From energy-efficient freezing solutions to cutting machinery, peeling or sorting machinery, innovation developed by manufacturers of equipment for frozen French fries has as main goal the market differentiation, an identical target for the processors themselves, on what is know to be the largest frozen potato segment globally.
By Dan Orehov
The frozen fries market is very strong, which in turn means that demand for cutting equipment is high and is still growing. One of the main reasons is an increase in exports to South-East Asian countries, from Europe and North America, explained by the increase in quick-service restaurants in the area.
“I believe Belgium and Holland are quite strong at the moment, we have noticed quite a number of production lines expansions as processors are looking for increasing numbers of growers of potatoes, including outside their borders, for example into France. This is explained by the fact that the markets in these two countries are very export driven, which means that the pace at which they grow is faster than their own consumer market,” explains Marc de Peuter, marketing manager of FAM, a leading cutting machinery manufacturer for the food industry.
FAM’s cutting equipment for French fries includes the Tridis 240P, a tridimensional dicer, designed for the French fry industry. The company states that compared to other available cutting machines, the dicer increases capacity by 10% to 40%. The development process for this equipment was done in cooperation with the company’s industry partners and focused on capacity, cut quality, hygiene, simplicity and maintenance. The other two types of equipment targeting the frozen fries industry are FAM’s Centris 315P and Centris 400P, both high-quality centrifugal cutting machines part of the NECST™ product range, which stands for Next Evolution in Centrifugal Slicing Technology. FAM and Stumabo collaborated in designing NECST™ as part of their efforts to resolve some key problems faced by the centrifugal processing industry. The Centris™ line has a patented cutting head, which features twice as many cutting segments as the first generation cutting heads. As a result, the machine can operate at a lower speed, but still maintain the same capacity. Products are subjected to less acceleration, which significantly increases their shelf life. Other benefits include reduced product loss and less damage to products.
“These machines also produce new shapes, according to the current market trends. As the markets evolve, so do flavors as shapes for potato products, consequently for potato chips but also for frozen potato products FAM has developed a new shape, named the “Gothic Arch”, a deep-crinkle style cut of around 4mm, ready to be fried. This is yet another example of market adaptation on behalf of equipment manufacturers, to the demands of not only consumers but also frozen potato processors, who are constantly seeking ways to differentiate themselves from competitors on the market,” details FAM’s representative.
Mike Jacko, VP, Applications & New Product Development at Urschel agrees that the large French fry manufacturers seem to competing with each other to get the largest chunk of the fast food companies business. They split by consolidating cut sizes, maximizing yields, obtaining the best cut quality, and using the highest quality knives for their processing lines. He says this means purchasing new equipment like the DiversaCut 2110A® (DCA) Dicer by Urschel for crinkle cuts, Urschel CCL Slicer for lattice waffle fries, and Urschel watergun knives.
“Regarding the latest market demand from the processors of frozen fries, new frozen products are limited to a few new shapes — formed products that are not necessarily all potato such as cauliflower and broccoli tator tots using Urschel diced product, or product from the Comitrol® Processor line of Urschel equipment. There is growth in products like waffle fries using the Urschel CCL cutter. Some new products are patented by the major manufacturers so the cuts are exclusive to them. Urschel works with these companies on their unique needs,” explains Mike Jacko.
Relating to collaborative efforts between Urschel and their clients, as mentioned above, Urschel works closely with customers on their novel ideas, but is also always looking to improve on their already state-of-the-art machines. Referring to the frozen potatoes/fries market, frozen fries are a mature marketplace. There are not huge advances. Its more about the small little things to save money and improve cut quality — using the best, highest quality user-friendly machinery and knives is key.
“On a geographical level, both Europe and North America are strong. Customers are building new plants and upgrading equipment. There is also continued growth in Asia as eating habits change. Regarding the future of frozen potatoes and consumer demand, Europe continues to be a strong market for Urschel, and even though there may be healthier alternatives, everyone still loves their French fries,” adds Urschel’s VP.
The full version of this article is available in the July-August print issue of Frozen Food Europe
