When Luncheon Meat first began working with Schröter in 2017, one thing quickly became clear: It’s not just the technology that matters, but also the understanding of individual requirements. The company is part of the Ifantis Food Group and produces a wide range of meat-based products in Alexandroupolis in northern Greece – from cooked and smoked meat products to salami and ham such as prosciutto.
Luncheon Meat: Customized smoking processes for the Greek market
At the time, the project involved the precise integration of a SMOKjet® RH09 wood chip smoke generator with a competitor’s existing smokehouse – today, Luncheon Meat relies on Schröter systems for all its cooking and smoking processes. Production is carried out using several THERMICjet® hot-smoke cooking systems in various designs – carefully planned, implemented step-by-step and precisely tailored to the conditions on site.
Following the extremely positive experience with the SMOKjet® RH09, the collaboration increased in 2019 – Luncheon Meat decided to work with Schröter on its first major system project. Four THERMICjet® HR-6 double-row hot-smoke cooking systems, combined with four SMOKjet® RH09 wood chip smoke generators, have replaced existing systems and enable a significantly higher capacity in the same space.
Dimitris Svintridis, Quality Manager at Luncheon Meat, explains why the company from Borgholzhausen was chosen: “Schröter was able to implement our requirements in terms of performance, space requirements and operability in the best possible way. I was immediately impressed by the quality, the solid workmanship and the maintenance-friendly design.”
The intuitive and tactile handling of the SIEMENS S7 controller, in combination with Schröter’s adaptive programming and the InTouch process visualization, forms the basis for effective operability and process reliability.
One particularly impressive technical feature is the alternating air exchange system. By controlling the powerful recirculation fans via high-performance frequency converters, the air volume flows inside the process chamber is shifted to the left or right.
The infinitely variable control of the two frequency-controlled recirculation fans allows the air volume flows inside the processing chamber to be focused more to the left or right—even differentiated from top to bottom in the wagon and its product carrier levels. This enables targeted airflow at all levels and ensures more uniform drying of all product layers in the “drying” process step. This is a clear advantage over conventional systems, where lower levels often dry out more than upper ones.
Quote
Schröter systems have an alternating air exchange system that is generated by two frequency-controlled radial fans. This technology enables us to optimize our processes, which results in shorter process times and thus lower weight losses.
APOSTOLOS ATHANASOPOULOS | Managing Director of the Ifantis Food Group
The next stage of expansion at Luncheon Meat followed in 2023. Once again, the focus was on integrating new systems – this time under much tighter spatial conditions. In order to make optimum use of the available space, Schröter cooperated with the Greek company to plan the use of three single-row THERMICjet® HR-8 smoking systems in transit design, each with SMOKjet® RH09 and two single-row THERMICjet® KA-8 cooking systems.
Technical sales representative Jürgen Brocke was on site as early as the quotation phase to record the conditions, take measurements and thus tailor the system planning precisely to the circumstances. Luncheon Meat explicitly praised this commitment.
The new arrangement, including turning the new systems 90° to the placement of the previous systems, now makes it possible to double the wagon capacity per passage from four to eight wagons – without requiring additional space. The safety door interlock, which only allows the process to start when the doors are fully closed, was also reliably implemented in the system control according to individual customer requirements. In addition, the automatic cleaning system ensures automated, labor-saving and consistently thorough cleaning of all system components. It is therefore no coincidence that Schröter was once again awarded the contract; rather, it’s an expression of a long-standing corporate relationship. “Our decision to work with Schröter was based on the long and extremely satisfactory cooperation that the Ifantis Group has enjoyed with the company for decades,” says Apostolos Athanasopoulos.
In addition to technology and planning, communication was another success factor: Ilias Goulis, a Greek-speaking design engineer from the Schröter team, was on hand to support the project during every phase – from the coordination of technical details to the acceptance and handover to production on site. This was also valuable support for project manager Dorian Grabowski.
