Huhtahyvät Oy, a third general Finnish family-owned business based in Kankaanpää, Satakunta that supplies salami toppings to the frozen pizza industry as well as a wide range of premium cold cut meats to the retail and foodservice sectors of Scandinavia, is making the most of Flexifam 55 equipment for salami slicing. It offers processors the versatility to cut cooked, crust frozen or frozen tempered meat and poultry products into top quality strips.
Salami toppings for pizza must be cut uniformly, but the softer, fattier texture typical of Finnish-style salami posed a unique challenge as standard cutting solutions failed to deliver the precision required by Huhtahyvät’s factory manager, Timo Mustaniemi. He turned to Kontich, Belgium-headquartered food cutting specialist FAM Stumabo’s partner in Finland, Forsfood Oy, to help solve the problem.
“The Finnish type of salami has a higher fat content than similar products made elsewhere in Europe,” said Vincent Van Brussel, area sales manager for Northern and Eastern Europe. “This leads to the need to operate at a lower temperature to achieve a product with enough texture for processing.”
A salami sample was sent to FAM Stumabo’s laboratory in Belgium, where tests revealed the optimal cutting solution was the Flexifam 55. The initial focus of testing was on identifying the optimal cutting temperature. In a second stage, the machine parameters were adjusted to further enhance cutting quality, switching from serrated to flat circular knives to prevent sausage casing from jamming in the blades.
“We have two fully equipped labs where we can test our complete portfolio of machines on customers’ products, pointed out Van Brussel. “In addition to the standard cutting tools, a designated stock of more specific tools maintained, which can be used for challenging applications. This gives us the flexibility to fine-tune every parameter during the testing process.”
Detailed evaluation reports, including photos and videos, gave the client the confidence to proceed with production-scale trials.
“The texture demanded a precise approach,” noted Marko Försti, Huhtahyvät’s development manager. “Lab testing was instrumental in identifying the right combination of machine settings and temperature.”
Trials followed at Huhtahyvät’s production plant, using a leased Flexifam 55 to accommodate the product’s long curing time. After rigorous testing, a 5x5x15mm strip was selected as the perfect cut size.
FAM Stuabo experts provided direct support throughout the process.
“On site with our partner, Forsfood, to assist Huhtahyvät, we thoroughly explained the operating process of the machine and how to operate it to achieve the best results. This was very important in their final decision process,” said Van Brussel.
“The ability to test both in the lab and on-site gave us total confidence,” stated Päivi Uotila, Huhtahyvät’s production manager. “Flexifam 55 quickly proved to be the right fit for our needs.”
The equipment has since been seamlessly integrated into Huhtahyvät’s mettwurst production line. Salami is pre-sliced and precisely strip-cut by the Flexifam 55, and efficiently conveyed into the packaging line. The result is improved throughput, minimal blade wear, and consistent top-tier cuts. Additionally, the Flexifam 55 has proven effective with other soft meats, offering versatility, ease of operation and long-term reliability.
