The Müller Group, headquartered in Birkenfeld, Baden-Württemberg, is one of the largest fresh meat producers in Germany. The family-run business is known throughout Europe as a supplier of quality meat. It delivers fresh, frozen and vacuum-packed beef, veal and pork as well as self-service meat and convenience products to butchers, the food service industry and bulk customers. When slaughtering and processing meat at its main plant, Müller Fleisch has been using Bettcher’s most recent Quantum Flex™ 850 trimmer generation for the last year. It enables greater precision as well as faster and more ergonomic meat processing.
Customers of Müller Fleisch can be characterised by their high standards and increasing specialisation. This has an impact on the meat processor's operations and output: in general, customers are demanding a significantly higher amount of categorised goods. Whereas until recently coarse cuts were ordered - for example whole legs of pork to be processed into Black Forest ham – today, smaller cuts are much more in demand. Müller Fleisch delivers these in predefined weights and shapes. In addition, the retailers now prefer meat that is portioned and packaged directly at the meat cutting premises to reduce microbiological risks on the one hand, and further increase shelf life on the other.
Increasingly sophisticated customer requirements made it necessary to continually adapt the processes of the Müller Fleisch cutting and trimming department and to supplement them with additional procedures. At the Birkenfeld site, for example, various cutting techniques are used to produce extremely uniform products that do not need to be sorted in subsequent departments. The challenge is that every piece of meat is different, which is why many process steps are carried out manually. To achieve this, Müller Fleisch has successfully partnered with Bettcher Industries for around a decade. The US company is the world's leading supplier of innovative, high-performance cutting and trimming tools for industrial applications. Bettcher Industries’ European location in Dierikon/Switzerland serves numerous markets through direct sales and is also the contact partner for Müller Fleisch.
At the plant in Birkenfeld, Bettcher's trimmers are used for various process steps. Müller Fleisch uses the high-performance trimmers for a variety of procedures including for ham processing and the processing of pork loin. The pieces of meat are defatted with the trimmer and any unevenness is removed. Residual fat is removed down to the silver skin, the thin membrane separating the fat from the meat. Bettcher electric trimmers trim the meat cleanly and quickly without damaging highly prized cuts of meat. This results in a uniform, consistent product that can be processed efficiently.
The handy devices are also used for removing the spinal cord during cattle slaughtering, which has been a requirement since the advent of BSE. With its rotating blade, the Bettcher TrimVac completely removes the spinal cord and spinal cord skin. During the removal process, the material that poses a BSE risk is directly siphoned off by the trimmer, the periosteum is separated by the blade and all this material is transported via vacuum for disposal.
Bettcher cutting tools provide ongoing support to Müller Fleisch employees by enabling high-precision processing of meat pieces while simultaneously ensuring extremely speedy work processes.
Quantum Flex™ Trimmer 850 - powerful, ergonomic, less wear and tear
Müller Fleisch opted for the Quantum Flex™ Trimmer 850, the latest generation of these powerful tools. Compared to their predecessors, they have been optimised by Bettcher in terms of performance, weight and ergonomics. They are easy to hold, easy to operate and are comparatively lightweight. They can be individually adapted to each user by means of adjustable handles that fit different hand sizes. Due to the enhanced blade and housing interface, there is very little vibration during use - a real innovation. This makes work easier for the operator and causes less wear and tear to the blade and the blade frame. The new, patented locking mechanism of the knife means that the frame no longer needs to be adjusted and the knife is always in the same position. Further technical adjustments have increased the cutting power and speed of these trimmers.
The complete trimmer system consists of one of various handpieces, a driveline, the motor and a handheld steeling device, Edgemaster. The trimmers of the latest generation can be operated using all Bettcher motors – compressed air or electric – and even with those of the older generations. Using the associated steel devices, which are designed to allow even non-professionals to handle them, the blades are resharpened once a day in the meat processing plant.
Fast, precise and ergonomic meat processing
The decision to use the Quantum Flex™ Trimmer 850 has paid off at Müller Fleisch. The ergonomic, low weight design make these tools particularly user-friendly and easy to handle even for inexperienced employees. In general, they contribute to more efficient work flows at the Birkenfeld plant. In ham processing, for example, instead of the three operators who would normally be necessary for this process to be completed with conventional knives, only one employee is now required in the same amount of time.
Müller Fleisch gained a further advantage by successfully implementing a change to the trimmer drive. A few years ago, the company switched completely from compressed air to electric drives. As a result, the business has achieved considerable energy savings and proved that even the optimisation of smaller devices has a significant impact on the overall result of the energy-intensive meat industry. In addition, the electrically operated trimmers have resulted in further advantages due to their higher speed in meat processing and their even greater stability and reliability in operation. At the same time, maintenance requirements and noise pollution in production were reduced.
To ensure that the two-shift operation at Müller Fleisch can be maintained smoothly for six days a week, the company keeps a certain number of blades and spare parts for its trimmers in stock. In an emergency, it relies on its partner's fast response times to ensure that production does not come to a standstill. For this purpose, Bettcher keeps its experts on call. Many of them are trained butchers who support customers with advice and assistance and, amongst other things, regularly conduct staff training sessions. Müller Fleisch is convinced that, despite increasing automation in the meat industry, a high proportion of manual work will continue to be required in the future. Tools like the Quantum Flex™ Trimmer 850 help minimise the physical effort required by operators and make jobs in the industry more attractive.
Bettcher sees this investment in people and yield as its vocation and is continuously working to optimise its user-friendly trimmers. The company believes that attention to detail makes all the difference. Many small incremental changes add up to a major impact that leads to noticeable improvements for meat processing companies and the individual employees in meat production.