Poultry & Meat

Poultry and Meat Processors Flock to Atlanta for IPPE

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The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) kicked off on January 31 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The event, which is billed as the world’s largest annual B2B gathering for the poultry, meat and feed industries, will run for three days through February 2 and feature products and services from more than 1,200 exhibitors. It is expected to host approximately 30,000 visitors, of which more than 7,200 will come from 140 countries outside the United States.

The trade fair – actually three shows in one covering the entire scope of protein production and processing – features the International Poultry Expo, International Meat Expo and International Feed Expo under one roof. Sponsored by the US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), organizers are providing a wide range of services to international delegates including buyer matching, export counseling and translation assistance.

Exhibitors include many companies that supply processing, packaging and freezing equipment to the frozen food industry. Among them are: BluePrint Automation at Booth 4454 in Hall B; Bosch Packaging Technology Inc., B-3929; GEA, B-4917; JBT, B-5245; Linde LLC, B-5453; Marel, B-4321; Nothum Food Processing Systems, B-3733; Rice Lake Weighing Systems, B-5653; Reiser, B-5845; TOMRA Sorting Solutions, C-1163; Triangle Packaging Machinery Co., B-3935; WeighPack Systems, B-5772.

A review of products and systems on display from a number of the above listed companies follows.

Nothum PankoPro at Show

PankoProNothum’s PankoPro breader features a uni-frame design that has no tubing and requires little floor space and changeover time. All motors and moving parts are protected by an external cabinet and doors.Front and center at the Nothum Food Processing Systems stand (B-3733) will be its new specialty breader, the PankoPro. Designed to provide the appearance and texture desired by food processors, the machine is equipped to handle many breading types in addition to panko. Among them are coconut, corn flakes, shoestring potatoes and rice crispy.

In addition to breaders, the company designs and manufactures customized meat and poultry processing equipment that include pre-dusting, batter, frying, cooking and freezing systems. Its Process Tec Center in Springfield, Missouri, can test product runs of up to 2,500 pounds per hour for clients.

Lots to See from GEA

“Inspiring Food Solutions” is the theme for the GEA Group’s stand. One new product, several major redesigns, and a selection of additional key machines are being spotlighted by the Düsseldorf, Germany-headquartered company.

The launches include an entry-level model of the GEA PowerPak thermoformer as well as re-designs of the MultiDrum and MultiJector. These are joined by the latest developments of the GEA CookStar three-phase spiral oven and an introduction of separation processes for by-products. All of this equipment is designed to help users keep pace with industry trends and consumer demands by combining cutting-edge technology with a little “home-style extra” to industrial food processing.

Entry-level Thermoformer

One of the two headliners on the packaging front is a new GEA PowerPak configuration especially developed as a basic machine with limited functionality – the GEA DeltaPak. The whole GEA PowerPak range has been re-defined to make it easier for value-added food suppliers to specify a thermoformer for a specific application. This makes packaging solutions more cost-effective by omitting functions that are not required. The latest addition is an entry-level configuration that gives smaller-scale packaging operations access to the quality and reliability of the GEA PowerPak platform.

Beating the Home-style Breading Drum

GEA Homestyle coating compilation of end productsExamples of the kinds of home-style products created with the help of the GEA MultiDrum breading system.Home-style breading is a fast-growing trend for coating poultry products, and the GEA MultiDrum can authentically reproduce this coating technique in an automated industrial environment. The recently introduced machine has already been met with enthusiasm by poultry processors looking for an integrated line solution that provides a true home-style look, feel and taste in a cost-effective way. The newest version of the GEA MultiDrum, especially developed for the high-volume American market, has a larger belt width and more robust features overall.

Evolving the Marination Process

Marination is represented on the stand by an innovative continuous in-line injection solution. Developed to boost the yield of bone-in and skin-on poultry products such as chicken wings, drumsticks, thighs, legs, and whole or half birds, the GEA MultiJector combines controlled brine injection with short massaging to optimize brine distribution. The multi-purpose brine injector does not compromise on the accuracy or performance an operator can get from an application-specific machine. It is a flexible solution for injecting bone-in, boneless, and delicate products, and is packed with cutting-edge technology that adds value to products and processes.

Three-Phase Spiral Oven

The latest developments in the third-generation GEA CookStar spiral oven are also highlighted on the stand. This machine has evolved into the only three-phase cooking concept in a double-spiral configuration – thanks to its active booster zone that forms a bridge between two large spiral zones. Its ability to use steam, hot air, roasting, smoking, and drying in any combination makes for a highly flexible industrial cooking solution.

Rice Lake Scales Up Weighing Solutions

Rice Lake Enterprise Series IndicatorThe 1280 Enterprise programmable weight indicator/controller from Rice Lake.Rice Lake Weighing Systems is promoting a complete line of weighing solutions for the poultry, feed and meat technology industry. Visitors to Booth 5653 in Hall B will see virtual reality demonstrations of the company’s new 1280 Enterprise series programmable weight indicator/controller, RoughDeck QF wash down floor scale, and MotoWeigh IMW inmotion checkweigher.

Other products in the spotlight include bench scales, suspended weighing systems, static checkweighers, metal detection equipment and precision solutions such as balances and calibration weights.

Rice Lake MotoWeigh IMW In Motion CheckweigherRice Lake’s MotoWeigh IMW inmotion checkweigher.Rice Lake’s 1280 Enterprise programmable weight indicator/controller is built to deliver uncompromising speed for today’s operations and expansive options for tomorrow’s requirements. By incorporating a durable touch screen with a seven-inch color LCD display and a highly customizable graphical user interface, operators can control functions with real-time visibility and create an interface designed for specific processes. Onboard capabilities include a built-in web server, Ethernet TCP/IP, Wi-Fi, USB, Bluetooth® and RS-232/485.

The RoughDeck QC-X floor scale has been engineered to safeguard against microscopic bacteria and contaminants in food processing, pharmaceutical and chemical applications. The base is made of solid stainless steel vertical plates and the top plate opens 75 degrees, the widest in the industry for optimal cleaning. This design also includes continuous welds and tool-less top plate locks, ensuring that no unseen contaminants are left behind after the wash down process.
IPPE attendees can also take an in-depth look at the Rice Lake, Wisconsin, USA-headquartered company’s in-motion checkweighing and metal Cardboard, visitors will experience a product video demonstration in an entirely new way, with 360-degree interactivity.

Reiser Repak HFFS Machines

Canton, Massachusetts, USA-based Reiser will be showcasing a range of Repak horizontal form/fill/seal equipment for food packaging. The machines are used for the meat, poultry and seafood sectors as well as produce, bakery and convenience foods segments of the market.

Reiser’s Repak series of equipment produces vacuum and modified atmosphere packages from flexible and semi-rigid materials, as well as vacuum skin packages (VSP), and packages with formed top webs. Machines can be manually and automatically loaded. Compact configurations are available for low speed production, as well as high performance machines capable of meeting extremely fast rates of production.

FrozenFoodsBiz.com readers not attending the show who are interested in seeing the complete list of exhibitors should visit the organizers website at: www.ippexxpo.org