Case Study: GMS 400 – entry-level portioning machine

TVI's portioning range is renowned across the industry, setting the benchmark in quality, yield, and giveaway. 

The Challenge

A customer seeking to upgrade from their existing scanner slice solution faced significant issues with reliability, obsolescence, and performance. The irregular and variable shapes of their primals required additional semi-skilled labor for pre- and post-slicing trimming. This resulted in poor yield (80-90%) and high giveaway (5-10%), necessitating further processing to utilize trim in secondary products like mince or burgers. The downgrade from prime cuts such as sirloin steak (approximately £20/kg) to mince (around £5/kg) led to a loss of up to £15 per kg of trim.

Additionally, sourcing semi-skilled labor and butchers was increasingly difficult. Variability in output and quality control resulted in customer complaints due to inconsistent steak sizes and thicknesses.

The Solution

By introducing the GMS 400, the customer achieved remarkable improvements. The machine's unique press and cut design, incorporating a stop plate, ensured every steak was perfectly parallel and square-cut, eliminating the wedge cuts that were common with their previous scanner slicer.

Results

The impact of the GMS 400 on their operations was significant:

• Yield Improvement: 

  Sirloin Yield: +6%

  Rump Yield: +10%

• Giveaway Reduction: 74% decrease (from 15-20g to 4-5g per cut)

• Throughput Increase: Daily throughput rose by approximately 30%, allowing the line to operate more efficiently and reallocating butchers and packers to other critical areas in the plant. 

• Annual Savings: The improvements resulted in a forecast annual saving of £212k, with a weekly volume of 1,800 kg of beef steak. This equates to an average monthly saving of £17,666.

Return on Investment with MULTIVAC Leasing

Despite having recently invested in a scanner slicer, the customer saw the financial benefits (in yield, giveaway, and labour) but faced challenges justifying the investment due to the long payback period. With leasing options available, Multivac UK were able to offer a three-year interest-free payment plan for the GMS 400. This plan ensured the customer's monthly payments were lower than the returns from the machine, resulting in a cash-positive return from the very first month of delivery. This financing option allowed the customer to secure the machine and generate savings immediately, avoiding the need for expensive financing elsewhere.

Conclusion

Incorporating the GMS 400 has enabled the customer to target new business opportunities with the additional capacity the machine delivers. The consistent quality and profitability provided by the GMS 400's improved yield and giveaway have revolutionized their operations, ensuring a reliable and efficient processing solution. 

We are here for you!

With a packaging solution from MULTIVAC, you are not only opting for the highest quality and efficiency, but also for comprehensive support and perfect service. 

Simply send us your questions, remarks or comments about portioning. Liam Chapman will be happy to advise you and work with you to find the right solution!