tna Solutions has revealed its latest innovation in French fries processing, delivering greater efficiency, flexibility, and consistency. The new tna Conti cut hydro cutting system, with cutting-edge ‘switcher’ technology, was unveiled recently at tna Solutions’ stand at Anuga FoodTec 2024.

By Ionel Văduva and Tudor Vintiloiu

More about the technology development behind this novel machinery in the following interview with Twan van den Berg, Global Sales Manager Processing, tna NL Manufacturing B.V.

Potato Business: We’ve had the chance to see the new tna Conti cut hydro cutting system, with cutting-edge ‘switcher’ technology. How has your new equipment been received by the potential customers? What were the first impressions you got from them?

Twan van den Berg: It was received very well. We felt that something was missing in our product portfolio. The switcher itself was already developed a couple of years back, but what was missing was the entire system – the hydro-cutting system.

P.B.D.: We are curious about this cutting-edge switcher. Can you please explain the operating principles?

T.B.: The switcher is very important in the operational process, to maintain the high efficiency of the line. Normally, if you have a cutting system, and the knife block gets jammed, basically the whole line stops. You need to first replace the knife block and put a new one in. With the switcher, inside the machinery, there’s a revolver. When the system detects a drop in pressure or the molder’s amperage, if there’s a broken knife or there’s something else wrong within the system, it automatically switches to the other knife block. And that is all done in a second. It allows the system to continuously operate, and the line operator will be informed if there’s something wrong with the knife block and it needs to be changed.

P.B.D.: You already had this system developed, but you didn’t have the entire cutting equipment.

T.B.: Correct. Because we didn’t have the entire system, the switcher was also not launched, it was not put into service. It was key for us to introduce it.

P.B.D.: As far as capacity is concerned, where is this equipment situated? Is it very high capacity? What applications is it suited for?

T.B.: We normally see this in the French fries processing lines, and if you look at the capacity of the single switcher, then you have to think about a throughput of roughly 12 tons an hour.

P.B.D.: How do your clients integrate it into their production lines? Is it like a standalone equipment or does it have to come with one of your complete lines?

T.B.: This is a standalone unit. If the customer already has a hydro cutting system, a pump, and a decelerate dewatering shaker, it can be easily replaced with whatever system they’re currently using. One of the benefits is also that the control system for the switcher is already integrated into our design, compared to the competition. They would need to integrate it within the NCC board itself to be integrated.

P.B.D.: Let’s talk a little bit about other innovations that are in development. What can you tell us?

T.B.: We’re working on a new coating applicator, one which is much more compact compared to the current industrial standards. This, for us, would be an innovation coming up within the next couple of months or so. It’s high on our pocket list to get it designed up.

P.B.D.: Regarding the market trends, based on the geographical regions, what kind of equipment are people looking for?

T.B.: The demand for French fries is increasing, but it’s the same for snacks if you look at the potato chips lines. And there we have continuous frying technology as well as batch frying, which is also increasing. So, the potato processing industry is very ‘hot’. The main difference that you can see in the trend is a demand for energy recovery and lower emissions, and a lower carbon footprint when producing. The total cost of ownership I think is more important here, in Europe, for now. The companies try to reach the highest efficiencies, lower emissions, and lower energy consumption like steam, and water, compared to countries from the Middle East. They are more focused on cost; and more CapEx oriented [Capital Expenditure]..

P.B.D.: How is this influencing your portfolio? Are you developing different things for different markets?

T.B.: Especially if customers are looking for options to reduce energy consumption, what we can offer is the frying vapor condenser which can be installed on the fryer. We can use the condensate to heat the dryer for instance, drastically reducing the amount of steam or hot water that a customer could normally use on the French fry processing line. That’s the difference in terms of energy efficiency if you’re looking at the frying process. There can be a difference of like 85-95% and that’s huge.

At the moment, a challenge for all the potato processing companies is lowering the carbon footprint, especially for heating technology – how to heat fryers. At the moment, companies still use a lot of steam. To use steam, you use a lot of energy. We are looking into alternative solutions to fry or basically to heat the fryers.