Meat+Poultry - June 2022 - 54

POULTRY PROCESSING TECH
" With the
increase in
automation,
removing the
wings prior
to automatic
deboning
machines
allows for
seamless
throughput
and higher
efficiency. "
- OLIVER HAHN
Ball Ground, Ga., said demand from retail and
foodservice is more volatile since the start of
the pandemic, which requires more flexibility
among processors from a product-mix and
delivery time point of view.
Especially challenging are supply chain
disruptions and poultry growers having
difficulty in delivering consistent birds.
" Quality and food safety drives one
development in cut-up technology, and the
shortage in labor another, " Bergsma said. " Today's
cut-up lines are integrated with quality grading.
Weight and meat quality are carefully measured to
produce the optimum product-mix. Cut-up lines
have become more automated and more complex
with a dual or even triple cut-up line. "
That means 15,000 birds can be
transformed smoothly in exactly the required
product mix of fillets, tenders, drumsticks,
wing varieties, legs and thighs.
PARTS ADVANTAGE
" Depending on the local culture or the season,
chicken parts have added value compared to
whole grillers, " Bergsma said. " A processor
can earn substantially more money by selling
separate legs, wings and fillets. It's also the big
numbers game. One gram extra on the chicken
part with the highest value may not make the
difference but when you process a million a
week it adds up. "
David McNeal, director of product
management for Foodmate, with its US
offices in Ball Ground, Ga., noted processors
are looking for labor savings in all new
technologies, primarily in cut-up or deboning.
" We manufacturers are charged with
listening to our customers and coming up with
54 MEAT+POULTRY | 06.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
out-of-the box, efficient and technology savvy
advances that will essentially reduce labor, " he
said. " Automation is, however, in the forefront
of any advancement. "
NEW AND IMPROVED
Baader has integrated wing segmentation
into the cut-up line, saving significant
labor and extra transportation steps.
" With the increase in automation, removing
the wings prior to automatic deboning
machines allows for seamless throughput and
higher efficiency, " Hahn said.
The Baader cut-up line and its proprietary
shackle design allow for increased food
safety (bird is not contacted during bypass
operations) and maximum processing
flexibility for their customers.
" Furthermore, our smooth shackle
turning points increase chain life and
decrease undesired movement of birds during
processing, " Hahn said.
The Baader patented Wing-Tip and MidWing
Segmenting Modules process left and
right wings independently with no rotating
blades for the highest possible percentage of
A-grade cuts.
" Additionally, our wing segmenting modules
integrate high quality wing cuts into any cut
up line to reduce labor caused by secondary
handling, " Hahn said. " When combined with
the Baader ProFlex Cut-Up Line, processors
can automatically bypass the wing segmenting
units to create various wing products without
stopping the lines. "
Boneless, skinless thigh meat is growing
as one of the most versatile and sought-after
chicken products. Therefore, the company's
Meyn
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat+Poultry - June 2022
