A systematic focus on traditional butcher’s craft despite the growing use of automation - this is EDEKA Südwest Fleisch's recipe for success. In the artisanal processing of ham, pork loin and more, the company relies on the innovative Quantum Flex X1000 trimmer from Bettcher. At first glance, these are small, inconspicuous production helpers, but they have a big impact on daily operations. They ensure efficient workflows in meat processing and lead to consistent product quality that boosts the bottom line.
EDEKA Südwest Fleisch is a wholly owned subsidiary of EDEKA Südwest, EDEKA SUPERMARKETS second largest regional company. In the new plant, built in 2011 in Rheinstetten near Karlsruhe, Germany, around 250 tonnes of meat are processed every day using state-of-the-art production methods to produce high-quality meat and deli cold cuts for the service counters and self-service areas of over 1,100 EDEKA supermarkets. Among the approximately 1,200 employees of the company there are more than 80 master butchers. Products produced in Rheinstetten include the ‘Gutfleisch’ label with its range of specialities, as well as organic products and the ‘Hofglück’ label, which stands for greater animal welfare.
The product portfolio is enormous. The pork department alone offers a range of over 400 products, including 20 different cuts of the most highly prized meat. Highlights of the range include dry-aged premium beef products, which undergo an extended dry maturing process.
But whether pork or beef, and regardless of the type of product, all production lines at EDEKA Südwest Fleisch meet the high standards of traditional butchers’ craftsmanship. Dirk Sailer, Deputy Head of Cutting at EDEKA Südwest Fleisch explains: “Here in the company, we speak of our passion for the butcher’s craft. We make our products in the classic artisanal way. Meat is a natural product; every piece looks different and has to be treated a little differently. For this, the Bettcher trimmers are invaluable.”
And so, despite a certain level of automation, a large proportion of the processing in Rheinstetten is done by hand.
Customisable trimmers - higher yields
To ensure that all manual steps of the process are as efficient as possible, EDEKA Südwest Fleisch uses the innovative meat trimmers from Bettcher Industries Inc. To all appearances, these are small, inconspicuous tools – but they make all the difference.
Bettcher, with headquarters in Ohio/USA and a European head office in Dierikon/Switzerland, is the world's leading supplier of high-performance cutting and trimming tools for industrial applications. Bettcher's circular knives are easy to use and they maximise yields. Depending on the application, a different blade can be used to carve a few grams more out of each piece of meat, as Bettcher is happy to demonstrate to customers. This quickly pays off, especially for large companies like EDEKA Südwest Fleisch.
The meat processing company has been using these innovative tools since 2013 and has benefited from Bettcher’s expert advice from the very beginning. For Bettcher there is no such thing as a standard application. The Bettcher experts - that's what the company calls its team of direct contacts, most of whom are highly trained butchers - come to the processing plant, inspect the applications, and subsequently suggest the optimal solution.
In 2019, EDEKA Südwest Fleisch replaced its existing equipment with the new generation Quantum Flex Timmer X1400. In this latest series, Bettcher has further optimised numerous features. The trimmers are 15 per cent lighter than previous models, they have exceptionally low vibration and are ergonomically shaped. All in all, this makes them even smoother to use and more operator friendly. Due to different handle sizes, thumb rests and other features, they can be individually adapted to an operator’s hand. To adjust the cutting depth, a depth gauge can be added to the tool. A safety lever ensures that the tool comes to a standstill as soon as the fingers leave the handle. Blades are regularly sharpened with a steeling device, Edgemaster, which are designed to allow even non-professionals to handle them. The trimmers can be adapted to perfectly suit different products and applications by adjusting size and diameter of blades, angle of blades, settings of cutting depth and motor speed. Overall, they maximise efficiency while minimising the effort required to achieve this.
One special feature of the new Quantum Flex Trimmer X1000 was of particular benefit to EDEKA Südwest Fleisch: the trimmer handpieces can easily be combined with any Bettcher motor. Markus Jentner, International Sales Manager at Bettcher GmbH comments: ”For our part, we are working on making the tools more and more sustainable. EDEKA Südwest Fleisch, for example, only uses the new electrically powered trimmers, which require significantly less energy than tools powered by compressed air. And here, as in many other businesses, they still work with the first generation of Bettcher motors. To make our products particularly long-lasting, we have ensured that our new handpieces can be operated with all Bettcher motors, no matter how old they are. This is also a contribution to more sustainability.”
Uniform defatting leads to reliable high quality
The meat processing company deploys these exceptional trimmers on a line that produces raw goods and dispatch goods for cooked ham. The Quantum Flex X1400 removes rind residues and trims the meat to make it as lean as possible. The tools are also used for the trimming of highly prized cuts of meat: pork loins are evenly defatted right down to the silver skin. To achieve this, the round knives are pulled flat over the meat, ensuring an even cut which results in highly uniform products that perfectly meet EDEKA Südwest Fleisch's concept of quality.
With the opening of the Rheinstetten plant, the cutting process, which was briefly outsourced, is once again entirely in the hands of EDEKA Südwest Fleisch. This allows the company to enforce high standards of quality control over incoming goods as well as production processes. The artisanal nature of the work can be carried out according to the company’s own standards, and Bettcher trimmers play a central role in maintaining these.
Ergonomic design eases the work
A significant benefit of Bettcher trimmers is their ease of use: even inexperienced or unskilled employees can work with the device after a brief introduction. Handling the circular knives is much easier to learn than using a conventional knife. At the same time, the ergonomic design ensures less operator fatigue which, in turn, leads to substantial increases in yield. At the processing plant, for example, one employee processes about 300 pieces of ham per hour using the trimmer. The plant estimates that it would take three employees to achieve the same result when using conventional knives. And so, in addition to ease of use, the advantageous ergonomics of the tools were also among the criteria for EDEKA Südwest Fleisch’s decision to use the Bettcher trimmer.
Right from the start, when the modern factory in Rheinstetten was built, attention was paid to improved working conditions in order to counteract the lack of qualified personnel. Instead of standing on a cold floor, workers stand on height-adjustable platforms. Ergonomic tools such as the Quantum Flex X1400 trimmer are designed to make their work easier. Plant managers at Rheinstetten are therefore pleased to report another effect that the use of this equipment has had: sick leave has been greatly reduced.
Thanks to the high level of satisfaction with the Quantum Flex X1400, combined with the expert advisory services provided by Bettcher’s team of trained butchers and their fast trouble-shooting response times, EDEKA Südwest Fleisch continues to build a close partnership with Bettcher. It allows the meat processing company to exceed customer expectations by providing products of first-class quality.