated by the fact that some of the products weigh merely 150 grams and are difficult to handle in traditional vacuum chambers. The shrinking process also posed problems that previous systems could not resolve: If the lightweight pieces are on top of each other, the shrinkage result suffers considerably in terms of uniformity – an exclusion criterion, since the product is a premium product intended for export.

The customer’s requirements were clearly defined: The new solution must be able to run one cycle faster than 18 seconds with an end vacuum of 4 mbar. Only then can the desired output of 35 to 40 pieces of meat per minute be achieved. At the same time, neither the packaging quality nor the visual appearance must suffer.

Solution:

A tailored solution was implemented with a combination of the GK 952 vacuum belt machine and the AS 860 E+D shrinking tunnel, a solution that meets all the requirements. The GK 952 has been equipped with a special lid filler and powerful vacuum pumps to ensure consistently high cycle times with maximum process reliability.

The AS 860 E+D is deployed for shrinking – a system that works with water from all sides.
In this way it is ensured that even very light and irregularly placed products are shrunk evenly without changing their appearance.

The solution is impressive owing to its high speed and efficiency and not least to its consistently high packaging quality. The customer is very satisfied with the result – after all, it created the basis for future growth in the premium export market.