The Hoegger X3 moulding press helps Bencarni to achieve greater efficiency in the packaging of fresh meat

2022-12-29

Bencarni optimizes its meat production with the help of a Hoegger X3 molding press. This press from the Provisur Technologies product range works with a servo-regulated hydraulic drive and, by standardizing its products, helps the Italian meat producer to produce containers with a specified fixed weight for the food retail trade. A great advantage of the machine is its unique ability to press products with bone leaving the bone intact. In addition, Bencarni can enjoy a higher meat yield, which is a real advantage in the end.

The Italian company Bencarni S.p.A., with about 280 employees, has specialized in pork and beef products. In 2011, they built a plant in Nogarole Rocca (VR), which they later expanded. In 2020, they processed about 18 000 tons of meat. In addition to slaughtering and cutting, the plant also houses a portioning and tray packaging system, as well as the logistics that services the wholesale trade. The Bencarni product range includes classic cuts, for example, beef and pork in steaks or cutlets, as well as minced meat, hamburgers and deli products. A large part of the company’s profits comes from the Italian food retail trade, while a part of the products is destined for export. For its core business, supplying food retailers, Bencarni has been producing items that are cut into portions and packaged in a protective atmosphere when they reach refrigerated shelves for more than a decade. In this area, customer demands have increased and more and more fresh meat is in demand on trays with a certain target weight. “In order to better fulfill the wishes of our customers, it was necessary to homogenize our products, including those with bone, before cutting them. That is why we have decided to use a molding press and look for a suitable supplier,” explains Federica Banterle, member of the board of directors of Bencarni.

That’s how deformed the necks with bone are before pressing

Provisur, a good counselor

Bencarni chose the Hoegger X3 molding press from the Provisur Technologies product range. The Swiss company is committed to innovative technology and integrated production systems of several traditional brands used in industrial food processing. The brands gathered under the Provisur umbrella are among the technological leaders of their respective segments, such as the Hoegger molding presses, known for their exclusive three-dimensional and dynamic pressing technology. In 2021, the cooperation between the two companies began with several product tests conducted with the Hoegger press, which convinced the meat processor Bencarni.

Before pressing and after pressing

Forming press Hoegger X3 100

Meanwhile, the Hoegger X3 100 moulding press from the Nogarole Rocca plant is already shaping the products: the tool gently applies a certain diameter to the raw materials deposited in the system. The meat fibers are preserved and the structure of the raw product does not change, a unique process that distinguishes Hoegger’s systems. The control of the smooth molding of the products guarantees users like Bencarni the maximum performance with the minimum operating costs. The key piece of the X3 press is the servo-regulated hydraulic drive. This allows fast and precise displacement profiles as well as a controlled application of the power. The intelligently controlled pressure control system makes it possible to carefully mold each product in combination with the 3D presses. With this, the Hoegger molding press demonstrates a unique ability: it is also able to give products with bone the desired shape without damaging the bone. This particularly compact system can be operated intuitively. Thanks to its versatile loading and unloading modules, it can be easily integrated into fully automatic product lines. The system offers all the necessary requirements for the comprehensive digitization of industrial production and is therefore optimally adapted to the requirements of Industry 4.0.

Clients’ wishes are fulfilled better and easier – profitable investment

For Bencarni, the investment has been well worth it, says Federica Banterle: “With the Hoegger X3, we now get uniform products that are perfectly adapted to our logistics. The molding press helps us to standardize our products to the maximum, so that we fill the trays with the exact weight specified for meat cuts with and without bone. With the Hoegger molding presses, Provisur is the only supplier on the market whose systems can also press products with bone leaving the bone intact. This makes it much easier to fulfill the client’s wishes. However, our biggest advantage is that we have been able to considerably reduce the delivery of portioned boneless products, which translates into a higher yield. We have never reached this balance before. So the use of the Hoegger X3 molding press is a real benefit, after all.”