Employing the latest generation of potato cutting and slicing equipment increased food safety for spud processors by eliminating the potential of human contamination, error, and injury, not to mention eliminating inefficiencies. Automated cutting and slicing, as well as the storage and transfer of commodities between each step of production allowed processors to meet consumer demand safely and consistently, with a high-quality end product.

Optimization of yield and efficiency are at the top of all potato and food processors’ agendas. Potato processing plants, whether manufacturing potato snacks, French fries, or other end products are among the most sophisticated in the food industry with many of the large processors even striving for ‘lights-out’ processing with minimum operator intervention.

Lately, especially in the last two years of COVID-19 challenges, experts from the major cutting and slicing machinery market players have seen an increase in the spud processing business concerning automation equipment.

“The benefit of [e.g. – automated] processing equipment is reducing the amount of labor in a facility, which reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission, as well as addresses the difficulties in finding labor at all,” Grote Company Vanmark told Potato Business Digital.

Moreover, Industry 4.0 and related elements such as connectivity, remote control and service, big data management, etc. have been around and trending for quite a while.

“COVID-19 mainly accelerated the acceptance and implementation across the food industry. So ‘Food Cutting 4.0’ is here to stay,” FAM Stumabo experts added in the same respect.

When discussing maintenance and training programs, as well as customer support for their clients after automated cutting and slicing equipment purchases, especially in light of recent travel restrictions, the supplying companies are dedicating their utmost attention.

In recent times, the market players opened new offices to fully assist local processors, at great company expenses, because it has always been a priority for them to offer the best customer support wherever food is commercially manufactured.

“We partner with our customers to increase their productivity and have been able to open direct offices staffing them with local residents. The ability to offer full support has led to a great working relationship with our Urschel customers. This has been critical during COVID times. Supplying parts and keeping customer lines up and running through their local, direct office has eased these troubling times,” an Urschel official declared.

You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of Issue 2 of Potato Business Digital 2022 magazine, which you can access by clicking here.