Meat Management caught up with global product manager at Marel, Volker Pütz, to discuss the machinery supplier’s latest launch and recent success with German butcher and wholesale grocer Möllers.
“With their previous cutting solution, the team at Möllers often had problems if their products were not all the same temperature during production; and given that their customers can place orders until well into the evening, the challenge for the team at the time was about finding a cutting solution that was capable of swiftly responding to changing customer demands,” explained Volker.
A butcher and wholesale grocer based in Cologne, Möllers has been a staple of the German butchery market for over 70 years, offering an extensive range of meats and delicatessen specialities. When the time came to update their portion cutting technology, the team approached TREIF, now a part of Marel, to explore the latest options and advancements.
“Such a diverse product line-up called for a highly versatile portion cutter… the HAWK was an obvious choice.”
From the outset, Möllers was keen to boost speed, efficiency and product quality, as Volker explained: “We worked extensively with the team at Möllers to understand their requirements. The business needed a portion cutting solution capable of processing a broad range of meat products, including beef rump steak, pork loin, veal top, hip and beef tenderloin, to name only a few.
“It was clear that such a diverse product line-up called for a highly versatile portion cutter; and that’s why the HAWK was an obvious choice.”
In March of this year, Marel launched its TREIF HAWK portion cutter. Described as “a pioneering solution,” it is the only machine in its price range cutting from crust frozen bone-in to fresh boneless products.
When installed within the line, the TREIF HAWK portion cutter quickly proved its worth, significantly enhancing the speed, ergonomics and flexibility of Möllers’ production process.
Since integrating the TREIF HAWK into their operations, Möllers has seen substantial enhancements. With the capacity to cut up to 360 slices per minute, the TREIF HAWK delivers the superior speed and yield needed for the business to adapt to new market opportunities.
In an interview with Helmut Schmid and Karl Steger, production managers at Möllers, the team said that they were particularly impressed with noted improvements to efficiency as a result of the machine’s automated loading feature. They said: “We are happy with the automatic loading as it allows us to save an enormous amount of time. The machine grips the product automatically without us having to do it manually.
TREIF HAWK specifications:
- Maximum cuts per minute: up to 360 cuts per minute
- Product cross-section: 250 x 170 mm
- Max. infeed length: automatic loading 1,200 mm, manual loading 800 mm
- Housing dimensions LxWxH: with infeed: 4,385 x 1,385 x 1,795 mm, without infeed: 3,500 x 1,385 x 1,795 mm
- Weight: 1,200 kg
- Connection load: 6 kW (direct 3/PE, 50/60Hz, 400V, fuse 25A)
- Raw material: Boneless, bone-in, cooked, crust-frozen, fresh, tempered up to –4 C depending on raw material
- Accessories: Gripper, knives, cutting frames, cleaning trolley, remote access
- Options: Infeed belt or manual loading
“We can now deploy the staff differently for downstream processes and, for example, working at the flattener or have the cut products packed away.”
“We are thrilled to bring the TREIF HAWK to the market, and its performance at the Möllers site is a testament to the quality of Marel’s equipment,” Volker added. “The HAWK’s innovative design enables butcheries to grow and stay competitive in an evolving industry, empowering them with improved yield, flexibility and product quality.”
