Provisur, a global leader in food processing equipment headquartered in Chicago, continues to embrace their motto "Pushing Boundaries." Its Business Units - Slicing, Further Processing, Separation, and DMC - are renowned for redefining industry standards with numerous patents for its’ food processing equipment.  Some of those latest innovations were showcased at Process Expo 2023.

We caught up with Brian Perkins, President of Provisur, as well as subject matter experts from each of the Business Units to gain insights into the company's innovative product range.

To begin with, could you explain what exactly ‘Pushing Boundaries’ means to Provisur?

BP: Pushing boundaries is fundamental to who we are. We continuously challenge our own and the industry’s thinking about what is possible. In each Business Unit, we develop technology that helps our customers improve throughput and yield, while addressing rising operating expenses with intelligent automation solutions. Our Innovation Centers in the US and Europe bring our specialists and our customers together to find new and better ways to service the global food processing industry.   ‘Pushing boundaries’ is therefore firmly grounded in a collaborative effort with our customers to ensure mutual success.  

Please share some of the innovations within each Business Unit, for example, the Slicing Business Unit.

BS: Under our “Better Bacon, By Design” Initiative, we've introduced three machines to enhance bacon processing throughput and yield. They work together to give our processors the best bacon processing capabilities. Cashin® and Hoegger® have been leaders in bacon processing for over 40 years. Firstly, the Hoegger TrimX, enables the processing of larger bellies and bellies with various defects. It smartly scans and intelligently trims bellies to boost yield and line productivity. Next, the Hoegger X4 Press, employs servo-driven technology for fast and precise pressing. Thirdly, there’s the CashinSX bacon slicer, a high-speed slicer capable of slicing up to 80 drafts per minute. It utilizes onboard product scanning for precise weight control, maximizing yields.

The Formax® SX550 Slicer is a high-capacity slicing system with a 550mm wide throat, optimizing product usage with upper infeed conveyors down to the blade to get every last slice out of each log.

Our revolutionary Free Movement System (FMS), which was recently introduced at Process Expo, is a groundbreaking technology not found elsewhere in the food processing industry. It employs free-floating movers on an electromagnetic surface, enabling customizable motion profiles for superior portion handling control, compact footprint, flexibility in product presentations, and exceptional hygiene standards.

Our equipment fits into existing lines, or we can provide a complete line solution to our customers. The theme with all of our Slicing equipment is that we are highly flexible.

What about the Separation Unit?

DS: Provisur's Separation Business Unit excels with ownership of three key soft tissue separation technologies: rotary, press, and belt separation. This is unique in the industry and allows us to offer solutions for various applications, including fruits, vegetables, seafood, poultry, red meat, alternative proteins, and depackaging. We are proud that leading beef and pork suppliers choose Provisur's Bone Cannon press separators for their AMR requirements.

Separation involves recovering raw material that would otherwise be thrown away. Mechanical Separation reclaims raw materials by eliminating defects, hard tissue, and unwanted elements. This can then be used to produce a wide variety of products, maximizing yields and profitability.

We've recently upgraded our legacy Beehive RSTD06 equipment, optimizing hygiene and maintenance. We unveiled the improved version at Process Expo, along with our new STS3000 separator. 

For poultry processing we design, manufacture, and deliver complete MSC (Mechanically Separated Chicken) systems. Partnering closely with our Further Processing Business Unit for the material handling equipment, complimenting the mechanical separators.   

Tell us about important innovations in Further Processing?

Our Engineering teams have been hard at work with innovating extensions to our Formax formers product line, and we're thrilled with the successful introduction of the NovaMax® and VerTex® Tender-Form solutions. 

The Formax NovaMax150 and 400 are the next generation of advanced slide-plate forming technology. This state-of-the-art servo-driven system is suitable for forming a broad range of meat, poultry, and non-meat products. NovaMax’s are commonly used by high-volume processors forming products such as burger patties, pork sausage, chicken filets, and chicken nuggets. The high throughput and reduced ownership cost provide a rapid return on investment. We’ve designed this model specifically to support our small to mid-size processors, allowing them room to grow with the ability to update from a NovaMax 150 to 400 in their plant.

The Formax VerTex660 & 1000 rotary formers are the highest output products in Provisur's Formax forming line-up. Designed to deliver superior versatility, excellent product texture, and unmatched portion control. High-volume processors can achieve remarkable product consistency and cost-effective ownership solution. The VerTex1000 with the Tender-Form® vertical fill system debuted at Process Expo. 

We also launched a new offering from our Weiler® mixing & grinding product line, the Dominator Max inline grinding solutions. This grinder attachment efficiently removes hard tissue and fragments from ground meat, enhancing protein recovery, throughput, quality, and food safety. It's already a valuable asset for meat processors seeking top-quality production improvements.

Focusing on DMC, what important innovations have there been?

FC: Lutetia® tumblers streamline processes by incorporating color, flavor, and aroma enhancement into one operation. Our latest innovation introduces efficient defrosting using dynamic steam or vacuum methods, with or without a glycol-fed double jacket. This method accelerates and homogenizes defrosting, improving yields and reducing oxidation. Processors can control their yields by mixing the energy sources of steam and double jacket. In the DGV chamber, a rapid cold convection defrosting system combines high air velocity and a saturated ambiance to enhance yield and defrosting time, even for delicate products.

Our patented tumbler smoking technology lets processors cure, dry, and smoke products in one Lutetia tumbler. Utilizing vacuum drying accelerates the process for large meat products like dry-cured ham, pancetta, and more. It can handle low-sodium dry-cured products and minimizing pathogen development, resulting in greater output of safe, hygienic products.

A highlight at Process Expo was the Model 6 tumbler, with a 13,000 lb capacity. A flexible machine suitable for defrosting, curing, marinating, and smoking. This equipment ensures a rapid return on investment, offering flexibility, ease of operation, and minimal maintenance costs.

Source: Provisur