Meat packer doubles production capacity

Compact rollstock thermoform/seal and dual-chamber vacuum machines tighten packaging efficiencies at Ruprecht.

About 10-feet long, each compact R140 TFS rollstock machine (above) can be extended to include additional equipment components.
About 10-feet long, each compact R140 TFS rollstock machine (above) can be extended to include additional equipment components.

Wholesale meat distributor Ruprecht Co., Chicago, IL, custom packages portion-control and subprimal cuts of porterhouse steaks, ribeyes, veal chops, poultry, and hamburger for food service customers in two overlapping shifts each day. The company was enjoying increased demand for its products, but had budget constraints and limited floor space to install new packaging equipment.

After investigating various machines that could perform up to the company’s expectations and still fit into the limited available plant space without busting the budget, Ruprecht opted to install three new compact R140 thermoform/seal rollstock machines and two compact C500 vacuum chamber machines, all manufactured by Multivac Inc. The double-chamber vacuum machines were selected because of their capacity to efficiently handle primals such as tenderloins, strip loins, ribeyes, bulk ground beef, and all large pieces or quantities over 10 pounds. All the machines are easy to clean, meeting stringent sanitation requirements.

About 10’-long each, the R140 rollstock machines offer versatility for use with both flexible and semi-rigid film and can be extended to include additional equipment components. The C500s are double-chamber vacuum systems that work in tandem with dip tanks to hermetically seal packages of meat cuts up to 20”Lx8”Wx3”H. The dip tanks shrink the packaging film, reducing wrinkles to produce a better package appearance.

Installation and start-up

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