Meat + Poultry - December 2007 - 114

Golden State Foods opts for
ThermoDrive solution
Since 1947, Irvine, Calif.-based
Golden State Foods (GSF) has evolved
into one of the largest diversiﬁed
suppliers to the foodservice industry,
servicing more than 20,000 restaurants
worldwide. The $3 billion company's
core businesses include distribution,
bakery, produce and the processing of
liquids and meat products.
GSF's Meat Products division
produces premium beef patties for
the quick-service restaurant (QSR)
industry. With the capacity to process
more than 600,000 hamburger patties
per hour (or 200 million pounds
of patties annually), the company
requires superior conveying systems
at its Conyers, Ga. plant. The most
fundamental part of any conveying
system is the belting.
"We needed belting that could
withstand the stress of a high-volume,
ground-meat operation from a
durability and functionality standpoint,
but was also easier to clean on a
daily basis than our previous belting,"
explains Wayne Morgan, PhD, vice
president of GSF's meat group.
Morgan and Rubin Rodriguez, beef
operations maintenance supervisor,
Craig Baxter, plant engineer, and other
business managers brainstormed
about the 'ideal' belt for their operation
and concluded that their replacement
belting must:
* Hold up to the cold days and hot,
wet nights of the plant's daily routine;
* Function operationally exactly like
its previous belting (speeds, weight
loads, durability, etc.);
* Fit the plant's current conveyor
equipment, which is sprocket-driven;
* Feature a ﬂat, solid surface with no
open joints to make it easier to clean;

POW

ThermoDrive plastic belting was developed
according to the American Meat Institute's
10 Principles of Sanitary Design throughout
the R&D process. (Photo courtesy of Mol
Industries)

* Be easy to inspect for missing parts;
* Be a system plant personnel can
repair/replace in-house;
* Be at a price point that is
comparable to the previously used belt.
The ThermoDrive solution
GSF ultimately chose Mol Industries'
ThermoDrive Sprocket Driven
Hygienic belting, and the ﬁrst of many
installations was made in December
2004. ThermoDrive plastic belting was
developed according to the American
Meat Institute's 10 Principles of
Sanitary Design throughout the R&D
process. The two-dimensional solid
surface of ThermoDrive is a marked
improvement over modular belting's
three-dimensional web of link-joints.
By eliminating modules, ThermoDrive
belting eliminates niches and crevices
that harbor bacteria. There is no need
to remove belts for soaking because
ThermoDrive has no bacteriaharboring hinges, pins, etc. Also, no
modules also results in no broken
pieces to contaminate product.
The belting can be cleaned to each
processor's acceptable microbiological
level in a fraction of the time it takes to
clean modular belting, Mol Industries

P
MOL I N D U S T R I E S ®

T H E RM O D
SPROCKET

R I V E '

DRIVEN

B EL T I N G

IYGIENIC BELTING

states. Thus, Golden State Foods has
enhanced its food safety through its
use of ThermoDrive belting.
Due to the homogeneous nature of
ThermoDrive belting, the ground beef is
not able to migrate through the hinges,
resulting in higher yield rates.
ThermoDrive's solid surface allows
the lowest effective pressure to be
used, which dramatically cuts down on
aerosols and condensation. With less
surface area than most modular belts,
washing and sanitizing can take up to
80 percent less time, effort and water,
which results in lower water bills, as
well as less wastewater released into
the environment.
The belting ﬂexes as it makes a
smooth radial turn around sprockets,
which aids in the release of certain
products from the belt and also makes
it scraper-friendly in cases of stubborn
release product.
The bottom line
The ThermoDrive belting meets all
of the criteria that GSF set forth as
ideal for its application, Morgan says.
"The single-best feature is its ease of
cleaning versus the traditional belting.
The sanitation crew loves it. Another
especially nice feature is the option to
purchase the belt welder, which allows
you to replace or ﬁx belting in-house
as needed."
GSF is equally impressed with the
service Mol provides.
"They have been very responsive to
our needs," Morgan points out. "We are
systematically going to ThermoDrive
belting wherever possible. We have
more than 20 belts that are now in
operation. They are used throughout
our grinding and forming operations."

I.oo....STRESSED
NTT RNA

EXPO

Mol Industries Inc., phone (800) 729-2358 or from outside the U.S. (616) 453-2484 See us at IPE
or visit www.thermodrive.com.
booth #1319
84

MEAT&POULTRY

February 2007

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

http://www.thermodrive.com http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - December 2007

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