VP100 transfer pumps for ready meals

One of the top names in frozen ready meals has purchased a range of VP100 transfer pumps from the market-leading specialists, Turbo Systems

One of the top names in frozen ready meals has purchased a range of VP100 transfer pumps from the market-leading specialists in the design and manufacture of equipment for the food industry, Turbo Systems, to improve the safety of its workforce.

Staff at the Doncaster factory of RHM Frozen Foods had been used to manually transferring products from holding containers to depositor-hoppers - and climbing steps to do it - but in these days of ever more strict health and safety regulations, it was deemed necessary to end that practice.

And when RHM looked around for a company to supply transfer pumps to take over the job, it soon became clear that one of its long-time suppliers - Turbo Systems - could fit the bill.

RHM engineering manager for the Doncaster site, Ian Bewick, explained: ''We have used Turbo Systems' depositors at all four of our sites for a few years and after they launched the transfer pumps we did trials at a couple of sites and they were very successful.

The pumps are ideal for the situation we have put them to work in and are operating extremely well.'' Turbo Systems' VP100 series of transfer pumps form part of the company's range of new generation, cost effective machines which have been developed from an existing depositor range for pumping liquids.

The pumps are available with lubricant-free pneumatics and can be tailored to meet the needs of individual customers, just as they were at RHM.

Their quartet was designed to suit the footprint of the various holding vessels and upgraded to handle larger particles of protein in a sauce which is part of meals which find their way into the freezer cabinets of most of the UK's leading retailers.

Ian Bewick is delighted with the results.

''The system is easy to use and has taken away the need for manual handling, which is exactly what we wanted to achieve.

The service we received from Turbo Systems was excellent, a big improvement on what it was a few years ago, and they seem to be more customer-focused.'' This is a comment which comes as no surprise to executives at Turbo Systems, where there have been a number of changes for the better following a management buyout.

''We were determined to do better,'' said Trevor Medd, the key accounts manager who handled the RHM contract.

''In winning orders like this one, we have proved we are getting things right.'' Mr Medd pledged that the company would maintain its close working relationship with not just ready meals producers like RHM but with all sectors of the food industry.

''We are always prepared to work with customers to fine-tune our machines to meet individual needs,'' he said.

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