Bowl choppers make light work of major project

An Union Food Machinery and Equipment product story

Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team Jan 19, 2007

Major International has installed two Laska bowl choppers supplied and integrated by food equipment specialist Union Food Machinery, to manufacture stock bases, sauces, soups and gravies

Wellingborough based Major International has installed two Laska bowl choppers supplied and integrated by food equipment specialist Union Food Machinery (UFM).

The machines are part of a continual improvement process that encompasses process improvement as well as the acquisition of new equipment.

Major International is using the bowl choppers to manufacture stock bases, sauces, soups and gravies.

UFM provided a KU500 500 litre bowl capacity chopper and a KCU200 200 litre bowl capacity chopper, both manufactured by Laska.

The range is perfect for companies who are committed to improving their level of process automation thanks to the sophisticated PLC control options.

To further enhance this, the range can be provided with a full recipe management system and modem link for rapid updating of required data via the Internet.

This allows users to turn the machine into a sophisticated management tool as well as a process device.

"The new choppers are 100% better than the ones they replaced," explained Paul Roberts, production manager at Major International: "In fact, the guys on the shop floor say it's like moving form a Ford Fiesta to a Jaguar! The blades cut larger slices of meat and they are more robust.

They are used for sixteen hours each day, take a lot of punishment and hold up really well.

We are now able to produce more consistent blends and are able to address further improvements.

Ours is a natural product with no artificial ingredients.

As a result if, for instance, its base is natural diced chicken, the poultry needs to be fat and gristle free.

The preparation of the chicken is still performed by hand and the recipes are developed in house.

Once the ingredients have been chopped and weighed, they are introduced to the bowl chopper where they are turned into the very smooth paste that we require," Robert concluded.

UFM provided an on site team during installation and made site visits earlier in the buying process to offer advice on the type of equipment required.

Furthermore, Major International has a service contract with the company which will involve maintenance visits as well as call out maintenance as required.