Food processing companies know how important it is to be able to deliver consistent quality in an efficient way. Lynca Meats, home to New Style Pork, is one such company, and it is for this reason that it opted for the Marel Polyslicer 1000 shortly after the new machine came onto the market three years ago.

Marel SA, a leading provider of food processing equipment and the local operating arm of the global Marel Group, introduced this state-of-the-art slicer in 2011, and Lynca Meats purchased its machine in 2012. Meat processing presents many unique challenges, so top companies like Lynca Meats know how important it is to have the very best equipment and management systems on the factory floor.

“We chose the Polyslicer 1000 because it offered distinctive features and could be customised to meet our needs,” says André Snyman, Lynca Meats General Manager. “It is a compact, versatile and easy-to-use machine that has enabled us to maximise through-put and yields, as well as to improve safety and reduce labour costs.” 

The Polyslicer 1000 is an automatic slicer with exceptional capabilities and retro-installable upgrades, which gives food processors the option of upgrading as production increases. This one-of-a-kind machine is able to cut between 1 200 and 1 500 slices of bacon or other meats per minute, which is important to a company like Lynca Meats as it supplies many restaurant chains in the Famous Brands portfolio, including Wimpy and Steers.

Slicing accuracy is also a major feature, especially for high-end retail clients like Woolworths, which aims to offer consistent quality to its customers with every shopping experience.

So successful was the first Polyslicer, in fact, that Lynca Meats has just purchased and installed a second machine.

“The benefits that this equipment brings to a large-scale processor like Lynca are multi-faceted,” says Marel General Manager, Rodney Macer-Wright. “For example, the Polyslicer 1000 enables Lynca Meats to obtain maximum output and to reduce wastage significantly. It is also a very safe machine to use, and that is important for operators. It offers reliable quality and consistency too, which is one of the biggest challenges in the meat processing industry.”

“Further, it produces well-defined stacks, shingles or shaved products, and its flexibility means it can be used on a wide range of cold meats, bacon, polonies and salami. It will even slice less robust products like cheese just as accurately.”

The Marel Polyslicer 1000 is constructed from stainless steel and is both   compliant and waterproof to IP65 standards. Using a 1 250mm-long loading bed of up to three logs wide, fast and accurate slicing is guaranteed. Slice denial is also standard and a check-weigher can be added to provide feedback for fixed-weight applications.

Loading is manual with the option of a load assist table, and up to 100 slicing programs can be stored on the machine. Extra options include stacking conveyors, a metal detector and user-defined out-feed conveyors, which increase packing speed and guarantee excellent standards of hygiene.

“All of this means that Lynca Meats can operate at a high level of efficiency and productivity, while consumers can be assured of the best bite every time,” says Macer-Wright. “That’s what contemporary food processing is all about.”