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Efficient processing for the greatest possible freshness

Since 2016, Lisa Zapf, managing director of Zalat-o-mat GmbH located in the south of Germany, has been running a steadily growing number of vending machines, called Zalat-o-maten, in which fresh regional products such as vegetables and lettuce from the company's own farm are sold. The increasing production volumes made it necessary to purchase a KRONEN salad spin-dryer and a packaging solution in order to meet the growing demand.

By now at 11 locations, customers can purchase various fresh products from the machines around the clock, e.g. seasonal vegetables, ready-to-eat salads and juices as well as food from cooperating regional suppliers. In order to be able to stock the vending machines with sufficient quantities of freshly harvested, washed and packaged lettuce, Lisa Zapf was looking for a solution to efficiently process the salad from her own cultivation, which would allow the shortest possible time between harvest and sale. The family business has already been using a GEWA washing machine since 12 years to wash various products and especially the various salads. Since August a KS-7 PLUS salad and vegetable spin-dryer and a KWT 16 weighing table and platform with single-head scale, which is combined with a CP 350 PLUS packaging machine, supplement the washing machine.

Before making the purchase decision, Lisa Zapf did intensive research on the packaging machines available on the market, which had to meet two criteria in particular: a small to medium processing capacity is sufficient for the family business. And particularly important is the production of the most space-saving package sizes for salad of 100g, 300g and 500g, since the limited sales area inside the vending machines should be used optimally.

At Fruit Logistica in February 2020, she found what she was looking for at the KRONEN booth and together with Heiko Schönbroich, KRONEN Sales Manager for Southern Germany, the packaging solution was adapted to the specific requirements of space-saving packaging. By purchasing the salad spin-dryer and packaging solution, the processing was optimized so that the approx. 300 kg of lettuce can now be processed efficiently and the promise of freshness can be kept even with increasing sales volumes. In addition, the solution is flexible and can be used for different products such as lettuce, leaf lettuce, spinach or rocket, as well as other vegetables and also other pack sizes for sale to resellers can be produced thanks to the flexible adaptation.

The Zalat-o-mats are replenished daily with the fresh products as required, whereby the goods remain in the machine for a maximum of 3 days. As an option for contactless shopping for fresh regional products, they are very popular with customers in the region and their attractiveness has increased further in times of Corona. With the KRONEN machines, the family business is now equipped for the thorough and fast processing of the salad products and well prepared for the commissioning of further vending machines.

Image source: Lisa Zapf / Zalat-o-mat GmbH

The S 128 segment cutting machine is perfectly suited for the production of segments from large pumpkins. It can be adapted quickly and easily to different product sizes and thus enables the production of segments of similar size.

The number of segments can be set individually depending on the size of the pumpkin, so 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 segments with clean cut edges can be produced. With the option of setting the number of segments for each pumpkin individually, different sized pumpkins can be cut into segments of similar size. After manually inserting the pumpkin and setting the desired number of segments, the doors close and the cutting takes place automatically. The segments then fall into a container or onto an attached conveyor belt of a trimming table, depending on how the machine is equipped. A simple and quick operation of the machine results. It processes up to approx. 75 pumpkins per hour when cutting into 16 segments.

Products with a diameter between 200mm and 500mm can be processed. The machine can be supplemented with a conveyor belt as well as two workstations and two waste chutes for optimized integration into the production process. This enables continuous discharge of the segments and an efficient processing process. The cut segments can then be packaged and e.g. are sold to end customers as portions for one meal.

At the Agroprodmash, which took place from October 5th to 9th in Moscow, KRONEN informed visitors about the machine portfolio and applications under special hygienic conditions. On site, the visitors were able to receive extensive information material while keeping the required distance and wearing a mask, and consultations with the KRONEN team took place by telephone. Since international travel is still difficult, the total number of visitors was slightly lower than in previous years and less international. Nevertheless, participation in the trade fair was successful for KRONEN, as the large number of qualified visitors ensured that there were many targeted discussions.

The most important trade fair for equipment and technologies for food processing, raw materials and ingredients in Russia took place for the 25th time this year - thanks to a comprehensive hygiene concept as a presence trade fair with around 10,000 participants. And it was also an anniversary for KRONEN, because participation in the Agroprodmash has been a fixed date in the trade fair calendar for 20 years.

Newly developed machine saves time and space

Special applications require specific solutions - therefore, through the collaboration of the KRONEN development team with Wolf Wurstspezialitäten GmbH, a machine was developed that is specially adapted to the production requirements of the manufacturer of meat and sausage specialties.

Based on the problem that canned mushrooms have to be dewatered before they can be further processed as a filling of mushroom sausage (called “Lyoner”), various techniques for dewatering were tried at Wolf GmbH, including a test to dewater by applying pressure. Together with the KRONEN team, the test setup was translated into a machine that gently dewaters the mushrooms in a short time using adjustable pressure: the DEW 200 dewatering press. The KRONEN team designed the machine for pressure dewatering in compliance with the safety-relevant requirements and hygiene requirements. Thanks to the good cooperation within the project, the machine was developed, built and tested within a short time and has now been in use successfully for several months. The degree of dewatering of the mushrooms can now be precisely adjusted and the processing process at Wolf Wurstspezialitäten GmbH has been improved, which was previously associated with long draining times, high personnel costs and large space requirements. With the DEW 200, 140 t of mushrooms per year can now be efficiently prepared for further processing as sausage filling.

The “mushroom Lyoner” is a very popular product of Wolf Wurstspezialitäten GmbH, whose portfolio includes the production of meat and sausage specialties for the service counter (ham and cold cuts), grilled specialties and sausage salads, in particular the production of Bavarian and Thuringian sausage specialties. The family-run company is one of the 5 largest sausage manufacturers in Germany and is run by the fourth generation, producing meat and sausage specialties for delivery to large food retailers. More than 1200 employees work at the production sites in Thuringia and Bavaria - and the company continues to grow. The production is certified according to IFS (International Food Standard) and QS (inspection system for food).

Digital formats enable interactive customer service in the current situation

Flexibility in business relationships is currently particularly important, which once again has also been proven at KRONEN: the production line for the VEG-i-TEC pilot infrastructure at Ghent University was completed and the inspection of the packaging machine was carried out at the production site of KRONEN partner GKS. However, the inspection of the remaining machines at the end of October was shifted to an online session due to the increasing number of corona cases. The test of the functionality of the line consisting of a trimming table, a GS 10-2 belt cutting machine, an inclined conveyor as a connection to the GEWA 3800V PLUS RT washing machine and a KS-100 PLUS salad spin-dryer was therefore broadcast live in an online session. Thanks to the experience with live machine demonstrations as part of digital trade fair participation and the online machine workshops with international KRONEN representatives, the KRONEN team was well prepared.

With the help of three cameras - two to transmit the overall line from two perspectives and a GoPro camera, which showed details and the operation of the machine from the user's perspective - the project managers at Ghent University received comprehensive information on the function and operation of the machines in the line from Johannes Günther, Head of Sales at KRONEN. Another focus was on the SMART functions and possible uses, as the entire production line is web-enabled and able to communicate. Andreas Ell, as an expert for KRONEN SMART Machines, explained the possibilities that arise from using the cloud and the Scada Expert system for actively controlling the line and data processing.

The project managers at Ghent University were satisfied with the online product inspection process that gave them the possibility under these circumstances to get a clearer picture of the supply before delivery, so the production line can be delivered and installed in November. The digital format offered the KRONEN team the opportunity to continue to offer the customer the usual service even in the currently challenging situation and to discuss any desired adjustments to requirements directly and to clarify open questions in dialogue.

Presentation of novelties and exchange of knowledge and experience took place online

From September 30^th until October 2^nd the KRONEN Sales Meeting took place with the worldwide representatives - this year for the first time as an online event. Despite travel restrictions, we want to inform the employees of KRONEN representations around the world about new products, provide further training in specialist topics and promote an international exchange of knowledge and experience. This year, the focus was on the topics of hygiene, packaging and the effects of the pandemic on the international food industry.

The entire KRONEN team and the KRONEN partners GKS Packaging B.V., HiTec Food Systems B.V., sterilAir® AG and Ultraperf Technologies Inc. provided an extensive and interesting program with lectures, workshops, discussions and live machine demonstrations on the three - because of the time difference for the KRONEN Team very long - days.

The participants from over 40 countries received extensive information on new and further developed KRONEN machines such as the DEW 200 dewatering press, the KSB-2 cabbage corer or the GEWA XL washing machine as well as a wide variety of applications and used the discussion rounds to exchange views and experiences. The representatives were enthusiastic about the organization and content of the three days and praised the entire team, which over the past few weeks made this event possible with extensive preparatory work, a lot of fun and despite technical challenges. This enabled important information to be transported in new formats and an international get-together - even though we all missed personal encounters and culinary evening events.

At the end of the event on Friday, three KRONEN representatives were honored for their special achievements in the form of the best sales result, the most innovative customer solution and the best development in an emerging market. The awards are now on their way to Vietnam, the Netherlands and Ecuador by post. In addition, two KRONEN employees celebrated their anniversaries and were surprised with a little something at the sales meeting: Sales director Johannes Günther has been part of the KRONEN family for 20 years and our customer service manager, Gunter Herbert, has been a constant in the company for 30 years.

Thanks again to all participants and contributors!

Granja Mallorca, a family-run producer of herbs and salads in the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, supplies different supermarket chains with their fresh, ready-to-eat products. Originally, it was founded as a farm more than 20 years ago by Carmen Marquisa, a real gardening fan, who started planting herbs like chives, rosemary, mint, coriander and thyme, and set the whole family in motion by selling and distributing the products in supermarkets. Devoto was the first retail chain that immediately marketed the product and encouraged Granja Mallorca to produce additional products such as arugula and other salads. Since the beginning, it has been Granja Mallorcas mission to produce their products with very little impact on the environment.

Today the business is run by two of her children, Madelón and Aparicio Oddo, and since 5 years the cultivated herbs and salads are processed into ready-to-eat packaged products that are distributed to several supermarket chains as Tienda Inglesa, Disco, Devoto, Frog, Ta-Ta and Geant. Over the past years, the production has been growing, based on constant quality, reliability, good distribution, and keeping the process natural, by using sustainable resources, irrigating with rainwater, planting in soil and minimizing the use of artificial fertilizers. Additionally, the company also focusses on freshness: for many products, it takes only one day from harvesting, processing and distribution until the herbs and salads are part of a delicious meal on consumers´ plates.

Having used a KRONEN DS 1000 mobile small washing machine and a K50-7 ECO spin dryer for the past years, with increasing production volumes the family-owned business now took the decision to invest in a KRONEN GEWA 3800V ECO washing machine with a capacity to process e.g. up to 300kg of rocket or 300 kg of chives per hour. This purchase of a continuous washing machine improves their processes and with its low water and energy consumption, the GEWA is a perfect fit for the environmentally aware business.

The installation of the new KRONEN washing machines signifies a new stage for the family-run business, which the whole Oddo family celebrated by testing the GEWA 3800V Eco, seeing how quick it works. KRONEN Latin America Manager Juan Lindmayer accompanied Granja Mallorca from the very beginning, always counting on professional technical support given by KRONEN After Sales manager Alejandro Nowak from Argentina. Today Granja Mallorca is present with their fresh products in about every retail chain in the country and in some fast food or pizza restaurants.

At the manufacturer of meat and sausage products Sutter GmbH, the focus is on food safety and quality during production. In order to ensure the best possible hygiene in the production process, the company uses various technologies, including the KRONEN UVC disinfection locks for surface disinfection using UVC radiation.

The family-run company, which has developed since 1953 from a small country butcher's shop to a modern but traditional craftsman's business, specializes in the production of cooked cured products such as ham and smoked pork as well as scalded sausage products such as e.g. wiener. At several production sites in Germany, more than 950 employees produce the various products, most of which are supplied to major customers in the food retail sector.

The 3 UVC disinfection locks of the manufacturer sterilAir® are used at two production sites for disinfection of sausage casings or ham coatings before further processing into sausage slices and ham slices. By disinfecting the casings and coatings - before the products are cut - the transfer of any germs (that may be adhering to the outside of the product) to the cut surfaces is reduced, thus improving the shelf life and food safety of the sliced products. During production in shifts, between 10 and 30 tons of product are disinfected per day with a UVC lock, depending on the product.

The production of the supplier of meat and sausage products is certified according to IFS (International Food Standard), the products are tested by independent laboratories and the production conditions are also checked in the context of unannounced audits by key customers and visits of the veterinary office. The UVC disinfection locks support the company in ensuring hygiene in production and thus the safety and shelf life of the products. Thomas Eckart, head of department at Sutter GmbH, sees disinfection using the UVC-Lock as an important processing step in order to kill bacteria as well as prevent microorganisms and draws a positive conclusion: “The KRONEN disinfection locks can be adapted very well to our work processes because they are mobile and e.g. can be moved out of the high care area for cleaning.” The machines have also proven successful with their easy cleaning, reliability and high-quality lamps with a long service life, and the head of department is also satisfied with the service provided by KRONEN. Therefore, after testing the first disinfection lock, Sutter GmbH purchased the two other machines in the past two years in order to be able to process the increasing production volume.

Removal of excess liquid from canned, pickled or defrosted vegetables

The newly developed Dewatering Press DEW 200 removes excess liquid from products such as canned, pickled or defrosted vegetables. These pre-processed vegetables are often used as fillings of various products such as cold cuts, sausages, stuffed pasta or other delicatessen products. Before processing the ingredients further, they can be dewatered efficiently with the DEW 200.

The DEW 200 is loaded with a perforated standard container of 200 liters in which the product is filled. The mobile standard container is inserted into the DEW 200 and held in a fixed position using a snap-in mechanism. A plate lowers onto the product which is gently dewatered by the pressure exerted evenly over this plate. The exerted pressure is set using weights between 60 kg and 210 kg and a selectable throughput time from 1 second to 16 minutes. The processing capacity per hour varies with the product and the set throughput time. Two-hand operation ensures a high level of occupational safety.

Watch the video!

The hygienic design and the purely pneumatic operating mode ensure low-maintenance operation. Its stable construction is completely made of stainless steel AISI 304, quick and easy to clean and therefore ideal for industrial applications.

KRONEN supplies machines for food processing worldwide - and is internationally known in the fresh-cut industry. Our focus is on successful work for and with our customers - in Germany as our home market and all over the world. As your partner, we would like to contribute to your success with optimal, individual solutions of the highest quality and work together with you to promote the production of healthy food.

With our revised logo we want to convey our core message even more clearly: KRONEN stands for customer-oriented, innovative solutions and high-quality machines with which our customers achieve optimal processing results:
KRONEN - THE CROWN FOR FRESHNESS

To make sure that our message also appeals to our international customers and at the same time reflects our roots in the Ortenau in Germany, we use the logo in German and English.
We would be pleased if you choose the machines with the crown also in the future so together we achieve optimal processing results for fresh food.

KRONEN participated in international online fair with a virtual booth

From June 15th to 19th, the United Fresh Fair, which would normally be held in San Diego, took place as a virtual fair to provide a platform of the fresh-cut industry despite the global corona restrictions. More than 10,000 fair visitors registered to visit fair booths of over 200 international exhibitors via the newly created online platform.

For KRONEN and most of the other exhibitors and visitors, this was the first time they had attended a purely virtual fair and it was a new, exciting experience that opened up new opportunities for digital company presentations. The international KRONEN team offered consulting, information about the machine portfolio and especially during the so-called "Power Hours" live machine demonstrations, where visitors could experience the machines from the machine operator's perspective by using a GoPro camera and Hololens glasses. Unfortunately, the offer of live machine demonstrations was used only hesitantly by the visitors. The hoped-for greater internationality of the visitors failed to appear despite free registration, and the audience consisted largely of interested parties from North and South America, as was the case with the stationary trade fairs in recent years.

This first experience as an exhibitor at a purely virtual fair was associated with some challenges and both the exhibitors and the visitors had to find their way in the virtual environment. Direct communication with booth visitors via the platform still had room for improvement. However, personal contact, which is a very important component at trade fairs, cannot be replaced virtually. Nevertheless, this digital channel is an interesting format for the future, especially to reach a broad international audience.

The KRONEN team was able to gain valuable experience by preparing and performing the online fair and the virtual machine demonstrations for the KRONEN Online Sales Meeting taking place at the end of September. The KRONEN representatives worldwide will be informed about news and innovations from KRONEN and its partners - this year as part of virtual meetings and can experience the use of the machines through virtual machine demonstrations.

At KRONEN, we focus on customer satisfaction – for which KRONEN´s services are a central component. Our commitment to customer orientation, machine and service quality now also reflects in the certification of the quality management system according to ISO 9001: 2015.

After the extensive audit by TÜV Süd in spring, the KRONEN quality management system is now certified according to the most important international standard for ensuring quality standards in companies. The certification is an important strategic decision of the management and underlines the customer orientation and targeted further development, which have been the basis of sustainable corporate success since its inception.

The entire KRONEN team was involved in the implementation of the norm and the qualifications of the employees were expanded through internal and external training. Thus, within just 9 months, the established and proven processes at KRONEN, which have been continuously developed over the years, were documented in accordance with the standard and processes were optimized without external support. This success was possible thanks to the great commitment of the employees and the prioritization by the management and contributes to the continuous development of the company.

For KRONEN customers, the certification means that you can rely on a high level of customer orientation, machine and service quality as well as optimized processes.

Further information

The corona pandemic has led to a production shutdown or the temporary decommissioning of individual production facilities in numerous companies, from restaurants and hotels to freshcut companies. When restarting machines and systems with water connections, some measures should be taken due to the risk of legionella bacteria, which preferentially multiply in standing water.
Processing machines with a water connection must be properly rinsed, depending on the length of the downtime, to avoid infection among employees or customers and to ensure optimal hygiene in production.

Ideally, the water was drained from the machines and the water connection disconnected or the pipes were flushed for several minutes every 72 hours even during the production break. If this has not been implemented during a production break of several days, the water should be drained completely from the machine, the water supply should be opened for at least five minutes and the water should flow off at a constant temperature. The machine should be cleaned before refilling.

Demand creates need for efficient production of trend food

The food trend “pulled meat” has become increasingly popular in the last several years, also in the United Kingdom where consumers enjoy this way of preparation of meat in ready meals, sandwiches, salads, wraps and many other products. The dish originated in the USA and uses shredded slow cooked meat and poultry, in particular beef, pork and chicken as the main ingredient, but also other types of meat are used. The meat is slow-smoked over wood or cooked using a slow-cooker and then shredded manually.

To meet the growing demand for this trend food, UK companies faced the challenge to deliver large quantities of different types of pulled meat, as beef, pork, ham, chicken and duck, in consistent quality. Using manual labour to hand shred, strip or pull the cooked meat and poultry is labour intensive and accompanied by large variations in quality, as the product results differ from operator to operator.

To ensure a consistent quality of their pulled meat products and in order to increase the production capacities with only a small number of employees, some of the largest processors in the UK are now using KRONEN belt cutting machines GS 10-2 or GS 20 with the tearing blade to produce pulled meat in a “hand shredded” look. Among the companies that use the KRONEN solution for meat processing or pulled meat are AP Jess, Brown Brothers, Dalehead Foods, Dartmouth Foods, Kiely Meats, Oscar Mayer Ltd. and Scotbeef Ltd.

Using a GS 10-2 for processing cooked meat and poultry it is possible to achieve a throughput of up to 500 kg per hour, with a single operator loading the machine. Using the high-capacity GS 20, the throughput is increased even more. With the tearing knife installed, the belt cutters deliver pulled meat in a consistent high quality. A large number of customers from the convenience food or meat industry have benefitted from the flexibility and savings that the GS range can provide and have been loyal supporters of these KRONEN machines for many years.

Besides different types of meat, including cooked beef, pork, poultry and meat for doner kebab, also other products like vegetables, herbs, fruit, vegan meat substitutes, cheese and fish can be processed with the GS 10-2 or GS 20. The easy change of the knives together with various settings allow for the production of slices, julienne strips, dices and many more.

On April 1, 2020, KRONEN GmbH took over the company WS Edelstahltechnik GmbH & Co. KG, based in Achern. The specialist for CNC turning and milling parts made of stainless steel as small and medium series in mechanical engineering from Achern is now managed as a KRONEN division using the brand name WS Edelstahltechnik.

For KRONEN, the integration of WS Edelstahltechnik is an important strategic step in order to increase the vertical range of manufacture and thus ensure the availability of high-quality components. KRONEN customers benefit from the exploitation of the synergy potential in the development and production area and thus even more flexibility in customer-oriented production. For KRONEN, the greater proximity to the product and the exchange between the engineering staff represent important optimization and growth opportunities.

The short distance of just 30 km between the locations of KRONEN in Kehl-Goldscheuer and WS Edelstahltechnik in Achern was already a great advantage in the past when it came to quickly supplying KRONEN with machine housings and other components.

In addition to the long-standing business relationship, there is another connection: Wolfgang Schmälzle, who founded WS Edelstahltechnik in 2000, previously worked as a production manager at KRONEN for several years. Even after the handover of the company, which he chose for family reasons, he will continue to work in a responsible position at the Achern location. At this production site, KRONEN also takes over all 15 other employees of WS Edelstahltechnik and therefore relies on a well-coordinated team

Recently, an international large-scale project reached an important milestone on its way to a successful implementation when numerous tests were carried out in the KRONEN manufacturing plant in Germany. A complete processing line, designated for Argentina´s biggest supermarket chain COTO C.I.C.S.A., was set up in Kehl before its shipment overseas.

In Argentina, COTO operates 120 branches of supermarkets, hypermarkets and shopping centers many of which have an affiliated restaurant serving freshly cooked meals. As the retailer grew, the need for a central production facility to supply its restaurants with ready-to-cook ingredients of consistently high quality emerged and the decision to implement a highly automated processing line for vegetables was taken. The profound research into suppliers of fresh-cut solutions resulted in the purchase of a complete KRONEN processing line, which was adapted to COTO´s requirements in the course of a project supported by KRONEN, its sales representative in Argentina Alejandro Nowak, and a team of COTO. With its extensive experience in such large-scale international projects, KRONEN provided comprehensive consulting and offered a one-stop solution.

The processing line will significantly increase the degree of automation and flexibility in Coto´s production as the operation of the line requires very few employees and the different modules of the line cover various processing steps and can be operated separately. The processing line consists of: a potato water bunker belt, two PL 40K peeling machines, a roller sorting table, a conveyor belt, a KUJ V cube, strip and slice cutting machine, a GS 10-2 belt cutting machine with a trimming table on one side and a conveyor belt at the other, a GEWA 2600V ECO washing machine which leads to a K650 drying system and ultimately to a GKS packaging system including an UP 500 packaging machine integrated in a gantry with a multi-head weighing system.

Upon completion of the manufacturing of all machines integrated in the large processing line, it was set up and tested at KRONEN in Kehl before being shipped to Argentina in order to ensure optimal functionality and to prepare a successful completion of the project.

UVC air disinfection systems are widely used in food processing companies - they increase hygiene and thus food and occupational safety by disinfecting the room air using UV radiation. Especially in rooms with low convection or in those in which a direct emission must be avoided, the ambient air disinfection systems improve the production conditions through continuous air disinfection.

Studies show that “the high UV susceptibility of coronavirus aerosols suggests that UV air disinfection may be an effective tool for preventing important respiratory viral diseases such as SARS.”¹ The environmentally friendly UVC systems ongoing prevent the spread of viruses, spores and bacteria.

In addition to applications in food processing, UVC air disinfection systems can also be used in laboratories or in general in ventilation systems for company buildings.
We would be happy to advise you with further information - contact us!

¹ Walker, Chris & Ko, Gwangpyo. (2007). Effect of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation on Viral Aerosols. Environmental science & technology. 41. 5460-5. 10.1021/es070056u.

Cooperation based on partnership is firmly rooted in our corporate culture - the protection of our employees and thus ensuring continued operations have been the focus of our efforts in recent weeks.

Through the measures taken, your supply through our service and sales as well as a largely normal production operation is further on ensured. The situation changes every day and we constantly adapt our measures to the latest applicable regulations. The state regulations and the protection of the health of all of us are decisive for us. Currently, the logistical challenges (transport routes) can result in longer delivery times - we ask for your understanding.

At FRUIT LOGISTICA 2020 from February 5th to 7th in Berlin, KRONEN presented the new DECONWA Prep, which complements the KRONEN washing machine portfolio as a disinfection solution for the transition from "low care" to "high care" production areas.

The SMART team of experts presented the further development of KRONEN SMART Machines at the trade fair showcasing a synchronized production line consisting of a GS 10-2 belt cutting machine, a conveyor belt and a GEWA 3800V PLUS washing machine.

The GKS LEAF packaging machine, which packs agricultural products with 100% recyclable and compostable paper, also celebrated its premiere and the redesign with technical developments of the KS-7 ECO salad and vegetable spin-dryer was presented.

At live demonstrations of the exhibited machine range, the international KRONEN team, together with KRONEN representatives from 20 countries, and its partners GKS Packaging and zti Smart Machines showed the tried and tested and new machines in operation.

The chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner created fresh-cut delicacies for the visitors during live cooking.

Israeli representation runs tests in Kehl

For a customer located near the town of Kiryat Gat in Israel, KRONEN together with its official Israeli representation Muskat Technologies Ltd. manufactured two GEWA 5000V PLUS washing machines that are suitable for the kosher processing of lettuce and vegetables. The customer in Israel, company Yevuli Hakfar, processes cabbage, iceberg lettuce, baby leaf and roman lettuce with a capacity of up to 50 tons per day. The company sells the processed products to hotels and restaurants, who demand a high product quality in order to save time and personnel costs with regard to the preparation of meals.

The washing line consists of two GEWA 5000V PLUS washing machines with an improved kosher filter system in order to guarantee the kosher processing of food. The filters were designed by Muskat Technologies Ltd., who worked together with KRONEN to integrate the filtration system in the washing machines. The filters have the highest level kosher certification and thus ensure processing of the products in accordance with requirements for kosher food.

The improved certified kosher filtration system was a critical decision criteria for the purchase of the new washing line at company Yevuli Hakfar, who is already a long-term customer of KRONEN and Muskat Technologies Ltd. and uses GS 10-2 and GS 20 belt cutting machines as well as a KRONEN salad spin-dryer in his production.

Upon completion of the manufacturing of the two GEWA 5000V PLUS, Mordechai Muskat from Muskat Technologies Ltd., two representatives of the company and the responsible rabbi visited KRONEN in Kehl and ran successful tests on the washing machines which proved that the filters work very well and led to the approval of the two machines. The trials made sure that the filters are perfectly integrated into the washing machines and all of the customer´s requirements are met. Now, the two GEWA 5000V PLUS are operating successfully at Yevuli Hakfar, producing multiple tons of washed salad and vegetables per day.

In the weeks following the delivery of the two GEWA 5000V PLUS to Israel, Muskat Technologies Ltd. already sold three more washing machines, two GEWA 3800V Plus and a GEWA 4000 V PLUS, with the kosher filtration system.

Innovation, technical advancements and proven classics again stand side by side at the KRONEN stand. From February 5^th to 7^th, we will be presenting KRONEN solutions live and in operation in Berlin.

See for yourself the technical developments and the new machine design of the proven KS-7 ECO vegetable and salad spin-dryer (formerly K 50 ECO).

Find out how SMART Machines can help you with quality assurance and process monitoring to increase the efficiency of your production.

Be curious to witness the premiere of the GKS LEAF - an innovative vertical form, fill and seal machine that packs products in 100% recyclable and compostable paper.

Experience the new washing machine DECONWA Prep, which by a washing process prepares whole fruit for further processing, e.g. as fruit salad, and thus prevents cross-contamination.

With all your senses you can experience the processing results at our live cooking: Fresh-cut delicacies freshly prepared!

Visit us: Hall 3.1, stand B-05

All machinery highlights at a glance - see the invitation:

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The KRONEN fresh-cut seminar is a unique event in South America, reuniting over 100 professionals from the industry every two years and creating a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences among experts. For the third time, KRONEN and his exclusive distributor in Colombia, Juan Neustadtel SAS, organized the Fresh-cut Technical Seminar in Bogotá at the end of 2019. More than 55 companies from 12 countries got together at this event, adding their competences in the fresh-cut sector to the seminar.

This time, the first day of the seminar took place at the Andinapack exhibition center and was filled with informative presentations from experts in different areas: Chris Glasow (Owner Ultraperf, Canada) talked about recent developments in films for packing fresh-cut; Clive Champion (Advisor CCP, UK) stated how important hygiene and care are in fresh-cut production lines to achieve success; Mariano Pereyra (Technical Advisor, Chile) shared his experiences in adapting a company team to initiate production growth and development of new products. After a lunch which presented further opportunities for exchange among the participants, the presentations resumed with Mrs. Hildegard Töpfer (Töpfer Salate, Germany) sharing insights from their 35 years of experience in the industry. Final speaker of the day was Johannes Günther, managing director and sales director at KRONEN GmbH, who presented new technologies in food processing adapted to the modern fresh-cut industry requirements and gave an overview of recent customer projects as well as research and development projects.
Following the seminar presentations, participants visited the Juan Neustadtel SAS booth at Andinapack, an international processing and packaging exhibition for the food, pharma and cosmetic industry taking place in Bogotá at that time, where live demonstrations of the KRONEN GS10-2 were shown. There, participants also met Juan Esteban Ocampo from Juan Neustadtel SAS, and Juan Lindmayer from KRONEN who had been in charge of the organization of the seminar.
At the end of the day, KRONEN invited all attendees to an enjoyable dinner and show at the top of one of Bogotá´s skyscrapers, where everybody enjoyed a wonderful view of the city as well as local and international dishes, with wines of Chile and Argentina. Of course, the Latin American music invited to dance and participants enjoyed a pleasant evening with interesting conversations.
On the second day of the seminar, all international visitors were invited to join to a tour visiting several fresh-cut production plants. During the visits of the production facilities, participants had the chance to inspect different KRONEN processing lines in operation: several GS 10/GS10-2 belt cutting machines, different types of GEWA washing machines, KS-100 PLUS dryers, a KUJ V cube, strip and slice cutting machine and a PL 25 potato peeling machine as well as a packaging station from KRONEN partner GKS.

It was a pleasure to have so many qualified visitors joining the seminar, not only to exchange experiences, but also sharing a nice time in a relaxed and comfortable mood. It was inspiring to see small producers at the start of their business activity exchanging views with longstanding businesses like Töpfer, creating opportunities for participants to learn from one another.

KRONEN organizes technical presentations on a regular basis also in Germany. In 2020, the next sales meeting and Customer Day will take place, creating a platform to share knowledge and experiences with fresh-cut experts from around the world.

Since two months, company HAI THANH situated in Vietnam uses a KRONEN GS 10-2 belt cutting machine for processing mangos. The company recently expanded their business activities to the fruit processing, originally being specialized in seafood processing, producing surimi.

Before the installation of the GS 10-2, mangos were cut manually. To improve the capacity and efficiency of the production, the GS 10-2 was installed. The decision for this investment was easy: the manual processing capacity of one person was 25 kg / hour - with the GS 10-2 the appr. 500 kg / hour required by HAI THANH of fresh or frozen mangos are cut (the latter with an optimum temperature of -5 ° C). The GS 10-2 is equipped with a special grid cutting device that was custom-made for use in mango dicing, increasing the yield. The grid has been adapted to the size of the mango dices requested by HAI THANH, so now they are able to cut 20 x 20 mm squares whose third dimension is determined by the thickness of the mango halves.

The company has 400 employees and now operates a production area for fruit and vegetables with an associated cold storage of total 4290 m². Besides mangos, the company also processes IQF (Individual Quick Frozen) pineapples, watermelons, papayas, dragon fruits, aloe vera, limes and taro products. The processed fruits are delivered to customers in Asia, e.g. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and China as well as in Europe.

Company HAI THANH paid special attention to a low loss ratio, which was requested to remain below 5%. Small pieces that cannot be used with the dices are separated with a sieve. Another important criteria in the selection of the machine was easy cleaning, as the machine requires cleaning every few hours due to the stickiness which leads to mango fiber getting stuck. The GS 10-2 fulfills this requirement by enabling a cleaning process within only a few minutes without requiring any additional tools.

The purchase of the KRONEN machine is part of the expansion of business activities and a continuing investment with the goal to become one of the leading companies for the production of agricultural and seafood products in the region of the Mekong delta. HAI THANH aims to offer its national and international customers high quality products, placing particular importance on the production of healthy food.

The KRONEN research and development team has good news: recently, the new research project SPLASH started after the grant approval had been handed over to the four project partners. The handover took place at a symposium of the Association of German Food Technologists (Gesellschaft Deutscher Lebensmitteltechnologen GDL) in Potsdam on the subject of “Minimal Processing”. This marked the official start of the joint project “Development of an innovative washing process for fresh-cut lettuce based on a non-thermal plasma technology to increase product safety, quality and sustainability (SPLASH)”.

In the next three years, the project team consisting of representatives from science, industry and business will work on the development of a resource-saving washing process for fresh-cut salads using plasma-treated water (PTW). In the course of the project, the efficacy of this innovative disinfection technology using PTW will be explored with regard to disinfection efficiency in the washing water, conservation of resources as well as the optimization of the transportability and shelf life of the products. In addition to KRONEN, project partners are the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Technology and Bioeconomy (ATB Potsdam) and the company Gartenfrisch Jung GmbH as well as the coordinating Leibniz Institute for Plasma Research and Technology e.V. (INP Greifswald). Promoter of the project is the Federal Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition. The project is funded with 1,1 Mio. € as part of the program for innovation promotion of the Federal Ministry for Nutrition and Agriculture.

The starting point for the research project is the risk of packaged cut lettuce being loaded with microorganisms, since cell sap leaking from freshly cut lettuce in combination with the humidity in the plastic packaging offers ideal conditions for the growth of microorganisms. Therefore, the hygienizing treatment of the salad should increase consumer safety by avoiding premature spoilage. Moreover, the hygienization by a non-thermal plasma process represents a particularly gentle process.

Image source: Foltan/ATB

Only a few kilometers from the KRONEN headquarters in Kehl, company Erhardt GmbH & Co. KG produces its natural food products in Urloffen. Since July, a GS 10-2 belt cutting machine is part of the machinery and processes peperoni, eggplant and peppers. Different types of vegetable pastes like harissa and ajvar are produced based on recipes developed by owner Frank Erhardt already since more than 30 years.

The raw products come from the company´s own organic farming as e.g. eggplants, peppers, horseradish and peperoni or are purchased from regional providers and processed in Urloffen. The product range includes, besides ajvar and harissa, also mustard, pesto, dips and in particular products based on horseradish. During cultivation of the raw products and their processing, as well as upon purchasing of ingredients, the adherence of different standards plus the gentle processing ensure high product quality. The company is certified by Demeter and other inspection bodies and specializes in the production of spicy, aromatic, hot pastes, dips and sauces of organic quality - passionately producing the different products successfully since many years.

By integrating the GS 10-2 in the production process, efficiency of production increased due to time saving in processing. Also, within the first months, owner Frank Erhardt has been persuaded by the good cutting result of the belt cutting machine. The increase in processing capacity goes along with supplying customers of the German natural food wholesale as well as a growing export of the products to Switzerland, France, Great Britain, Italy and Scandinavia.

On 10th October, the official KRONEN representation in the Netherlands and Flanders, Synergy Systems B.V., hosted an open day for customers and business partners in Oisterwijk. A KRONEN team was available to the numerous visitors for information about the machine program and exemplified with live demonstrations of the SMART machines how the topic of Industry 4.0 can be used in the fresh-cut sector to increase the efficiency of production processes. Interested visitors were able to see the SMART GS 10-2 and AMS 220 live and inform themselves about the possibilities of remote monitoring, tool recognition and query of current and historic machine data.

Besides KRONEN, also other business partners of Synergy Systems B.V. were present, who also performed live demonstrations and informed visitors about their newest developments, among others this included GKS Packaging B.V., Kersten Integrated Weighing B.V. und HiTec Food Systems B.V..

The customer day provided a platform for the presentation of new solutions for the fruit and vegetable processing and presented participants with the opportunity for an in-depth exchange with customers and other actors of the sector. The successful day ended with a barbecue.

Recently, the research project aqUAFRESH was completed successfully at the final project meeting in Spain. The three project partners, KRONEN GmbH from Germany as well as CITROSOL S.A. and CNTA (National Centre for Food Technology and Safety) from Spain have developed an innovative solution for the prevention of cross-contamination and reduction of water and energy consumption in the washing process of fruit and vegetables.

The aim of the project was to develop a solution for an industrial washing process with optimized water and energy use which complies with food safety directives, but without using chlorine-based additives. Together, a solution for chlorine-free disinfection and a resource-saving industrial washing process was developed within the project duration of 2 years, during which the project was funded by the Eurostars program and by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

This project result takes up current trends in resource conservation and consumer awareness of healthy eating. Cross-contamination through the wash water is prevented by adding Citrocide PLUS - a Peracetic Acid (PAA) based formulation. When using Citrocide PLUS, no residues of the additive remain on the product after the washing process and no critical substances result from a chemical reaction of the additive with other substances in the water.

The GEWA AF washing machine developed by KRONEN, in combination with the Citrorocide PLUS measuring and dosage system, has a significantly lower water and associated energy consumption. With the GEWA AF, KRONEN offers a sustainable alternative to the conventional washing process (with or without chlorine-based additives) which contributes to the competitiveness of businesses in the fresh-cut industry and at the same time increases consumer safety.

At the final project meeting, all partners were highly satisfied with the project results. The three partners cooperated very closely in the project and each of them contributed to the project success by sharing their respective expertise – CITROSOL contributing their specialized knowledge of postharvest solutions for prolongation of shelf-life and hygienic washing of fruit and vegetables, CNTA adding their comprehensive knowhow in biotechnology, chemistry and food processing technologies and KRONEN GmbH completing the expertise with many years of experience in the development and manufacturing of machinery for processing fruit and vegetables. All partners will continue their cooperation in the future to improve processes in the food industry.

Learn more.

Contact: Team Projects & Development

In September, the official KRONEN representation in Finland Faitech Oy celebrated its 25th year of existence with a jubilee celebration whose guests also included KRONEN sales and service employees as well as a member of the management. The Finnish company based in Vihiti, approximately 50km away from Helsinki, sells high quality machines for the food processing industry since 1994 and has always been led by a female team. The KRONEN delegation handed over a Black Forest cuckoo clock as a present to Faitech Oy managing director and founder Anne Liusvaara to congratulate on the jubilee and to give thanks for the long-standing, trustfully partnership. Focusing on optimal solutions for the customers, high quality standards and long-term business relationships is what links the two companies – which is why they can already look back at 25 years of cooperation.

Following the jubilee celebration, which was attended by customers and business partners from Finland and abroad, Faitech Oy organized customer days with live demonstrations of the machine program giving customers the opportunity to get informed.

We are looking forward to many more years of successful cooperation!

In the Swiss village of Eggenwil, fresh fruits and vegetables are packed by an extraordinary packaging machine - a GKS CP 350 with the serial number 1000. This milestone already has been the occasion at Fruit Logistica for Ivo Geukes, managing director and owner of GKS Packaging, to honor this achievement with an award given to Stephan Zillgith, managing director at KRONEN, after the order for the packaging machine with the four-digit serial number had been placed.

After the successful commissioning of the machine at the Guggisberg AGRO AG, a family-owned provider of ready to cook fresh produce whose product range includes regional salads and vegetables as well as (exotic) fruits, managing director of KRONEN Stephan Zillgith handed over the award to Paul Guggisberg, managing director of the cultivation and processing company, and David Freund of SEDA-FREUND AG, the official KRONEN representation in Switzerland.

The GKS CP 350 complements the large range of KRONEN processing machines and two already existing GKS packaging machines which are used for processing and packing of ready to cook salad, vegetable and fruit products. Already since more than 10 years, the family business is a quality-conscious customer of SEDA-FREUND AG and collaboratively works together with the Swiss representation of KRONEN.

In order to offer customers complete processing solutions including cutting, washing, dewatering, peeling, disinfection up to packaging, KRONEN and GKS packaging cooperate in the field of packaging solutions already since 15 years – thus the two companies with the support of the SEDA-FREUND AG reached this milestone together.

Washing is a fundamental step in the processing of fruit and vegetables that is essential for consumer safety and a prolonged shelf life of fresh-cut products. A thorough cleaning of the raw or processed products guarantees a reduction of microbial load* and dirt on the product surface and ensures that the final products comply with food safety regulations.

Processing of a wide range of products, from robust fruit and vegetables like apples, carrots or cucumbers to strips of pepper up to delicate products like salad leaves or spinach but also special applications like washing sesame or raisins each impose different requirements on the washing process. The GEWA product range extensively covers this multitude of requirements through a wide variety of washing machines with flexible settings and various options as well as possible customer-specific adaptations.

The versatile GEWA washing machines, available in different sizes depending on the required capacities, are available as ECO versions including a basic equipment or as PLUS versions with extended functions and setting options. Furthermore, the washing machines can be differentiated into the V series including a vibration outfeed, which serves for dewatering, and the B series with a belt outfeed which is especially suited for more delicate products. Thus, the machines are adapted to different product requirements. Several of the available options are retrofittable. For individual use cases, also customer-specific solutions can be developed.

Due to their diverse options and settings, GEWA washing machines are also suitable for companies who process a wide variety of products. Since the machines have a modular design, e.g. the outfeed area can be retooled as belt or vibration outfeed. Through an adaptation of the water flow, direction and pressure using the valve control as well as the optional air system a thorough cleaning of products with different textures, while avoiding damage, is possible. The air system is especially suitable for delicate products as e.g. large salad leaves. Thanks to the HELICAL wash system, short, space-saving wash tanks still ensure a sufficient dwell time during which sand and dirt particles can settle, as the products travel helical a longer distance of approximately four times the length of the wash tank. Further benefits of the GEWA washing machines include a reduction of water consumption using filtration systems (sand trap, optional insect and fines removal system or lateral fines removal drum) as well as the hygienic design which enables easy and efficient cleaning and maintenance.

The different types of GEWA washing machines are suitable for integration in different processing lines as e.g. salad processing lines including cutting, washing, dewatering up to packaging. Besides, two washing machines can also be combined in a processing line to achieve a thorough and gentle cleaning.

Read more about the broad product range of washing machines and their versatility:

• Washing machines with vibration outfeed
• Washing machines with belt outfeed
• Small washing machinesSmall washing machines

*The microbial load can in particular be reduced by addition of additives in the washing water

Inspired by the big variety of products that are processed with KRONEN machines by our international customers worldwide, we are creating a KRONEN calendar for the year 2020. Therefore fruits, vegetables and other ingredients from many different countries arrived at KRONEN in Kehl, so that the cold store was well filled with colorful foods.

Look forward to the varied creations of our cooks Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner, well known from our booth at Fruit Logistica, who developed 12 tasty recipes as culinary accompaniment for the year 2020 for whose sophisticated preparation KRONEN machines are perfectly suited.

On several days, the experienced team for the KRONEN calendar, which besides the cooks consisted of photographer Jörg Wilhelm and stylist Nicole Meier, gathered around the camera in the showroom and transformed the creative ideas into stunning photos.

The ingredients of the dishes were prepared using the respectively suitable KRONEN machines with the professional support and expert knowledge of export area manager Stefan Köbel and managing director Stephan Zillgith.

Since 1993, Bortar Group located in Izmir has grown to be Turkey´s leading brand in catering which offers mass catering, convenience food, restaurant services and event organization as well as tourism services and safety equipment.

As quality of the prepared meals plays the most important role, the company established their own cattle farm for the production of meat and dairy products as well as their own olive grove to ensure the availability of high quality ingredients. The crucial role of quality is also reflected in the company´s values and mission emphasizing in particular customer satisfaction, reliability, hygiene standards and tradition in combination with the use of modern technologies.

KRONEN machines have been part of Bortar´s equipment already since 2005. With KRONEN, the company has found a partner that emphasizes quality just as much as they do. The machines have been operating at the Bortar Group factory for several years now and the company is satisfied with their performance and the support by the KRONEN sales and service team. “Since 2005, we have achieved excellent results due to our business partnership with KRONEN regarding food processing technologies. We successfully transferred technological developments to our growing scale of business.” summarizes Hasan Küçükkurt, chairman at Bortar Group, the long-term cooperation of the two companies.

With a capacity to deliver up to 100.000 meals a day to 350 different locations including factories, businesses and event locations in the region of Izmir, preparation of the food is done at the 5600 m2 “Bortar Collective Cooking Factory” by 1.400 employees. To be able to prepare such large quantities of food every day, the machines need to work reliably in continuous operation– otherwise, there would be delays in the delivery of the meals.

Currently, the KRONEN equipment at Bortar Group consists of two washing machines GEWA 3800V, two belt cutters GS10-2 and a spin-dryer K50-7 ECO as well as a peeling machine PL 40K. The washing machines GEWA 3800V are used to wash various kinds of products as e.g. salad or peppers, which are then dewatered using the spin-dryer K50-7 ECO. After being washed, many products are further processed using the belt cutters GS 10, for example to cut slices of cucumbers, eggplant or onion as well as cutting lettuce or herbs. The constant processing quality of the KRONEN machines, in addition to the use of high quality ingredients, helps Bortar Group to ensure a consistently high quality standard for the prepared meals. Using their own vehicle fleet for efficient distribution, the customers of Bortar Group can enjoy freshly prepared meals every day.

You can find a short film about Bortar Group (in Turkish) here: https://bortargroup.com.tr/en/corparate/bortar-promotion-film

From 11th to 13th June, KRONEN together with the local representation ISP participated in Mexico´s biggest fair for the packaging and processing industry EXPO PACK in Guadalajara. This year, the fair attracted more than 17.000 visitors from 40 countries. The three days of the exhibition have been very busy and the international expert audience had strong interest in the solutions presented by KRONEN, thus Juan Lindmayer, Export Area Sales Manager Latin America & Caribbean for KRONEN, was very pleased with the results of the fair.

Potential customers got information about different solutions for fruit and vegetable processing and could experience live demonstrations of all the machines at the booth. Processing options were shown using in particular local products like jicama, nopal cactus and Jalapeño to highlight the various applicabilities of the machines.

At the booth, the belt cutting machine GS 10-2, the cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V, the vegetable cutter KSM 100 as well as a solution for washing and dewatering consisting of a GEWA 2600V ECO washing machine and a newly designed spin-dryer KS 100 PLUS.

Mexico is a big market for fresh-cut products and has a large agricultural sector, exporting fresh or deep frozen products to the US, Europe and other countries. For companies in this branch, KRONEN is selling among others solutions for processing mango, avocado and broccoli – from washing and peeling to cutting and packaging of different products.

At the 70th edition of of IFFA, KRONEN together with its partner sterilAir® took up one of the predominant topics at the fair, food safety, by presenting a UVC-based technology for disinfection. The UVC-Lock, jointly developed by the two companies, serves as surface disinfection for transport containers or packaging made of different materials.

The modern UVC technique disinfects without heat exposure, undesirable additives or residuals. Interest with the international visitors was big, as hygiene and safety for end consumers is improved and shelf-life of products is increased.

Additionally, KRONEN exhibited at the booth of sterilAir® the belt cutting machine GS 10-2, which is in use at various customers for meat and vegetable processing. Visitors especially informed themselves about the tearing blade used for the production of “pulled meat”.

Besides of the application for the production of this trend product, the GS 10-2 has proven successful with meat processors, slaughterhouses, large butcheries and convenience food producers for cutting of different meat products as well as for processing complementary ingredients as vegetables and herbs. Further, the KRONEN team consulted interested parties on machines for additional processing steps for ingredients, as vegetable and salad spin-dryers, the cube, strip and slice cutting machine or washing machines.

More about KRONEN machines for meat processing

More information about KRONEN at the IFFA

A successful cooperation follows on a plant visit to a reference customer in Germany

Continuation of a success story: After a visit tot he KRONEN booth at the Fruit Logistica in 2018, the exchange between VerdeAgua, producer of fresh-cut salads from Uruguay, and the KRONEN sales team intensified on the topic of KRONEN salad processing machines.

Consequently, Heiko Schönbroich (Area Sales Manager Germany South at KRONEN) and Juan Lindmayer (Export Area Sales Manager Latin America & Caribbean for KRONEN) organized a visit for the VerdeAgua team to the plant of KRONEN customer légumes Rapp in Germany, which gave both producers the opportunity for knowledge and experience exchange (read the report of the visit). The visit served as inspiration to VerdeAgua, a Salanova® producer located in Montevideo in Uruguay, on how a professional salad processing could be implemented in their plant.

Thereupon VerdeAgua decided to buy a washing and spin-drying line composed of a trim table, an elevator conveyor, a washing machine GEWA 3800V Eco with insect removal drum, a basket caroussel and a newly designed KS-100 PLUS spin-dryer.

After the successful installation of the salad processing line, the commissioning was celebrated with a typical Uruguayan “asado“. During this collective barbecue of VerdeAgua and KRONEN employees, different sorts of meat as well as chorizo and “morcilla“ were grilled that were of course accompanied by freshly washed salad!

Sebastian Figueron, Diego Giay and all VerdeAgua employees are very satisfied with the newly installed processing line and look forward to increase their market penetration in the supermarket and gourmet kitchen sectors with freshly washed salads.

KRONEN offers a variety of solutions for usage in meat processing businesses, slaughterhouses, large butcher shops as well as producers of ready meals and convenience products.

Whether for retail, HORECA or end consumers – meat products and components for ready meals can be processed with our machines. For example:

• Pulling precooked meat
• Slicing sausage, e.g. curried sausage
• Washing, spin-drying and cutting various different products

Food Trend "Pulled Meat"

With the GS 10-2 belt cutting machine up to 500 kg cooked meat can be pulled in a “hand-made“ look. Cooked beef, pork, chicken, lamb or duck meat can be pulled into fibres of different width and length with the tearing knife.

More about the production of pulled meat with the GS 10-2

Benefits for the Meat Industry

• Best quality: Our solutions are optimized for the production of pulled and cut meat and a large variety of cuts, as for example curried sausage, as well as for processing vegetables, herbs and salad.
• Efficient production: The processing is realized in a continuous process – and therefore 100% efficient without any loss of time.
• Hygienic design: The machines can be cleaned quickly and easily – KRONEN is your partner for the production of healthy food.

KRONEN Solutions for the Meat Industry

For meat processing:

• Belt cutting machine GS 10-2: Tried and tested a thousand times, the reliable GS 10-2 belt cutting machine convinces with innovative functionalities and perfect cutting quality. The GS 10-2 is a multifunctional belt cutting machine, different knives allow for various applications: e.g. the cutting of meat, sausage, fish as well as different sorts of vegetables or fruit and the grating and shredding of bread, cheese and nuts.

Watch the video: Cutting and pulling meat with the GS 10-2

• Belt cutting machine GS 20: Also a bestseller KRONEN machine – optimized for very high capacities.

For processing vegetables, herbs, salad etc.:

• Vegetable and salad spin-dryer KS-100 PLUS: Ideal, among other things, for spin-drying of e.g. defrosted pieces of peppers or onions.
• Vegetable cutter KSM 100: Perfectly suited for cutting vegetables and salad in smaller capacities: for slices, sticks, cubes or for shredding – in various cutting thicknesses.
• Cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V: Cuts vegetables and fruit in slices of 2 up to 12 mm, strips of 2 up to 20 mm and cubes of 3 up to 20 mm – with a capacity of 300-3000 kg per hour.
• Disinfection with UVC: In cooperation with our partner sterilAir we offer highly effective UVC-technology – as the Air Recirculation Steriliser UVR for rooms with low convection, or the UVC disinfection lock.
• Washing machines: KRONEN offers a variety of washing solutions, both small washing machines and washing machines with belt outfeed, for vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, salad and more.

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The Dutch fruit and vegetable wholesaler Postuma AGF has newly opened a modern company building together with an entire processing kitchen for vegetables in the beginning of this year. With this, the family business can provide a diversity of high quality fresh produce in-house, which opens many opportunities for the future.

The equipment was delivered by KRONEN and Synergy Systems, the official representative in the Netherlands. Synergy Systems carried out the complete project management, too.

The processing kitchen is mainly used to deliver high-quality sliced vegetables. With the new machines in the kitchen, the range has already been expanded considerably. Hutspot, which is a traditional Dutch stew made of potatoes, carrots and onions, as well as endive, soup vegetables and baby leaf make the basis of the cutting plant.

The wholesaler also provides the customers with more exceptional products, for example a Catalan and a Japanese stir-fry mix. Spiral vegetables from carrot, beetroot, zucchini or pumpkin are going to be added to the portfolio, too. The majority of the production consists of consumer packaging. In addition, there is a smaller volume of bulk.

Distinctive by modern assortment and high quality

Postuma AGF, located in IJsselmuiden in the Netherlands, is a family business with more than 100 years of experience in fruit and vegetables. The company offers a wide spectrum of fresh products. The customers are fruit and vegetable specialists such as specialized shops and market traders as well as food service organizations, for example commercial kitchens.

The wholesaler’s goal is to develop long-term relationships with the customers. One main issue for reaching this target is quality. Besides, Postuma AGF wants to offer added-value to customer: helping them to differentiate on the market. This also includes a portfolio, which is continuously adapted to consumer trends and which offers diversity.

Frans Bolder, Project Manager, Postuma:
“We did not want to make any concessions to the quality of our product. The wish was also to be able to work in a more varied way in the future with more modern cut products and to be able to offer a more extensive range. It was also important that we were guided through the transition process and that has been done satisfactorily to this day".

Specifications of the vegetable processing solution

The new processing kitchen at Postuma consists of a processing line for cutting, washing and drying vegetables as well as of several single machines by KRONEN.

In the vegetable line the produce is cut by belt-cutting machine GS 10-2 in the first step. The conveyor belt leads it to the washing machine GEWA 3800 V ECO automatically. Afterwards, the produce is dried by a K50-ECO spin-dryer.

Besides, the following single machines are used for different sorts of vegetables and diverse processing steps:

• Cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V
• Potato peeling machine PL 25 K
• Potato peeling machine PL 25 S
• Form, fill and seal machine CP350 PLUS

KRONEN Idea Management

KRONEN strives for maximum quality and thus invests in permanent optimiziation and development of the KRONEN offers and internal processes. And this is only possible jointly as a team - that is why KRONEN has implemented the improvement management several years ago:

Employees who have ideas and suggestions of any kinds can hand them in. In the next step, they are reviewed and most of them will be approved and implemented by the concerned departments. Thus, with each idea KRONEN is getting better and better!

KRONEN awards a prize to the top 3 departments submitting the most ideas. In the anniversary year 2018 more than 150 ideas were handed in by the KRONEN employees. This time, the three winners are: the construction, sheet-metal construction and stock department.

Investments in innovation, quality and sustainability

KRONEN achieved a turnover of 17 million Euro in 2018, which is again a slight increase. This growth is mainly generated by the export of the machines and lines to Europe and overseas. Thus, internationalization is one central aspect of the company's business alignment.

KRONEN also continuously optimizes the production venue in Kehl at the Rhine. Last year KRONEN rebuilt the special assembling area and with that invested in the expansion of the processing line construction.

Beyond, the research and development department is of high relevance to KRONEN having close cooperations with university and research institutions from around the world.

Also, KRONEN now installed a charging station, where employees can refuel their e-cars, and the company's first e-vehicle has been acquired. In addition to the already existing solar plant, this is another step towards sustainable energies.

KRONEN offers a comprehensive product portfolio covering the entire production chain: for preparing, cutting, washing, de-watering, drying, peeling, disinfecting and packaging fruit, vegetable and salad. The KRONEN machinery products are completed by the solutions of its specialized technology partners. Thus, at KRONEN the customer receives all from one source.

GKS Packaging from the Netherlands has been KRONEN's partner for packaging machines since 15 years. The machinery producer built the first packaging machine in 2000. This year the 1000th GKS packaging machine has been ordered at KRONEN.

This is why Ivo Geukes, the owner and CEO of GKS, presented an award to KRONEN, namely Stephan Zillgith at Fruit Logistica 2019.

The UP 350 vertical form-, fill- and sealing machine was sold by SEDA Freund AG, offical KRONEN representative in Switzerland. It was ordered by the salad, vegetable and fruit processing company Guggisberg AGRO AG.

Both partners, KRONEN and GKS, are proud of the joint success and are looking forward to their future cooperation.

KRONEN premiered its new "SMART Machines” at Fruit Logistica 2019 in Berlin from 6 to 8 February 2019. They were shown live and in function and KRONEN visitors experienced how “Industry 4.0” applications can work in Fresh-cut production.

Further world premieres were on show as well: The thermal washing process DECONWA, which is the result of a research project, and the newly developed apple peeling and slicing machine AS 6.

Numerous visitors from more than 50 countries visited the KRONEN stand for experiencing the innovations and proven solutions. The international KRONEN team, represented with about 20 countries at the trade show, was pleased by the big interest of the visitors.

Completed was the offer by the KRONEN partners who were present at the stand, too: GKS Packaging, zti smart machines and Synergy Systems from the Netherlands, and sterilAir® from Switzerland.

At the "Live Cooking" the gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner created delicious Fresh-cut specialties and fresh smoothies.

And at the KRONEN evening, the gathering of the international KRONEN representatives, Ivo Geukes, CEO of GKS, presented an award for the 1000th GKS packaging machine, which has been sold recently, to Stephan Zillgith.

DECONWA is a completely new washing process offered to the Fresh-cut sector.

The washing system DECONWA disinfects apples for Fresh-cut fruit salads, reducing the food’s spoiling rate and increasing shelf-life as well as consumers’ safety – in a gentle way and without using any additives or chemicals.

It can be integrated into an existing processing line easily and flexibly and it can be transferred to similar products.

By using temperature guided and controlled processes (temperature: around 50 °C) bacterial load is reduced. Due to its insulation the new system is optimized for application in cold rooms.

The system was developed by KRONEN in the context of a research project together with its partners ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and Mirontell Fein und Frisch AG.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy by a decision of the German Bundestag.

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We continuously improve and optimize our KRONEN production. Since KRONEN attaches great value to quality. Now, KRONEN has rebuilt the manufacturing area for processing lines.

By renconstructing the area of special assembling optimum conditions have been created for setting up and testing entire processing lines.

There is enough space to bulid up two lines parallely. Due to the new flooring the area can be cleaned quickly and efficiently after the tests are done.

In December the potato, salad and vegetable processing line for the customer Coto, a supermarket chain from Argentina, was set up in the new area. Only if the internal test is completed successfully, the KRONEN lines and machines will be delivered to the customer - just in line with the motto: 100% quality at delivery.

KRONEN premieres the newly developed apple peeling machine AS 6 for peeling, coring, wedging and slicing apples at Fruit Logistica 2019 in Berlin.

The apples only have to be placed on the machine manually and will be automatically loaded then. By this means the potential risk of injury is prevented and the handling is much more efficient.

AS 6 is optimized for capacities of up to 900 apples per hour and thus, it offers an increase of about 50 percent in capacity compared to the well-established apple peeling machine AS 4. Besides, AS 6 was developed with a special focus on ergonomic design.

Visit us: Stand B-05, Hall 3.1!

All machinery highlights at a glance - see the invitation

Besides the world premieres KRONEN will have on show at Fruit Logistica 2019, visitors can again enjoy the KRONEN Live Cooking with special Fresh-cut delicacies:

• Avocado and Salmon Tatar with Potato Crisps and Wasabi Mousse
• Roasted Duck Breast with a Gin and Tonic Cucumber Salad
• Vegetable Spaghetti with purple Pesto and Tamarin Almonds
• We also offer: Daily Smoothie Variations – you can also choose your own special flavors!

This is only a selection from the delicacies from the house of KRONEN, which you can taste at our stand B-05 in hall 3.1 from 6 to 8 February.

Our KRONEN chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner as well as the international KRONEN team are looking forward to your visit!

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SMART Machines: Industry 4.0 for the Fresh-cut sector

KRONEN shows several web-enabled machines. These SMART Machines transfer machines' conditions in real-time.

Wherever the production manager, technician or the foreman are located, they can control the production status of the machine or line on their laptop or mobile device at any time.

The collected data helps to make production processes even more efficient. And by implementing predictive maintenance you can prevent possible breakdowns.

Innovative thermal washing process to improve the shelf life of Fresh-cut products

The KRONEN washing system DECONWA disinfects apples for Fresh-cut fruit salads, reducing the food’s spoiling rate and increasing shelf-life as well as consumers’ safety – in a gentle way and without using any additives or chemicals.

It can be integrated into an existing processing line easily and flexibly and it can be transferred to similar products.

Be inspired - also by our Live Cooking: Creative Fresh-cut specialties - freshly prepared!

Visit us: Stand B-05, Hall 3.1!

All machinery highlights at a glance - see the invitation:

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KRONEN wishes you and your colleagues a successful, healthy and Happy New Year 2019!

We would like to thank you for the faithful and pleasant cooperation in the KRONEN anniversary year 2018 and hope you had some placid holidays and a good start into the new year.

We are looking forward to supporting you as a dedicated long-term partner in 2019!

"How to do": Monthly tips for KRONEN customers

KRONEN offers many ideas and tips about how customers can optimze the use of KRONEN machines in their production. A "How to do" database with numerous entries is recorded by the Customer Service department.

Besides, the KRONEN Sales Team is an important source of ideas for the customers. In the new section of our KRONEN newsletter - "How to do" - Tip of the Month - we will present some of these ideas in 2019! And we will for example report about "Best Practice" cases or our KRONEN idea management.

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KRONEN presents two new features for the well-proven KRONEN GS 10-2, which both increase productivity in production:

Less waste, more exact segments

Well-proven belt cutting machine GS 10-2 is now available as TTS version. Besides the regular GS 10-2 functionalities, it controls the cut size and minimize the waste on product cut in combination with the horizontal outfeed belt.
By a PLC and servo motors the knife can make every cut exactly where we need it to be, following customer's specifications and according to product sizes. The TTS version allows to top and tail the product (cut both ends) as well as the combination of top and tail and cutting in slices or pieces.

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Cutting with weight based filling level control

Another feature is the newly developed weighing unit. By means of an input field the requested weight is defined. The weighing unit allows a weight based control of filling levels. For example, if you cut in boxes or baskets it is guaranteed that the they will not be overfilled.

Watch Video

The year of 2018 is an anniversary year for KRONEN, but it is also a year of changes in the Management Board. Rudolf Hans Zillgith, Senior Manager of the family business, announced the extension of the Board at the Anniversary Gala on 27 September:

In 1998 Rudolf Hans Zillgith took over KRONEN and in 1999 Stephan Zillgith joined the company. Since 2003 he has been Associate and Managing Director. Now, younger executives are incorporated in the Management Board of KRONEN. Eric Lefebvre and Johannes Günther are the new Managing Directors and KRONEN Associates.

Graduate industrial engineer Stephan Zillgith will be the spokesman of the Board of Management and remains responsible for the company’s commercial general management. Besides, he focuses on the marketing as well as on the care and development of global contacts, which is a crucial issue for the export-oriented KRONEN company.

As before, Robert Lankhart completes the Management in his function as authorized officer. As controller and Head of HR he is taking care of the essential company analysis.

As a family business it is self-evident for KRONEN, that the new Managing Directors and Associates are two long-term KRONEN employees, who have made a name for themselves in the sector.
Each of the four Managing Directors is responsible for a specific realm in the company. By concentrating the competence and experience of the four members of the Board the company is optimally positioned for the future and all the diverse subjects. Thus, the successful development of KRONEN is assured for the long-term.

Person Details:

Johannes Günther started his career with KRONEN in 2009. After his graduation as an engineer in food technology at University of Hohenheim, he worked with renowned companies from the food sector.
Since 2008 he has been the head of the sales department and since 2010 also authorized officer of KRONEN. Over the years he has become a demanded expert in the food industry in Germany and worldwide. In his function as a Managing Director he keeps responsibility for the national and international sales of KRONEN.

Eric Lefebvre has been working with KRONEN since 2009. After graduating as an industrial engineer at University ESCOM in Paris, he worked with PSA, the largest French automotive manufacturer, in the area of development and industrialization.
At KRONEN he has been Technical Director and since 2010 also authorized officer. He has been responsible for product development, for improving working processes and for safety and hygiene. He is perfectly connected within the international sector and especially with institutions for research and development. As a Managing Director he will keep his previous area of responsibility.

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More than 240 participants from 45 countries accepted the invitation and attended the KRONEN Anniversary Event 2018. Here you can see what visitors say:

Sergej Belov, Fruchtmanufaktur Luebbecke, Germany: “KRONEN is a great company. We have been working together since several years. The Customer Day was an ideal event to see new developments and the entire portfolio. KRONEN offers many solutions for many products. It is good to know that the company thinks and acts sustainably. Because we want to grow further and therefore need machinery in good quality. At the Customer Day we could see the right solutions for our application. The event was even better than last time. The professional lectures in the Forum were very good, too. Furthermore, I can meet the KRONEN team here, whom we have a long-term and friendly cooperation with. I am glad to be here and would like to attend again.”

Alvaro Figueroa, Fruta Internacional, Costa Rica: “It is my first experience of the KRONEN Customer Day. It is very interesting to see the facilities, how everything is made, and the new technologies and machinery which can help us. We already have a KRONEN processing line in use and it means a big improvement in productivity. The KRONEN representatives have been very supportive in guiding us around. They have done a great job! And in the next few days, we will do a plant tour with them visiting Fresh-cut companies and learning from our European colleagues. So, it was definitely worth the visit!”

C. G. Foo, Standout Marketing, Malaysia: “It was a very good event. We could look at solutions that you can potentially use in future, we gathered more ideas and knowledge. KRONEN machines are well-known and of good quality that is why we invest in them. The Gala Evening with the entertainment such as the magical show was also a great experience. It is nice to see that an industry event not just offers a professional, serious side, but that it can be a happy event at the same time. It was worth the journey and we hope that we will be able to celebrate the 50th anniversary together with KRONEN, too, and that we grow further together.”

Georg Funken, Bauer Funken, Germany: “All of what I have experienced was fantastic. The Gala Dinner on Thursday was really great. Also, it was very good to meet companions from the industry who had realized the Fresh-cut trend 20 or 25 years ago, just as we did. We have a long-term partnership with KRONEN starting in the 1980ies. KRONEN is an ideas provider and you know that you get a machine which fits. Know-how, network and quality – that is what KRONEN stands for in my opinion. We had started small many years ago – and what we have reached now is worlds above.”

Patrick Milne, Milne Foods Ltd, Ireland: “It is my first time at KRONEN. It is a very well organized and structured company. I am impressed by the way they are looking after the customers, and also by their philosophy and ideas behind the machines. It is an ethic, family orientated company and on the same time employees have a forward thinking. Manufacturing companies have to adapt to rapid changes which are taking place in the food business. My impression is that KRONEN is very well prepared for these market changes. I also like the research and developments activities of KRONEN as well as the co-operations with the universities which go into the products. Thank you for a great time I have had for my first visit to KRONEN and for all the kindness shown by all your staff.”

Tom Willy Olsen, Kjøkkenservice Industrier, Norway: „It was useful to see the machines and technical news and to profit from the knowledge of the KRONEN representatives. I have learned that they have been trained for two days just before the Customer Day at KRONEN, which is done on a regular basis. It is good to know that I can trust in the representative’s knowledge. As a manager of my own company I have to be sure that everything is working. It is impressive to see the quality of the KRONEN production and products and I am very confident that we can trust KRONEN.”

Marco Romero, Cece’s Veggie Co, USA: “It was a great event. We were able to see the KRONEN facilities and to interact and network with other people from the industry. The Customer Day is a good platform to find out what works well, what are the challenges and how to do better. We already have a GS 10 in use and it has simplified our previous processing method which has resulted in an outstanding outcome. Being here gave us the chance for an efficient exchange with KRONEN, we could provide them with direct feedback and discuss adjustments.”

Yoram Vooijs, Rungis, The Netherlands: “We are here for the first time. It was a professional event, very well organized and perfect to see the developments of KRONEN and which machines, products and innovations are in the market. We could speak with supplying partners such as Hitec and GKS. And the event offered also more informal situations such as the Gala Evening to work on the partnership. We deliver to high-class hotel and restaurant customers by 24/7, that is why we need reliable machines and that is why we have worked with KRONEN for many years.”

On Friday, 28 September the KRONEN Anniversary Event ended successfully:

The comprehensive offer was very well anticipated shown by a record participation of more than 240 participants from 45 countries. And they were very satisfied with the program, too.

Many news and many proven solutions you could find at the in-house exhibition. At about 3.200 sqm of space e.g. newly launched drying systems K650 and BDS 3000/800 and the latest version of the salad spin-dryer: KS 100 PLUS were presented. Besides, expert speeches, insights into the production and new findings on the topic of "Hygiene + Technology" were on display.

Furthermore, KRONEN presented its “Internet of Things” concept:

The SMART version of belt cutting machine GS 10-2 was on show. Also, a SMART version of a washing machine, which hygienizes products by a new thermic process, was introduced to the audience.

The machines are connected to the internet and can transfer the machines’ states in real time to an internet portal. Whereever the user, technician or forman is located, he can monitor the production status at any time on her/his mobile device and collect data for creating even more efficient production processes and for avoiding downtimes thanks to predictional maintenance in future. The SMART maschines can be individually adapted to the needs of the respective user.

The "40 Years of KRONEN" annviersary was celebrated with a great evening event: About 280 guests and employees of KRONEN attended the Anniversary Gala in Reithalle Offenburg on the eve of the Customer Day and they experienced a special entertainment program and culinary delights. Furthermore, the winners of the KRONEN Award 2018 were honored. Four prize categories were awarded, this year’s winners are:

• Special Long-term Customer: Toepfer GmbH, Germany
• Highest Market Share in Representative’s Region: Mushkat Technologies, Israel
• Long-term Supplier: SEDA-FREUND, Switzerland
• Most Constant Market Growth: DanMix, Spain

Watch impressions of the event in our Photo Gallery

Watch the video

Read what visitors say about the event

The peeling machine PL 40K does the washing and peeling process in one step. Thanks to the aluminium oxide abrasive potatoes, carrots, beetroots and other root vegetables can be peeled gently and their skin is removed in an utra-thin way.

Up to 600 kg potatoes per hour can be processed with PL 40K.

The new short video shows in detail, how the machines works. Have a look:

Watch Video

The large inner diametre allows gentle peeling and low pressure on the product.

Peeling basket and peeling disc can be exchanged in less than 3 minutes. There are no dirt traps in the area. All this allows an easy and safe cleaning.

In our new KRONEN movie you have the chance to look behind the scenes: Come and join us for a short, virtual company tour. Thus, you can get an idea of what happens at KRONEN in Kehl at the Rhine day-to-day:

Watch Film

40 years of experience and competence in food processing technology

This is what KRONEN stands for and what customers from around the world trust on. Best quality, customer satisfaction and innovation - these are values the KRONEN team works for with a strong commitment every day.

In 1978 KRONEN was founded as a merchandising company for hotel- and restaurant equipment and accessories. Today, KRONEN employs 100 people and our products are delivered to more than 100 countries around the world.

Close partnership and cooperation with our customers is an important factor for the family company KRONEN.

Participants of the KRONEN Customer Day on 28 September will learn more about future topics for the Fresh-cut sector by short speeches of international experts at the KRONEN Forum. All speeches are held in English

Topics and speakers:

• Establishment of operating standards for fresh produce wash systems
  Speaker: Ana Allende, CEBAS-CSIS
• How to tackle biofilm?
  Speaker: Imca Sempers, Ghent University – VEG-i-TEC & Thierry Benezech, INRA
• Autonomous, humanoid robot Sweaty – How does it work?
  Speaker: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hochberg, University of Applied Sciences Offenburg
• Food Washing Concentrates in Preprocessed Herbs and Salads Manufacturing
  Speaker: Dr. Dietmar Schmalz, Lysoform Imunell

KRONEN celebrates its 40th company anniversary and therefore invites customers and partners to join the KRONEN Anniversary Event on 27 + 28 September 2018.

The machinery highlights and latest solutions of KRONEN will be on display. But the participants can also expect a special supporting program.

Learn more

KRONEN introduces the new Flow Dewatering System FDS 5000, which products can be dried in a very gently with.

FDS 5000 is optimized for removing excessive surface moisture from products such as fruit (cut or whole), hard vegetables (cut or whole), cut lettuce and baby leaf etc. while keeping the product in perfect condition.

With the possible adjustments the machine can be optimised on capacity, product quality and residual moisture. Between 1000 and 3000 kg - depending on the product - can be treated per hour.

This is how FDS 5000 works:
The product is transported on a mesh belt with meshes of 1000, 2000 or 3000 μm opening, depending on the product. Four special air knifes and four suction blowers are dewatering the product whereas four knocking motors are distributing it over the whole width of the conveyor before each air knife and suction section

There are different sizes of FDS systems available to suit the customers‘ specific needs.

All benefits of FDS 5000 Flow Dewatering System

KRONEN has further developed its UVC disinfection lock adapting it to the needs of the users.

The KRONEN UVC Lock has been developed in close cooperation with sterilAir® from Weinfelden in Switzerland. Therefore, the UVC Lock is equipped with the latest UVC technology and is optimized in regards to hygiene, usability and easy maintenance.

By means of Ultraviolet-C radiation technology the surface of vegetable and fruit products as well as of packaging materials and tools passed through the lock is disinfected efficiently and without using heat or additives.

The UVC disinfection technology is based on the production of UV radiation with a wavelength from 280 to 100 nanometers. Light of this wavelength is germicidal, since it destroys the germs’ DNA.
By implementing so-called low pressure tubes or more powerful hybrid tubes the UVC light is created in the completely sealed casing of the disinfection lock.

Depending on the number and type of tubes and depending on the speed, which the lock is passed through with, the KRONEN UVC Lock can kill up to 99,9999 % per cent of the germs (based on Listeria monocytogenes germs).

Short contact times within the UVC Lock allow deployment with heat-sensitive products, too.

All benefits of the UVC Disinfection Lock

The K-series is the most widely used model beyond the KRONEN vegetable and salad spin-dryers and is in action hundredfold around the world. Now, it has been redesigned.

One of the first models of the new KS-100 PLUS was delivered to Veggie Markt in Vienna, Austria, in May. The Fresh-cut producer processes salads and vegetables for catering and gastronomy companies and deals with organic products only.

KS-100 PLUS has a new look, and especially the technological aspects were on focus when further developing the machine - such as these three features:

• easy cleaning,
• simple and flexible operability and
• optimum, efficient spinning results whilst guaranteeing minimum machine movement

KS 100 PLUS is construed for drying and spinning of Fresh-cut salads, vegetables, herbs, fruit and more. Individual adjustment options for spin speed and spin duration on 99 freely programmable memory locations ensures maximum comfort and optimal adaptation to the product processed.

A mode with spinning in both directions during the program is also available. The counter-rotating centrifuge cycle changes the direction of rotation automatically after half a spin period. The product is additionally loosened up and dried more efficiently. This results in high drying and product quality.

The short video shows spinning and drying of Fresh-cut salad, white cabbage and carrot strips:

Watch Video.

Washing vegetables with potable water leads to a reduction of microorganisms from tenfold to hundredfold only. Since, depending on the kind of product, it must be assumed that the number of germs is up to 10 to the power of 7 KbE/gFM at the beginning, the washing result has to be evaluated as critical considering these high germ numbers at the beginning. Adding chemicals is one way to meet this problem, but this is sometimes rejected.

The project KRONEN is working on together with its partners ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, aquagroup AG und Havita Berlin Frischgemüse GmbH is answering this fact.

For that reason, the partners want to make use of the fact that bacteria are killed within seconds, when the redox potential is higher than 650 or 700 mV. Using the ingredients of the potable water only, a redox potential is realized in the process water which is high enough to decontaminate it. Besides, the water can be returned to the washing cycle without any risk of cross-contamination.

Hence, several benefits for the producers of Fresh-cut products are to derive:

• Increase consumers’ safety due to a new method of hygienization without additives
• Reducing potable water consumption and thus decreasing costs, which is due to an optimized water use during the washing process by deploying cycle management.
• Improvement of hygiene and reducing the danger of cross-contamination during washing process

More...

Contact: Team Projects & Development

In 2018, KRONEN celebrates its 40th company anniversary and therefore would like to thank customers and partners for the collaboration and partnership.

We cordially invite you to join our KRONEN Anniversary Customer Day on Friday, 28 September!

Experience the newest solutions of KRONEN and our system partners as well as the various proven machines for processing salads, vegetables and fruit – live and in function – at our venue in Kehl at the Rhine on about 3.200 sqm of production and exhibition space!

Besides we offer interesting short speeches on future-oriented topics in our new KRONEN Forum, and much more.

You can expect a worthwhile exchange in an informal, pleasant atmosphere – and with a special supporting program. Among others, we invite you to our grand opening at the evening before the customer day:

Join us for the KRONEN Anniversary Event at Reithalle Offenburg on 27 September.

The entire KRONEN team is looking forward to welcoming you in the Black Forest region!

The event is currently fully booked, however if you are interested in participating, please turn to info@kronen.eu.

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The lecture with the subject "Hygiene + Technology: Thermic Processes" is held by Eric Lefebvre, Technical Director at KRONEN on 7 June at the European Convenience Forum in Hamburg.

New process to increase the microbiological safety of packaged fresh-cut products

The production of ready-to-eat, packaged fresh products has increased in the last couple of years. A trend which has come up more recently is the production of packaged, fresh fruit salad. One important main element in fruit salads is apples. They are washed and cubed – while remaining unpeeled. Thus, removing the adherent micro-organisms from the skin accurately is a basic requirement.

This aspect is addressed by a project named DEKONWA, which KRONEN GmbH is working on together with its partner, the ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy. Goal of the project is to not just wash apples, but to also hygienize them in a gentle way and without using any additives or chemicals. The partners want to develop an innovative plant and process in order to do so.

By using temperature guided and controlled processes microbial pathogens which are spoiling food and pathogenic germs are reduced both by a maximum. Thus, the rate of spoiled food is decreased and the consumers’ safety is increased. Due to the insulation of the new system it is optimized for the Fresh-cut industry, since it can be implemented in cold rooms without any disadvantages.

Learn more:

Lecture: „Hygiene + Technology: Thermic processes“
Speaker: Eric Lefebvre, Technischer Leiter KRONEN
Language: German
Time: on 7 June from 14:45 to 15:15 h
Venue: European Convenience Forum 2018, Mövenpick Hotel, Sternschanze 6 in Hamburg

Gronsakshallen was founded in Sorunda in 1985. Back then the general manager Gunnar Netz went from door to door and offered his products – potatoes and eggs – to the city’s restaurants.

Today, Gronsakshallen is one of the biggest fruit and vegetable wholesaler and fresh-cut producer in Sweden distributing numerous products nationwide: fresh fruit, berries, vegetable and salad, but also fresh-cut products as well as frozen fruit, flowers, herbs and eggs are part of the product line.

About 300 employees work with the company by today, thereof 35 employees in the production site in Hagersten. No less than 465 different articles are produced per day. With about 50 own and further external refrigerated trucks the goods are delivered to customers all over the country freshly day by day

This year, Gronsakshallen invested in a new salad and vegetable processing line of KRONEN to expand its own production. The producer already has several stand-alone KRONEN machines in use, like vegetable and cutting machine KSM 100 or salad spin-dryer K50.

However, the goal of the new acquisition is to automatize production and save resources. Since one important challenge is: Staff is not just cost-intensive in Sweden, but it is especially hard to find. Due to the automatized line having all machines interlinked, the staff deployment is reduced from seven to five people. On the same time efficiency and thus productivity has been increased.

Gronsakshallen processes mainly different salads, such as iceberg and mixed salad, but also white cabbage, carrots and other vegetable with the line. Depending on products, between 1000 and 3000 kg are processed per day on seven days per week. This is already an obvious increase of output, even though capacity of the line has not yet been exhausted.

The processing line also adds benefit when it comes to resource management. It has not only minimum space requirements for covering as little of the production space as possible. It also guarantees an efficient us of water.

Magnus Agneborn, Head of Production at Gronsakshallen:
“We are very happy with the line and the resulting product quality. We will also be able to reduce our water consumption, even though we cannot give an exact number at this point of time"

User Report: Salad and Vegetable Processing Line at Gronsakshallen

VIDEO: Watch the processing line live and in function

The cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V with serial number 1000 goes to Russia, to the renowned supermarket chain Azbuka Vkusa. It is the third machine of this type which is set-up at their own plant in Moscow. The reason is that the company wants to expand its production. Besides the KUJ V, it has two processing lines and several other stand-alone machines of KRONEN in use.

The company covers several retail locations in Moscow and St. Petersburg and is well-known for its high-quality product offer. It produces Fresh-cut vegetable at the own plant, mainly carrots, potatoes and beetroot.

However, the company also processes the freshly cut products further fabricating delicacies such as “carrots Korean-style” which is very popular in Russia. This is a salad made of carrot strips, oil, vinegar and herbs, tasting sweet-sour and spicy.

KUJ V is best seller in Russia

In place of Azbuka Vkusa the official KRONEN sales representative Intermik takes delivery of the 1000th piece of KUJ series from KRONEN in Moscow. With this more than 100 cube, strip and slice cutting machines have been delivered to Russia by today. There is no other country in which as many KUJ machines are installed as here.

One in ten of this type of machine KRONEN ships to Russia. By that it is also the best seller and most used KRONEN machine in the country.

More...

The horticultural and Fresh-cut industry needs to react to the growing demands for food safety, competitiveness and its environmental impact. Washing with fresh water is the main post-harvest process carried out by this industry to eliminate dirt and reduce the microbial load of fruit and vegetables.

KRONEN and the Spanish company CITROSOL are collaborating with the Spanish technological centre CNTA in the prototyping of a new industrial washing process. The ambitious goal of the so-called aqUAFRESH project is destined to be a watershed in the operation of the Fresh-cut industry: cutting, washing and packaging of ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables. The aim of which is to reformulate the current working system of the industry reducing both water and energy use during washing and disinfection, mitigating the environmental impact, and improving the food safety for the end consumer.

The new washing system is supposed to provide the Fresh-cut industry with an alternative to traditional chlorine-based disinfection systems whilst continuing to guarantee food safety.

The aqUAFRESH project follows a holistic approach studying the integration of all the essential parameters in the process chain, such as the effectiveness of the wash, the microorganisms load, the use of chemical agents, the water use and its reuse with the consequent reduction in water consumption, the monitoring of the disinfection process plus the preservation of the quality of freshly cut produce.

Learn more.

Contact: Team Projects & Development

With this year's Anuga FoodTec in Cologne from 20 to 23 March the second important international trade show took place, after Fruit Logistica in February..

At Anuga FoodTec KRONEN met the international industry and showed its competences once more. Live machinery presentations, a lecture on a highly innovative topic and not to forget: our "Live Cooking". All this made the participation a real success!
You can read more about the trade fair information and the presentation 'New process for the safety of packaged fresh products' here.

We have summarized all important news from the last weeks for you. The world premiere Convenience Avocado Line, the intergrated UVC water disinfection of GEWA 3800B PLUS, or the new de-watering system FDS 5000 - these are just some of the current top themes at KRONEN.
For all up-to-date highlights at a glance see our new flyer.

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KRONEN expands its portfolio of salad and vegetable spin-dryers and drying systems by several novelties:

Trade Fair Premiere: K650 Drying System

K650 was presented at Fruit Logistica and Anuga FoodTec 2018 for the first time. Is is an ideal system for the industrial application for drying a wide variety of lettuce and vegetable products as well as sliced fruit in a continuous treatment process.

Benefits at a glance:

• Depending on consistency, shape and size of the product and the desired degree of drying, spinning times and speeds can be adjusted via a touch screen. This enables an effective, gentle and short drying cycle.
• Some parameters are automated, e.g. the speed of the buffer and outfeed conveyors. Thus, the program is clearly organized and easy to operate.
• With an optional volume control the product feed quantity can be optimized.
• Without product the machine switches to energy saving mode automatically
• The capacity spans 400-2800 kg/h, depending on the product.

Watch the VIDEO of K650

New version: KS-100 PLUS and KS-7 PLUS

The top-seller of KRONEN spin-dryers for vegetables and salads, field-tested and in action hundredfold world-wide. Now, KS-100 PLUS has a new look: Besides a new design especially the further technological development is on focus.

Benefits at a glance:

• The robust construction, safety and function are based on the requirements of the centrifuge DIN EN 12547 standard and the salad spin-drying DIN EN 13621 standard.
• KS-100 PLUS is also particularly easy to clean. There are no dirt traps in the spin area.
• Maximum comfort and an optimum adaptation to the product to be processed.

All benefits of KS-100 PLUS

Alternatively, you can obtain the model KS-7 PLUS. KS-7 PLUS is equipped with seven settings of individually adjustable spin speeds and freely adjustable spin times.

All benefits of KS-7 PLUS

Salanova® Producer from Uruguay meets Swabian Processing Specialist

The KRONEN representatives located in more than 80 countries around the world, including Germany, are closely connected to the industry and they are in continuous exchange with their customers. On their request they often organize company tours and thus realize an exchange between producers from different countries.

This was also the case here, when Heiko Schoenbroich, Area Sales Manager Germany South at KRONEN, and Juan Lindmayer, Export Area Sales Manager Latin America & Caribbean for KRONEN, made this encounter possible:

In Feburary 2018, VerdeAgua – a producer of Fresh-cut salads from Uruguay – visited légumes Rapp GmbH in Esslingen, close to Stuttgart in Germany. VerdeAgua plans to renew its machinery park and wants to invest in KRONEN equipment. In this respect, the visit was a perfect opportunity to experience the use of the machinery directly on-site at the plant of a real Fresh-cut specialist.

Since the family company légumes Rapp is a long-term customer of KRONEN and deploys the belt cutting machines GS 10-2 and GS 20, diverse washing machines – among other GEWA 3800 PLUS with UVC water disinfection – as well as spin-dryers in its production.

In 1995, the former vegetable and wine growing business developed into légumes Rapp GmbH, specializing on processing of salads and vegetable and offering ready-to-eat products for system catering. légumes Rapp is certified with the label „International Food Standard – Higher Niveau“. The company produces large amounts and a wide range of high-quality Fresh-cut products, for example for the commercial kitchen of Mercedes Benz.

VerdeAgua is a producing and processing company of Salanova® and other leaf salads. Salanova® is a special type of salad: It is trade-marked and may only be cultivated when you hold the respective license. Remarkable about this salad is the fact that its leafs are very soft and delicate – and not only in an early stage of growing, but they remain it even later.

The producer applies hydroponics agriculture and he washes, spins and packages the salads for its customers. Thus, the company delivers high-class salads and Salanova® specialties to Tiende Inglesa, the gourmet supermarket chain in Uruguay, for example.

With high interest in the equipment, the new building and the entire process VerdeAgua visited the plant of légumes Rapp. As different as both countries and producers are – on the one hand the Salanova® producer from Uruguay, on the other hand the Swabian processing specialist – as worthwhile the know-how transfer has been for both sides.

Photos:
1) from left to right: Diego Giay (VerdeAgua), Paul Rapp (légumes Rapp), Sebastián Figuerón (VerdeAgua), Juan Lindmayer (KRONEN)
2) légumes Managing director Sandra Rapp-Ulrich (right) and eymployee Ms Sorg (left) in the newly built production hall of légumes Rapp

Experience creative culinary delights at our "Live Cooking" at Anuga FoodTec

The gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner feature the food “from the field to the table” and offer delicious dishes such as:

• Vegetable Rice Variations
• Hamburger Balls on Orange Vegetable Couscous and Roasted Almonds
• KRONEN Curry-Wurst Special with Potato Chips
• Vegetable Spaghetti Variations, Wok made

…this is only a selection from the delicacies from the house of KRONEN, which you can taste this year at our stand F-8 in hall 10.1.
For all dishes a vegetarian or vegan alternative can be offered.

Be inspired! And celebrate with us: We cordially invite you to touch glasses with us on the occasion of 40 years of KRONEN. You may also expect a little anniversary present at the stand.

Which new machinery and solutions – live and in function – can be experienced at the stand? See our invitation for all information.

The international KRONEN team is looking forward to your visit!

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KRONEN invites the industry to Kehl on the Rhine from 27 to 28 September

In 2018 KRONEN celebrates 40th anniversary - celebrate with us!

We cordially invite you: The newest KRONEN solutions will be presented at this in-house trade show and customer days exclusively. Beyond, lectures on future-oriented topics will complete the machinery presentations: Robotics, Biofilm, Internet of Things and Hydroponics – these are some key words, which will be covered.

Again in 2018 we are preparing special culinary highlights and accompanying events: Among others we are looking forward to welcoming you at the Gala Dinner in Offenburg's Reithalle on 27 September. After the champagne reception with live music you can expect a "magical" entertainment program, the KRONEN award ceremony and afterwards "DJ Crazy Pee" attracts all dancers to the dance floor.

Save the date already today! Further details you will receive with our invitation in summer.

We are looking forward to your visit at KRONEN in Kehl on the Rhine!

Photo: The entertainment program is another highlight next to the professional program: At the Customer Days 2016 KRONEN invited to the Oktoberfest at the Renchtalhuette.

You may expect innovative topics and solutions

KRONEN will be present at Anuga FoodTec 2018 in Cologne from 20 to 23 March. Visit us at our stand F-8 in hall 10.1!

Furthermore, KRONEN informs about the development of a new, thermal process to increase the microbiological safety of packaged fresh-cut products – without using additives – in a lecture on 22 March from 14:00 to 16:00.

More about the new process you can read here.

Live machinery presentations at Anuga FoodTec

As expected, you will see machinery live and function at the KRONEN stand. Among others:

Integrated UVC water disinfection: Washing machine GEWA 3800 B for salad, vegetables, fruit and more

This exhibit has an extra focus on the issue of decontamination without any additives: By the means of the new, integrated UVC water disinfection the wash water is permanently disinfected and returned to the water cycle as germ-reduced process water. For this purpose, the market-proven UV components of company sterilAir® are in use.

The UVC reactor serves in particular the prevention of crosscontamination, ensures higher process reliability and allows a reduction in the amount of water used.

Drying system K650 for salad, vegetable, fruit, mushrooms and herbs in large quantities

KRONEN GmbH expands its portfolio and presents an effective, user-friendly system for the industrial application for drying a wide variety of lettuce and vegetable products as well as sliced fruit in a continuous treatment process.

Depending on consistency, shape and size of the product and the desired degree of drying, spinning times and speeds can be adjusted via a touch screen. This enables an effective, gentle and short drying cycle.

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Besides its stand at Anuga FoodTec 2018, KRONEN informs about the development of a new process to increase the microbiological safety of packaged fresh-cut products in a lecture at the Forum in the Congress Center East:

The production of ready-to-eat, packaged fresh products such as cut fresh-cut salads has increased in the last couple of years. A trend which has come up more recently is the production of packaged, fresh fruit salad. Consumers of these products are private households supllied by retail as well as large customers such as cafeterias, hospitals and restaurants. But also schools offer apple wedges during school breaks for example.

However, the processed fruit have a shorter shelf-life than fruit which are not cut, since they are much more sensitive to microbial attacks. And the crucial quality criterion for fresh-cut products from the view of consumer safety is the microbial harmlessness.

As an example: One important main element in fruit salads is apples. They are washed and cubed – while remaining unpeeled. Thus, removing the adherent micro-organisms from the skin accurately is a basic requirement.

This aspect is addressed by a project named DEKONWA, which KRONEN GmbH is working on together with its partner, the ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy. Goal of the project is to not just wash apples, but to also hygienize them in a gentle way and without using any additives or chemicals.

The partners want to develop an innovative plant and process in order to do so. By using temperature guided and controlled processes microbial pathogens which are spoiling food and pathogenic germs harming humans are reduced both by a maximum.

Thus, the rate of spoiled food is decreased and the consumers’ safety is increased. Due to the insulation of the new system it is optimated for the Fresh-cut industry, since it can be implemented in cold rooms without any disadvantages.

Fresh fruits which were treated with hot water in the laboratory, showed a high impact against most of the relevant germs. A water temperature of 50 to 55 °C seems to be the optimum conition for longer exposure times. Shorter exposure times at a temperature of 55 to 60 °C were successful, too.

At this point the main impact of the treatment with hot water is supposed to be due to the microbial reaction induced by the heat shock. Since the thermal procedure works without any chemical additives, it can be used for organic fruit salads.

The system is supposed to be integrated into a existing processing line easily and flexibly. Eventually, it is planned to transfer the process to other products, such as fresh-cut salads, too.

Learn more:

Lecture: “Fresh fruit and vegetable decontamination by an innovative moderate heat treatment”
Speakers: Eric Lefebvre, Technical Director KRONEN, and Bertram Schmidt, Research Scientist for Horticultural Engineering at ATB Potsdam
Language: English
Time: on 22 March from 14:00 to 16:00 pm
Venue: at the Forum „Technology of Fresh-cut products“, organized by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) in the Congress Center East, Room 1+2

The participation of KRONEN at this year's Fruit Logistica in Berlin from 7 to 9 February was again a real success.

KRONEN presented new machinery and solutions - live and in function and was again crowd puller attracting producers of Fresh-cut and convenience food from Germany and around the world.

Many visitors from Germany came to the stand, but also from other Western European countries - such as France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy - as well as from Eastern Europe and South America. Also Middle East and Africa was very well represented.

Completed was the offer by the KRONEN partners who were present at the stand, too: GKS Packaging, zti smart machines and Synergy Systems from the Netherlands, and sterilAir® from Switzerland.

Read more about the Fruit Logistica trade show highlights of KRONEN.

The 40th company anniversary celebrated by KRONEN in 2018 was also displayed on the stand. On this occasion visitors could let themselves inspire by special culinary delights: At the "Live Cooking" the gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner created delicious dishes made of vegetable spaghetti and colorful vegetable rice.

From 27 to 28 September KRONEN cordially invites the industry to celebrate the anniversary at the KRONEN venue in Kehl: The newest KRONEN solutions will be exclusively presented at this in-house trade show and customers days, which will be accompanied by an attractive programm of lectures on future-oriented topics and a special gala evening.

Perfect avocados in large quantities

With the unique, partly automated avocado processing line up to 1.200 fruit – which equivalents to about 300 kg – can be peeled and cored per hour. The capacity can even be quadrupled if needed: to up to 4.800 pieces per hour.

The line is designed in a way that the sensitive fruit are processed very gently to guarantee a visually attractive product equivalent to manual treatment.

Successful application of the avocado line

The innovative Convenience Avocado Line was created in close cooperation with a KRONEN customer and convenience food producer from Western Europe. The company produces sliced avocados on a large scale.

It needed a solution which could support the staff. Since the producer had to fight with a loss of production due to illness – which resulted from the uniform movement of the hand when coring the fruit and lead to health-problems at the wrist in a short length of time.

This was completely remedied with the new processing line. But also productivity has massively increased, namely by 25 percent at the place of installation. And the yield from the fruit pulp rises, depending on the consistence of the fruit, by up to 11 percent. Thus, other production sites of the company can be relieved and supplied by this production output. Furthermore, two workers have become available and are deployed for other production steps now. Respectively, ten persons are currently working at the line.

The entire processing line, including the KRONEN cutting machine GS 10-2 which has also been integrated in the line, amortizes within 120 workings days. A result highly exceeding the expectations of the convenience producer.

„Convenience” avocado is advancing

Avocado fruit are gaining ground currently. The “butter fruit” is supposed to be healthy, nutritious and versatile. Fat content is about 23 percent, however these are highly demanded unsaturated fatty acids.

Consumers who eat health-consciously are delighted by avocados. The fruit especially convinces vegetarians and vegans due to the proportion of essential amino acids.

And also because of the subtle taste and creamy texture it is a trend product for “fast casual” food and is used as salad topping, as ingredient in wraps or sandwiches and last but not least in Sushi rolls.

Details on the KRONEN Convenience Avocado Line you can find here.

The avocado line won't be on show at Fruit Logistica, but our on-site international sales team will be happy to consult you:
Read more about our trade show highlights.

• Vegetable Rice Variations with Spit-Roasted Tandoori Turkey
• Summer Rolls with Vegetables on a Cucumber Salad with Tonic and Aloe Vera Dressing
• Mini KRONEN Burger with Chicken „Big Rib“, Coleslaw and Avocado Creme
• ….

…this is only a selection from the delicacies from the house of KRONEN, which you can taste this year at our stand A-04 in hall 3 at Fruit Logistica.

At our Live Cooking products are prepared “from the field to the table” – a special culinary delight on each day of the show. For all dishes a vegetarian or vegan alternative can be offered.

Be inspired by the delicious dishes of the gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner!

Celebrate with us! We cordially invite you to touch glasses with us on the occasion of 40 years of KRONEN. You may also expect a little anniversary present at the stand.

Which new machinery and solutions – live and in function – can be experienced at the stand? See our invitation for all information.

The international KRONEN team is looking forward to your visit!

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The new year is coming closer and so is the first highlight in 2018: KRONEN will be present with its stand at Fruit Logistica in Berlin from 7-9 February. Take the chance and experience our comprehensive portfolio of new machinery and solutions - live and in function. Besides, there is another good reasing for visiting the KRONEN stand:

In 2018 we celebrate our 40th company anniversary. Celebrate with us! We cordially invite you to touch glasses with us on the occasion of 40 years of KRONEN. You may also expect a little anniversary present at the stand. And you can enjoy special culinary delights on each day of the show: At the Live Cooking products are prepared “from the field to the table” - be inspired by the delicious dishes of the gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner.

Visit us at the KRONEN stand A-04 in hall 3.1 - the international KRONEN team is looking forward to meeting you!

Machinery we present live and in function:

Completed by the offer of our partners ZTI smart machines and GKS Packaging we display innovative technology for the processing and packaging of vegetable, salad, fruit and more.

Our invitation shows all the presented machinery at a glance:

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A glance at 2017…

The KRONEN GmbH closes the business year successfully by expecting a growth in revenues of about 9 percent, by increasing the staff to 100 employees and by recording even several innovations and highlights.

To name just some of them: the first GEWA washing machine with self-cleaning water filter in January, our international seminar ‘Fresh Vegetable Processing’ in Bogota/Columbia and the introduction of the GEWA XL washing machine, both in July, the first KRONEN networking meeting in Bremerhaven/Germany in August as well as the fresh re-design of one of our bestsellers: the belt cutting machine GS 10-2 in October.

And not to forget: The successful launch of the vegetable spiral cutting machine Spirello 150 – with it KRONEN had once more perceived the need of the market and had been the first developing a solution which can process many different kinds and sizes of products. Thus, no surprise Spirello 150 finds big demand and has become a real success product: KRONEN will deliver the serial number 220 Spirello by the end of the year!

A glance at 2018…

Looking back we can indeed be full of positive anticipation when it comes to the year of 2018, which will be a special one for KRONEN GmbH. We will celebrate 40 years of KRONEN and 20 years of Zillgith/KRONEN – in 1978 KRONEN GmbH was founded and in 1998 KRONEN was taken over by Rudolf Hans Zillgith as the Managing Director.

Today, 20 respectively 40 years later, KRONEN is a globally operating supplier of machines and systems for the catering, specialty foods, fresh-cut and food industry with representatives in more than 60 countries. KRONEN products are delivered in over 100 countries.

We put high efforts in guaranteeing best quality, but also in delivering individual solutions adapted to the demands of the customer in an optimum way. We consider ourselves a partner for our customers and offer consulting and planning in close cooperation with our suppliers and research institutions from Germany and around the world.

In 2018 and beyond it remains the target of KRONEN to move on with innovations for our customers’ purposes and benefit. By this, we want to extend our position as a worldwide leading producer and supplier of machines and complete processing lines.

Save the date:

In our newsletter we will keep you up-to-date on our highlights in 2018. Also, visit our KRONEN stand, e.g. at Fruit Logistica from February 7–9, 2018 – you will receive our invitation in the beginning of the new year!

Besides, it would be our grand pleasure to welcome you as a guest at the KRONEN Anniversary Customer Days from the evening of September 27 to September 28. Save the date already!

In 2018 we take the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ for the partnership and collaboration with you, which made 40 years of KRONEN happen. Join us and celebrate with us!

The cooking and eating habits have been changing over the past years. Healthy nutrition has come to the fore more and more. This includes the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore the convenience sector gains importance.

One new trend, which came to the centre of attention at the PMA Fresh Summit in New Orleans, USA, from October 20-21, is the so-called vegetable rice, namely Broccoli and Cauliflower stems or also carrots cut in smallest pieces and resembling rice.

The KUJ V can make it

Such vegetable rice can be processed with the KRONEN cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V in a very easy and quick way. Hence, you can cut small, oblong vegetable cubes using various alignments such as a format of 3 x 3 x 5 mm.

Once more KRONEN fulfils the need of the convenience and fresh-cut industry by making the optimum production of another promising fresh vegetable product possible.

In the short video you can see how it works.

Cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V

The KRONEN high performance cube, strip and slice cutting machine KUJ V cuts vegetables, fruit, fish slices from 2 to 12 mm, strips from 2 to 20 mm and cubes of 3 mm up to 20 mm in exact and perfect cutting quality – in a single operation.

Here you can find: all benefits and technical information about KUJ V. We are looking forward to consult you and to answer your inquiry!

Even several important trade fairs for the salad, fruit and vegetable processing industry took place in various countries around the world in the last few months.

KRONEN GmbH has a network of representatives in more than 60 countries and delivers its products to more than 100 countries around the world. Thus, the company is of course present at the international trade shows and displays a machinery program with live demonstrations at the stand – which is specifically targeted to the respective market and the visitors of each show.

With great interest, numerous visitors took advantage of the information and presentations of our KRONEN machines. We are very pleased about the good response and the opportunity to make new contacts, but also to intensify existing customer relationships!

International KRONEN exhibition highlights took place in

• Russia, Kiev: INPRODMASH 12 – 14 September 2017
• Great Britain, Peterborough: UK INDUSTRY PRODUCE FAIR 12 – 14 September 2017
• USA, Las Vegas: PACK EXPO 25 – 27 September 2017
• Peru, Lima: EXPO ALIMENTARIA 27 – 29 September 2017
• India, Mumbai: FOOD PROCESSING TECH ASIA 3 – 5 October 2017
• Russia, Moscow: GOLDEN AUTUMN 4 – 7 October 2017
• Germany, Cologne: ANUGA FOOD 7 – 11 October 2017
• Russia, Moscow: AGROPRODMASH 9 – 13 October 2017
• Spain, Madrid: FRUIT ATTRACTION 18 – 20 October 2017
• USA, New Orleans: PMA FRESH SUMMIT 20 – 21 October 2017
• UAE, Dubai: GULFOOD MANUFACTURING 31 October – 2 November 2017

First time at GULFOOD MANUFACTURING in Dubai

After participating in the German pavilion at Guldfood in February for many years, this year for the first time KRONEN GmbH exhibited at the GULFOOD MANUFACTURING show in November being part of the stand of the KRONEN partner for the region KAYDEE Solutions.
Visitors from 40 countries – among them many from Saudi Arabia – were interested in our exhibits. To them we could present our SPIRELLO 150, the new vegetable spiral cutting machine, as well as a portfolio of machines which are already well renown and much used also in this region: the belt cutting machine GS 10-2, the spin dryer for vegetables and salads K50-7S, the potatoes peeling machine PL40K as well as the manual grid cutter HGW and the apple peeler AS4.

Visit us at our stand, too – at one of the next events:

• France, Lyon: CFIA vom 21 – 23 November 2017
• Georgia, Tbilisi: Agro Food Drink Tech 30 November – 2 December 2017
• USA, Grand Rapids: Great Lakes EXPO 5 – 7 December 2017
• Germany, Berlin: FRUIT LOGISTICA 7 – 9 February 2018

The international KRONEN team is looking forward to meeting you!

For the upcoming double anniversary, „40 Years of KRONEN and 20 years of Zillgith/KRONEN“, we have decided to focus on the people behind KRONEN. After all they are the actual makers of our company‘s success story:

The Sales organisation that brings in the orders. Supported by Design, Production and Logistics that prepare and execute the orders. Quality Assurance as the guarantor for compliance with our high standards, and not least Shipping that ensures safe transport. Together with other departments, such as Electrical, IT, Purchasing, Marketing and others, all ensure a smooth workflow so that our customers receive their machines on time and in the proven KRONEN quality. Our customers can rely on good and dependible support over many years; this is guaranteed by our Customer Service organisation in Germany, and by our partners in more than 90 countries around the world.

This calendar is an expression of our love of detail and our many years of experience. Experience 12 portraits, brilliantly captured with the camera by Jörg Wilhelm and perfectly designed and staged by Ulrich Siefert.

The KRONEN Anniversary Calendar 2018 (48 x 36 cm) can be purchased from now on for a price of EUR 19.50 net, plus shipping costs.

The very first KRONEN network meeting was held in cooperation with Wolfgang Blum Consulting in Bremerhaven on 10 - 11 August 2017.

With the focus on networking the decision-makers from HORECA (hotel and catering industry) with the convenience industry, a very attractive program was put together and offered.

A forum of interaction and enough space for exchange was offered during the joint company visits on site:
VITAL salads and more ..., Transgourmet Deutschland GmbH & Co. OHG, Restaurant "Nordsee" in the Columbus Center Bremerhaven, Heinrich Abelmann GmbH.

Also the culinary services enriched this meeting to a special extent.

All 14 participants agreed that such a network event was overdue. The mixture of manufactory and industry was excellently received by the competent participants from the different divisions.

Our KRONEN representation SYNERGY SYSTEMS B.V. for The Netherlands and BE-Flanders (since May 1, 2017) organized for the first time CUSTOMER DAYS on 7 and 8 September 2017.

SYNERGY SYSTEMS presents LIVE numerous machines from the entire range of machines and offers the opportunity to meet and exchange on a professional and personal level.
For further information please click here.

Please register directly at:

SYNERGY SYSTEMS B.V.
Sprendlingenpark 23
NL-5061 JT Oisterwijk
www.synergy-systems.nl

info@synergy-systems.nl
Phone +31 (0)85 049 17 60

We are looking forward to your participation!

These novelties will be presented:

• KRONEN GmbH, DE-Kehl
• K650 High capacity centrifuge
• complete processing line for salads/vegetables, consisting of KRONEN machines for cutting, washing, mixing, drying and HITEC de-watering and drying systems
• MARCO Integrated Weighing B.V., NL-Oisterwijk
• Packaging line with weighing system and YCM software for convenience products
• MARCO "Intellyveyor" Multi-layer conveyor system with weighing systems, integrated into a complete line for manual small packages of grapes and berries
• HITEC Foodsystems B.V., NL-Zwolle
• Teflon contact grilll
• BDS Belt Drying System
• CoolDry Air Drying System

Since March 2017, people from our region have been voting for the campaign "Einigkeit.Recht.Freiheit." (Unity.Justice.Freedom), initiated by the Trade Association of Industrial Enterprises in Baden (wvib). The supporters want to inspire achievements that are no longer self-evident today: freedom of democracy, social market economy and a united Europe.

KRONEN employees also supported the wvib campaign "Einigkeit.Recht.Freiheit." and gathered for the photo session.

The seminar on “Fresh Vegetables Processing in Latin America" was held this year on 13 July 2017 for the second time by KRONEN in collaboration with the Colombian KRONEN agency JUAN NEUSTADTEL SAS at the Corferias Center in the capital Bogota.

More than 80 visitors from all over Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile participated in this meeting to find out about new technologies and tendencies in the Freshcut market.

Following these interesting lectures, the seminar participants attended the exhibition booth of JUAN NEUSTADTEL at the trade fair EXPO AGROALIMENTARIA. There, they experienced LIVE demos of various KRONEN machines:
GS 10-2 Belt cutting machine, KUJ V Dice, strip & slice cutting machine, AMS 220 Pineapple melon peeler, UP 350 Packaging machine and the K50-100S Spin dryer.

For a first-hand information exchange, many of the international seminar participants used the offer the following day and visited producers with KRONEN processing lines on site.

The event was rounded off by a dinner together with a show.

Up to 600 kilograms of potatoes per hour are produced by the new KRONEN potato processing line, which recently has been put into operation at the LENTA supermarket chain in St. Petersburg.

LENTA is one of the largest retail chains in Russia and the country's second largest hypermarket chain. LENTA operates 195 hypermarkets in 78 cities across Russia and 53 supermarkets in the Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and the Central region.

FFor launching their new product portfolio of cleaned, ready-cut and vacuum-packed vegetables such as carrots, beetroot - as well as potatoes in different shapes and various packing sizes – LENTA was looking for the best option of a cost-effective and automatic manufacturing process. With this in mind LENTA approached KRONEN in conjunction with the Russian KRONEN representative INDUSTRIAL NUTRITION to help optimize the pre-preparation of this kind of products. By designing and installing this processing line KRONEN & INDUSTRIAL NUTRITION have made it possible for LENTA to achieve optimum product quality, minimum waste and maximum flexibility.

Individual elements of the potato processing line are:

• Hopper belt - for filling with potatoes or other vegetables
• Peeling machine PL 40K for peeling and removing skins paper-thin
• Roller sorting table for visually monitoring the quality of the product

Peeled potatoes will then be transferred directly onto a KRONEN cutting machine. There are two machine options:

• a KUJ V cutting machine - for precise cutting of cubes, strips and slices
• a GS 10-2 belt cutting machine – for clean and equal slices

Moreover, both cutting machines offer the big advantage of being mobile and they are, therefore, extremely flexible and can be used at different locations along the line.

Actually, this potato production line has been integrated into a KRONEN washing line which already has been delivered to LENTA last year. The washing line consists of a GEWA 3800 V ECO washing machine and 2 spin dryers K50-7 ECO in combination with a useful and practical basket carousel.

If you also have special requirements and want to go new ways in the food industry, please contact us. We are happy to advise you and look forward to your REQUEST.

Left: Daria Lutskaya, Managing Director INDUSTRIAL NUTRITION Right: Robert Reisig, Export Area Manager KRONEN (Russian market) Picture: Kathrin Benz (KRONEN GmbH)

The participation in our KRONEN raffle was outstanding and, once again, confirms the popularity of our KRONEN products. We would like to thank all participants!

It was therefore a great pleasure for us to determine the winners of the 10 MAIN PRIZES " grid cutter S195 with individual tools".

Our sincere congratulations to the winners who all have been informed in the meantime. Thank you for the pictures of the KRONEN Grid cutter S195 abd have fun with the prize.

In addition, 10 high-quality twin-graters from Lurch were raffled, the winners have been notified, too. Picture Matthias Sahr: customer Mr. Pipper and Mr. Kluth

During the vocational training in Hannover at the Niedersächsischen regional authorities for consumer protection and food safety the subject “freshcut fruits & vegetables – technology, microbiology, monitoring” was presented.

The technology of processing freshcut fuits and vegetables was presented by our Technical Manager Eric Lefebvre as a machine demonstration on the KRONEN belt cutting machine GS 10-2.

Furthermore there were experience reports from a manufacturing company (FRIKONI Food GmbH & Co. KG, consultant Mrs. Stramke) and from the retail sector, for example: EDEKA Minden-Hannover foundation Mr. Marggraf.

Another focus of the vocational training was the microbiological risks from such products, presented by the University Hohenheim, and the possibility of the improvement of the microbiological quality. The company KRONEN provided the university with various machines for research purposes, for instance the water jet cutting machine. We are happy about the good feedback by the food supervisors.

Pictures: Anne Wöhlke (LAVES)

The "Bürgerstiftung Kehl" (civic foundation) receives the promotion price "Active Citizenship 2017", which has been awarded since 1998 to non-profit organizations. In this way, the initiative of the Bürgerstiftung in cooperation with the local companies is honored for the qualification of young refugees.

KRONEN also supports this project as a sponsor for one-year entry qualifications of the young people.These measures are used to examine the refugees with practical traineeships, language courses and will prepare them for the actual training and the working world in Germany.

Since 15 May 2017, KRONEN has been able to provide an internship to a young refugee in the KRONEN production area.

Watch the interesting short film with an interview by Stephan Zillgith, Managing Director of KRONEN (German language only).

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A lot of experience and sophisticated technology for an optimal washing result, as well as the individual modification options of the machines – with these facts we have once again convinced a Freshcut company, which is a leader in the English market as a manufacturer and supplier of convenience products. With the GEWA 3800V PLUS washing machine delivered to England in April 2017, salads and vegetables are thoroughly and gently washed in a continuous flume washing process without mechanical submergence.

In close cooperation with the customer, KRONEN engineers have developed solutions tailored to the customer’s needs, which not only improve productivity but also ensure a constant quality of the processed products under the highest hygienic standards.

Thus the GEWA 3800V PLUS washing machine is equipped with many innovative, customer-optimized components such as:

By means of the central control system all functions of the washing machine and the feeding belt can be flexibly controlled via touchscreen. 30 freely programmable memory locations can be allocated with individual compositions which can be called up at any time.

The integrated infeed elevator with a 17° rising angle is equipped with a mesh belt and offers many technical refinements:

• Speed control via touch screen (central control)
• Crate support - simplifies the emptying of the crates


• Detachable twin shower on the side guide plates


• Additional spraying device with adjustable spray nozzles


• Height limitation for product (40-100 mm)


• Additional emergency stop switch


• Drip tray grids below the infeed belt (for water treatment at customer's site)


• Transfer hopper as splash guard to the wash tank (no loss of water)


• Lateral fines removal drum (SFA) with integrated container for small parts, insects


• WMS (Water Management System) – centrally controlled filling and emptying of the washing machine


• Insect removal drum


• Vibration outfeed with integrated transfer hopper to the basket carrousel, the washed products are transferred to the baskets in a controlled manner


• Basket carrousel - simplifies basket changing and ensures a continuous workflow

Mobile trolley for removable parts of the GEWA washing machine for intermediate storage, e.g. during the cleaning phase

Technical Specification GEWA 3800V PLUS:

• Capacity e.g. Iceberg, leek: up to 800 kg/h
• Voltage: 400 V, 50 Hz, 3 Ph
• Total power: 17 kW
• Total water volume: 814 l

If you also have special requirements and want to go new ways in the food industry, please contact us.

We are happy to advise you and look forward to your REQUEST.

Effective 1 May 2017, KRONEN sales operations in the Dutch and Belgian market were repositioned. Our previous sales partner, JFPT / foodlife in NL-Zwolle, will strategically set new focus areas in distribution and key products, which are no longer in compliance with the sales concept of KRONEN. Therefore, the business relationship ended on 30 April 2017. At this point, we would like to thank JFPT / foodlife for their long-term cooperation with our company. The selection of a suitable successor company focused on the continuous development of customer business relationships. For this reason we have transferred the support of the Dutch and Belgian customers from 1 May 2017 onwards to

Synergy Systems B.V.
Sprendlingenpark 23
NL-5061 JT Oisterwijk)
www.synergy-systems.nl

Due to the many years of experience with KRONEN, HITEC and MIW products, Managing Director Menno JONGSMA and his sales, project management and service staff will form a strong team to support customers.

SYNERGY SYSTEMS B.V. represents the cooperative alliance of KRONEN GmbH (D-Kehl), HITEC Foodsystems B.V. (NL-Zwolle) and MARCO Integrated Weighing B.V. (NL-Oisterwijk) and is responsible for the distribution of machines, systems and projects. The collective expertise and experience of the three partner companies guarantee a high synergy advantage as well as an optimal consulting competence.

With a 24-hour / 7-day customer service, experienced Dutch professionals are available around the clock in Holland and Belgium. This way, we guarantee a comprehensive service and ensure the best possible availability and profitability of our customers' production facilities. We wish our new partner success and all the best.

Pictures: Menno Jongsma und Eddie Van Dam

The new HGWslicing insert is ideal for cutting vegetables, mushrooms and seedless fruit in slices of 5,2 - 6,2 - 8,2 mm, and more. Several slicing options are possible, e.g. „top & tail“. You can find all advantages in our attached flyer or on our homepage.

We will be delighted to advise you! Our sales team is looking forward to your phone call +49 (0)7854 9646-0 or Email.

Cutting technology that inspires A world leading fresh cut company has bought one of our highlight machines - a 4-lane MULTICORER - for its new plant in Dubai. After commissioning and an intensive test phase, the next order for two further machines in Saudi Arabia followed.

The MULTICORER runs on high-speed and in two-shift operation. Eight hours a day, Iceberg salads are decored, cut, washed, dried and packaged, followed by white cabbage. Mainly the processed salads and vegetables are produced for fast food chains and different airlines.

The use of the KRONEN machines considerably increases the efficiency of the processing line. This is also reflected in a significant reduction of the waste rate.

The company KRONEN is proud that the MULTICORER inspires and advances our customers' business. You are also interested in our MULTICORER and want to be advised? Then contact us. We appreciate your inquiry!

You can find more information about the MULTICORER here or simply have a look at our new video. Enjoy !
Customer visit in the Middle East Pictures: Jean-Marc Hammann, KRONEN

Fruit and vegetables in top form! FRUIT LOGISTICA showed once again: the market loves fresh ideas!

We will raffle 10 grid cutter S195 including 2 cutting inserts from KRONEN* among all participants. For inspiring fruit and vegetable creations.

Turn tomatoes, apples, potatoes, lemons, etc. into wedges, sticks and figurines in no time at all. In addition we raffle 10 Lurch Razortech DUO-graters.

Simply fill out the form below! Good luck!

* Closing date for entries is 20 April 2017. The winners will be notified by us. Recourse to the courts is not permitted. No cash disbursement is possible.

From February 8 to 10, 2017, the FRUIT LOGISTICA 2017 was once again the meeting place for the international fruit trade for three days. Kronen was also represented at the trade fair as an expert for the salad, vegetable and fruit processing industries.

Many visitors were enthusiastic about the exhibited machine highlights. Especially the innovative novelties - and the associated possibilities - were always the starting point for many informative talks and discussions. Especially the live demos of the Kronen novelties - the SPIRELLO 150 vegetable slicer and the high-performance washing machine GEWA XL - proved to be a crowd puller.

"This gives us the certainty that we have taken the right course with our product developments. The preparation and eating habits of many people have changed considerably in recent years. Healthy nutrition is coming more and more into focus. This also includes the consumption of fresh vegetables. KRONEN responded to the increased demand with the development of innovative machines, "explains Stephan Zillgith, Managing Director of Kronen.

For example, the SPIRELLO 150 produces healthy vegetable spaghetti. For many years already, Kronen has been on the market with a smaller machine version, the S021 spiral cutting machine. With the SPIRELLO 150, Kronen has now achieved a technological breakthrough, which allows a capacity increase with a constant quality. The SPIRELLO 150 can be used not only to cut long shaped products (cucumbers, carrots, radishes, butternut squash), but also round products, e.g. Kohlrabi or beetroot can be cut into decorative and healthy vegetable spirals.

With the new GEWA XL, Kronen presented a powerful washing machine for high capacities with low energy and water consumption. This machine allows optimal washing results for large quantities of salads and vegetables. The machine is best suited to reduce cross-contamination and it contributes to increased food safety.

Federal Minister of Agriculture, Christian Schmidt, was also impressed by the Kronen booth appearance. He was explained the highly innovative novelties by Stephan Zillgith and Eric Lefebvre, Technical Director at Kronen. Already on 27 January 2017 an important meeting took place at the International GRÜNE WOCHE in Berlin. The reason for this was the transfer of the application for the project 'SiMoHyP: Development of an innovative process for increasing the microbiological safety of packaged fresh cut salads by monitoring and sanitizing the process water".

This project is supported by the BMEL innovation program over a 24-month duration. The project aims to develop an innovative washing technique and a method for the decontamination of the process water, which is used when washing freshcut salads, in order to preserve microbiologically safe ready-to-eat salads while at the same time conserving resources (water consumption, energy).
"In teamwork with our customers and partners, many creative ideas generated benefits, not only do we develop machines but also share our know-how with our customers," says Eric Lefebvre. The Kronen booth presented itself in a new and attractive design and was again a successful result of synergy between Kronen and the cooperation partners ZTI-Mechatronics and GKS Packaging.

At this year's Fruit Logistica gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner spoiled the Kronen stand visitors with exquisite menus - freshly prepared according to their recipes, which were already published in the Kronen annual calendar 2017. The tasty recipes and videos are published monthly in the Kronen newsletter and on the homepage. Thanks to the innovative Kronen technology according to the latest standard, the preparation of these dishes has become a cooking experience with true delights.

WE THANK ALL VISITORS FOR THEIR INTEREST AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEE YOU IN BERLIN IN 2018!

The official handover of the GEWA salad washing line to the company Adam Theis GmbH took place on 25 October 2016. Two GEWA washing machines (GEWA 3800B PLUS in cascade function) are integrated in this special salad processing line with the serial numbers 999 and 1000. A great occasion to congratulate the CEO Mr. Werner Theis face to face.

In 1875, the familiy-owned company Adam Theis GmbH started the marketing of fresh vegetables at the Palatinate. Today, it is a partner of the catering industry in southern Germany with the whole range of fresh fruit, vegetables, salads, exotics, mushrooms and herbs. Local wholesalers, as well as large-scale consumers, canteens, hotels and restaurants are supplied with 40 trucks. 260 employees work 7 days a week in the service of freshness.

Many similarities: Excellent cooperation and common growth connect both companies.

Mr. Theis proudly talked about the long-term cooperation with the company KRONEN. His freshcut production is based on the needs of the gastronomy. The offer covers a wide range of cutting sizes and cutting shapes. Individual mixing recipes are also realized. Adam Theis GmbH produce just-in-time and without preservatives. The production area for ready-to-cook products will be expanded by 650 m² by the end of this year.

Reliability and quality of the high end KRONEN machines have convinced the company Adam Theis GmbH from the beginning. Therefore, they made an early start in processing fruit, vegetables and salad with KRONEN machines, and they now continue production with the large salad processing line. Since safety and on-time service are shared values, both managing directors look forward to an ongoing enhancement.

With this innovative KRONEN GEWA 3800B PLUS washing line, freshcut salads, herbs and vegetables are washed thoroughly and carefully.

The GEWA 3800B PLUS washing line is equipped with following modules:

• Insect drum
• Lateral fines removal system
• Cooling elements
• Air distribution

We wish the company Adam Theis much enjoyment and success with the thousandth KRONEN GEWA washing machine.

Kronen places particular attention on ensuring quality and sustainability of its machines and projects manufactured in Kehl - based on a commitment to a healty environment.

Since the beginning of 2013 we converted to climate-neutral energy sources - "Green electricity from hydropower".
We, therefore, take an active part in climate protection and conservation of natural resources.

Latest development from Kronen:
GEWA Washing machines with integrated UVC water disinfection system

The subject of hygiene plays an important role in the production facilities of the food industry. Kronen offers a new hygiene highlight with the sophisticated washing technology of the GEWA washing machines for industrial use in industry, catering and commercial kitchens:
Via a built-in UVC reactor, the wash water is permanently disinfected and returned as UVC-treated process water.
For this purpose, the market-proven UV components of company sterilAir® (CH-Weinfelden) are in use, which meet the high demands of the food industry.

For a market-leading customer in Germany, the trading company M.S.G. Frucht GmbH in Maintal, 2 washing machines GEWA 3800V ECO are manufactured in a cascade setup (pre- and main washing) with a new UVC water disinfection system.
Since 2009, M.S.G. belongs to the Compass Group Germany providing their businesses nationwide as a central fruit and vegetable supplier with exclusive fresh products from the region.

With this innovative Kronen GEWA washing line, salads and herbs, vegetables and fresh-cut products are washed thoroughly and carefully in a continuous flow process (without mechanical immersion). In addition, the washing machine is equipped with an insect & fines removal system (motorized drum).

Also, chilled fresh water is added through the shower pipes above the vibration deck via an on-site cooling connection. This chilled water will be returned to the water cycle of the GEWA, thus ensuring a continuous refresh of existing water in the GEWA wash tank.

The use of the UVC reactor serves in particular the prevention of cross-contamination, ensures higher process reliability and allows a reduction in the amount of water used.

Details and functional description of the UVC reactor:
By default built-in pumps in the washing machine, the process water is pumped completely through the UVC reactor. The overall performance is 60 m³/h circulation for a water volume of about 750 liters. This is equivalent to a 80fold theoretical passage of all wash water per hour, or 80 UVC treatments per hour.

The UVC reactor is connected to the washing machine by a fixed piping, ensuring the return of disinfected water in the wash tank.
The intensity of UVC reactor is perfectly matched with the capacity of the pumps and the water cycle thus works continuously.

The UVC reactor consists of 6 ET tubes, which are operated economically via 3 ballasts with an exemplary low energy consumption. These ET modules are equipped with a counter of ignition, the tubes are designed for 12000 ignitions or 12000 operating hours.

For cleaning and exchange, the UVC tubes are easily removable, this guarantees a high maintainability.

Basically each GEWA machine can be equipped or retrofitted with an UVC reactor. Upon request, the UVC reactor can be provided for test purposes.

Technical specification GEWA 3800V ECO:

• Voltage - 400V 50Hz 3Ph
• Total power - 5.6 kW
• Measures LxBxH - 3830 x 1280 x 1540 mm
• Volume - 745 l

Capacities:
Iceberg – up to 700 kg/h
Spinach – up to 500 kg/h
Parsley – up to 300 kg/h

Fruit Logistica in Berlin (3-5 February 2016) is one of the most important meeting places for salad, vegetable and fruit processors. A wide audience used the annual event to gain a comprehensive overview of the market and to learn about the latest trends.

On this year's Kronen booth visitors experienced a large and varied offer of the Kronen machine program. Especially the live demonstrations of the many new developments with customer-oriented applications and solutions encountered keen interest and led to a very positive feedback.
The attractive Kronen exhibition area was also a successful result of synergy between Kronen and its cooperating partners JFPT Foodlife, ZTI Mechatronics and GKS packaging.
The culinary specialities – freshly prepared by the gourmet chefs Wolfgang Blum and Andreas Eigner – proved to be another crowd-puller. Some of the delicious recipes have been published in the previous annual Kronen calendars.

A large number of trade visitors were especially interested in the Kronen novelties:

1. UVC-Lock Germ reduction lock
… has been developed for surface disinfection of packaging materials such as boxes, crates, tools, etc. in close cooperation with the Swiss company sterilAir® (CH-Weinfelden).
Use with food depends on the legislation in the country of the user.
The UVC-Lock is equipped with the latest UVC technology (hybrid tubes of sterilAir®) and thus combines the high demand for sturdiness, flexibility and easy maintenance.
An adequate microbiological sterility of packaging materials and storage containers is one of the most important prerequisites for the durability and hygiene of foodstuffs especially in the salad, vegetable and fruit processing industry.
The UVC treatment with sterilAir® components disinfects safely and reliably: without heat, undesirable additives, residues and within a very short time.
The DNA of germs is destroyed by the UVC treatment, i.e. contact and smear infections can be prevented effectively.

Benefits are obvious:

• Drying of containers (such as after spray disinfection) is no longer necessary.
• The UVC-Lock is best suited for application in between two separate rooms, e.g. low and high care areas..
• All materials in the size range of 50 x 50 x 20 mm up to 550 x 300 mm can gently be moved through the UVC-Lock. Thanks to the efficient arrangement of the UVC tubes, an almost complete radiation area is guaranteed.
• The fully enclosed UVC-Lock housing with cover is made of stainless steel and guarantees the safe use of UVC radiation.
• The intuitive color touch screen has a user-friendly interface.
• Long UV emitter replacement intervals and exemplary low energy consumption underline the economic efficiency of the system. Due to their very low emitter temperature, sterilAir® UV components are ideally suited for the treatment of heat-sensitive products.

2. KWT 16 Weighing table & pedestal with a single head weigher for packaging machines
This pedestal includes a single head weigher for the ergonomic weighing and filling in conjunction with a GKS packaging machine CP 350 or UP 350. Different products such as vegetables, fruit, salads, baked goods, raw vegetables, sweets (also non-food products) can be weighed, filled and packaged in representative bags.
The stainless steel pedestal is adapted to the height of the packaging machine and is equipped with safety borders and railings. The mixing table with the integrated single head weigher is arranged in ergonomic height and easily accessible by stairs. The large weighing container with a 16 liter volume is perfectly suited to the weighing of all leaf salads, i.e. Lollo Bionda up to 1 kg.
The packaging machine CP 350 or UP 350 thus can easily and functionally be filled and operated from the above.

3. Mango Peeler-de-Cheeker (ZTI Mechatronics)
… peels the mango and removes the „cheeks“ in one cycle. Once the fruit has been positioned the machine takes the mango by the stone and it passes through the peeling and destoning stations.
The mango is a very tender fruit and so demands special care in processing. Conventional peeling methods fail to provide the desired result, as the fruit is often damaged. Due to the unique processing method, the Mango Peeler-de-Cheeker holds the fruit not on the outside, by the fruit, but by the stone.
During the subsequent peeling process the mango is peeled along the fruit. The result of this peeling method offers an “appearance to hand-peeled”, clean and smooth surface of the fruit. After peeling, the mango is de-cheeked, i.e. divided into two halves. This unique processing method increases the shelf-life of the product.


WE THANK ALL VISITORS FOR THEIR INTEREST AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEE YOU IN BERLIN IN 2017!

Hot of the press: we proudly present our new KRONEN brochure!

This clearly structured booklet contains all the information you need to know about us, our machines and solutions. Also, important references can be found there.

Simply contact us: we gladly will send you a personal copy. Alternatively, you can download a PDF copy of the brochure from our download-area, click here:
http://www.kronen.eu/en/anlagen/sl-xl/anlagen-downloads

We wish you much fun when browsing and reading!

September & October are traditionally strong fair months for Kronen. Anuga Food in Cologne is one of eleven exhibitions on which we were represented - and that on almost all continents:

• Santiago de Chile, FOOD & SERVICE (1.-4.09.2015)
• Rimini, MACFRUT (23.-25.09.2015)
• Las Vegas, PACKEXPO (28.-30.09.2015)
• Vigo, CONXEMAR (5.-7.10.2015)
• Moscow, AGROPRODMASH (5.-9.10.2015)
• Moscow, AGROTECH (7.-10.10.2015)
• Cologne, ANUGA FOOD (10.-14.10.2015)
• Beijing, CHINA FOODTECH (19.-21.10.2015
• Atlanta, PMA FRESH SUMMIT (23.-25.10.2015)
• Dubai, GULFOOD (27.-29.10.2015)
• Madrid, FRUIT ATTRACTION (28.-30.10.2015)

Trade visitors from all over the world experienced our machines in operation, obtained comprehensive information about our complete assortment and benefited from the expert advice of our exhibition team.

Something we are particularly pleased about: The very good response and the big interest especially at the Anuga Food (as one of the most important trade fairs for the food industry) were gratifying. We presented a wide range of our machines, enabling visitors to understand how to optimize such production line processes: from trimming and sorting, cutting, washing, dewatering and drying up to packing the products - everything from a single source.
Interested visitors and customers took the opportunity to get first-hand comprehensive & competent information about the Kronen processing technology with cost-saving automation possibilities.

We would like to thank the numerious visitors for their high level of interest and the constructive conversations.