The key to success for most bacon processors is the slicing line. Getting this right in terms of quality, capacity, efficient use of labour and, most importantly, yield recovery are the ingredients of a truly successful operation.
Fundamental to this is obviously the slicer itself. While there are many offered on the market, those specifically developed for bacon applications are less common. Available in the UK and Ireland from Interfood is the Textor TS750, a high-speed slicer designed to meet the demanding requirements of bacon. The TS750 is part of the industry-proven TS700 series and, as such, adopts the approach of operational simplicity which is the foundation on which Textor (and its parent company Weber) has built its reputation. The TS750 is a powerful and compact machine, featuring a ground-breaking ‘Performance Blade and Blade Head’ developed by Weber/Textor’s in-house blade technology department. It has been designed specifically to meet the challenges of bacon slicing, providing consistently high standards for all bacon types and portion presentations whilst also able to deal with the natural variation and potential inconsistency of product being delivered to the line.
The latest development for the TS750 is the integration of proactive integrated scanning and weighing systems. This system, already installed at a specialist bacon producer in the UK, is providing levels of performance, accuracy and consistency never seen before in retail premium dry and wet cure bacon slicing.
Many bacon producers are looking increasingly towards integrated solutions. The combined expertise of Weber and Textor in manufacturing slicers, along with Interfood’s extensive experience in the bacon processing market, means that integration across different elements of the operation is simple. The Weber weLOAD 7500 offers an automatic infeeder for premium shingled portions with interaction between intelligent control and a comprehensive network of line components. The weLOAD 7500 also has a compact footprint and smooth portion transportation, enabling full automation without the need for manual correction or monitoring.
Also available is the Weber wePACK 7000, a thermoformer developed to offer high-speed, packaging specifically designed for slicing applications. It offers maximum output in a machine that can be fully integrated into a slicing line and is built to the exacting hygiene standards for which Weber is renowned. It uses the same operating system as that employed in Weber’s range of slicers, with a high degree of commonality of electrical and pneumatic components to ensure ease of integration and operation, with full line operation achieved via the Weber Power Control system.
The Weber and Textor range are exclusively available in the UK and Ireland from Interfood Technology’s dedicated Slicing Division.
