Case study

Craftsmanship with industrial throughput

In the production of high-quality meat and salad products, Delicio combines traditional methods with innovative slicing technology.

Delicio's specialities include traditionally made meat products, which are increasingly in demand. How can the company produce faster without compromising the authentic character of its products? A new slicer is the solution.

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Craftsmanship with industrial throughput

elicio specialities clearly stand out with their natural quality as compared to industrially standardized mass production. To ensure this, the medium-sized manufacturer performs many steps in the workflow by hand. Yet, there are in fact some processes that machines can do just as well, if not better. The high-tech production facility of Delicio includes an innovative packaging line that is equipped with Bizerba systems. Delicio founder Léon Doene once again approached Bizerba with his latest concern: To better cater to the growing demand, he decided to increase the capacity of meat product slicing.

Company

Delicio Benelux BV

Delicio's headquarters is in Middelburg, the capital of the Dutch province Zeeland. The business specializes in traditionally made salads and meat products of authentic, natural quality. Starting in 2003 as an importer of Belgian bread and croutons, as of 2006, its founder and owner Léon Doene began focusing on making products of his own, among them a variety of sliced meats with original Schelde water.

Founded in 2003 as a pure importer
as of 2006
the company began producing its own products
plus manufacture of private label products

More information

deliciobenelux.nl

Challenge

High quality products, frequent change

Delicio makes use of a natural process to produce meat products such as cooked ham. Unlike industrial products that are heavily pressed, the meat products' texture may in fact vary from batch to batch. For this reason, the cut must be performed with a precisely controlled speed to ensure the perfect slice.

Speed does not just mean throughput

If Delicio wants fast slicing, it is not just a question of throughput in ongoing operations. This is because frequent product changes are part of everyday life at the Middelburg plant. So, introducing a large industrial system would involve quite a bit of time and effort spent on re-equipping and cleaning. In addition, the sickle blades, which are predominantly used in the industry, are not ideal for the delicate Delicio products. Not to mention the large space requirement for an industrial-sized slicer, including the additional grinder required.

Delicio's wish list

So, ideally, what was wanted was a compact slicer with circular blade. It should achieve perfect slicing results with additional throughput, even for the most delicate product. The time and effort required for product change and cleaning should be minimal, while sharpening should not require any great effort.

The machine is perfect for slicing traditional products on a smaller scale.”

Léon Doene

Owner of Delicio Benelux

Solution

Fulfilling demand – and much more

On the advice of Bizerba, Managing Director Doene decided on the compact and mobile A560 slicer. The solution, which can be networked, is equipped with an integrated scale and target weight control.

Integrated blade sharpening

The A560 works with a circular blade which is sharpened in the machine without requiring it to be removed. Because it can be cut at a comparatively low speed, the results are always perfect slices, even with demanding Delicio products.

Also suitable for large pieces of meat

In the optional exchangeable cutting frame, which is also available, the A560 can even process large pieces of meat from the Delicio range, such as pork rump joint. Due to the special design of the mounting, the meat remains almost completely intact while clamped in the frame - an important requirement for Léon Doene's premium products.

Slice-accurate trend control

By slicing to target weight with slice-accurate trend control, Delicio can minimize giveaways. For products with a consistent diameter, by adjusting the appropriate slice thickness, Delicio produces packaging with six slices, for example, where the net weight is precisely between 99 and 101 grams. This makes over- or underfilling in the relevant circumference impossible.

Hygienic Design

Last but not least: For a system with industrial throughput, the time and effort needed for re-equipping and cleaning the A560 is minimal. Managing Director Doene: "The slicer is easy to use and practical to clean. You can take everything out, giving easy access to each area. The machine can be completely cleaned with soap and water and disinfected at low pressure." Perfect for the frequent product changes in the Delicio factory on the Schelde River.

Benefits

Increased throughput, perfect products, improved added value

Today, Delicio can now serve the growing demand for its meat products, while remaining more flexible and quicker. For bigger batches, the business benefits from a maximum throughput of up to 250 slices/min. Even if batches are smaller and frequent product changes are required, output has increased. Just because the A560 can be cleaned particularly quickly. Plus, the machine's touch controls allow the saved configuration to be called up directly for the next product.

Energy saving included

Unlike the larger industrial slicers with sickle blades, when slicing with rotating blades the product does not need to be cooled down quite as much beforehand. The product remains intact even at a lower rotation speed. This not only minimizes the electricity bill, but also the space required for cooling systems.

Giveaways are reduced by up to 15%

Production interruptions for sharpening the blade are a thing of the past with the integrated sharpening function. With the slice-accurate trend control, the A560 reduces giveaways by up to 15%, increasing the added value. Léon Doene's conclusion: "This machine is perfect for slicing traditional products on a smaller scale."