IFFA 2007 once again proved itself to be the international trade show of choice for many in the industry.

According to reports from Messe Frankfurt, which owns and operates IFFA, nearly one of every two visitors (46 percent) to IFFA 2007 came from outside of Germany, giving the show the true global flavor it was determined to represent. IFFA is without doubt the largest trade fair the meat and poultry industry can experience, and this year’s event was the biggest in many years.

“Five percent more exhibitors and even more growth on the visitor side — not to mention a level of internationality higher than ever before — provide impressive confirmation of the IFFA success story,” says Detlef Braun, member of the board of management of Messe Frankfurt.

All in all, the exhibitors were highly satisfied with IFFA 2007. Top marks were given to the fair by 84 percent of exhibitors, with regard to visitor quality and contacts made to the appropriate target groups, according to Messe Frankfurt reports.

What follows is just a small sampling of the hundreds of exhibitors at IFFA 2007. They are listed alphabetically by company name:

Alkar-RapidPak showed its new wireless internal temperature probe, using RFID technology and a lithium ion battery with a two-year life. The probe, originally made for batchhouses, can monitor the temperature throughout the cook/chill process. The company also offers continuous validation of the equipment, typically every two weeks or months.

Armor Inox was on hand to demonstrate a variety of products to help processors in the cook, cool and chill process of ham and ready meals, including its Multimolds. The Multimolds system ensures optimum product shape consistency, uniform cooking, easy automated handling and sanitary, hygienic design. Multimolds are 100 percent stainless steel and offer maintenance-free operation, and they can handle a variety of products from deli hams to a multitude of custom-shaped slicing logs.

A fully automatic line of machines for middle cutting pork was on display by ATTEC during the show. The brand-new line can cut middles into loin, belly, backbones, loin ribs, featherbones and string of pearls. It totally debones the carcass and can run them at a rate of 550 per hour. The line can also reduce the labor needed for this part of the process to 10 to 12 people at a U.S. facility. All while providing consistency and better yield.

Butina/Anitec was on hand at the show, demonstrating its automatic pig-handling and pig-stunning systems. The 35-year-old company owns 75 percent of the world market in this niche and offers systems that can handle as many as 1,500 pigs per hour. The company also offers a data service, allowing processors to collect data from the equipment at any time for analysis of the line.

CFS opened the doors to its facility in Bakel, The Netherlands, to attendees of the show who made the trip to the company’s “Technology Centre Show.” The show treated attendees to demonstrations of the lines in action with real product as well as in-depth explanations of the cost savings and improved efficiencies that processors could achieve using CFS’s total solutions.

Some of the equipment and total line solutions that were on display included CFS’s Fryerless Frying Line, featuring its MultiFormer, OptiFlour, OptiAir, OptiCoater, CrumbMaster and CookStar equipment; its Enhanced Meat Line; and its TrayFormer, featuring the Hole-in-the-Wall concept of manufacturing pre-formed trays within the processing plant. CFS also demonstrated its fully automatic slicing line, its Minced Meat Line and its new ShrinkPak System, which is designed to provide a cost savings of 30 percent off traditional shrink bag systems.

Information on expertise in the area of ingredient solutions was available at the Chr. Hansen booth. Among the company’s solutions for the meat industry were items on seasonings and taste, functional blends, meat cultures and natural color solutions.

The company illustrated how its expertise and application centers around the world can create innovative solutions. Chr. Hansen works with customers to develop tailor-made concepts to help achieve the right sensory experience.

The CSB-Image-Meater was the top project at CSB-System International’s at the show. The machine is developed as a practice-oriented solution for the objective and transparent grading of pigs for slaughter with automation of the grading process.

The Image-Meater uses RFID and software that captures images, identifies structures and evaluates measuring results. The grading takes place by analyzing the images of the loin area of the side of pork and enables an accurate and easily traceable assessment of the grade in a non-contact and hygienic way. 

CSB’s Fuzzy-Meater, already in use in China, brings the same technology to grading beef. The product works as an add-on to the full ERP system of CSB. Working as a visual sensor, it feeds the system with data of the meat. A TCP/IP connection transmits data in several directions a weighing facility is included in the over all system.

Espera showed off its ES 7000 and ES 5000 series in its booth, with the ES 7000 representing the latest generation system. The labeling system has an output of up to 120 packs per minute to a high industrial standard. It is also suited to combining with packaging machines.

The ES 5000 is also fully automatic and made of stainless steel, but works with a better price point. Suited to mid-sized factories, it has a performance of up to 60 packs per minute. Users can have interactive control of the unit through a high resolution touch screen color monitor. The machine also has a product pre-selection memory, reducing changeover times.

Formax brought the new ULTRA26 Forming System to the IFFA show. The new system offers a new path to optimum line performance, reduced maintenance and extended life. Higher productivity and output are assured by a powerful servo drive system that maximizes performance at rates up to 100 strokes per minute and 3,000 kilograms per hour. The number of components in the knockout and mold plate drive systems has been reduced by 30 percent to ensure a lower cost of ownership.

Processors can automatically load sliced, stacked or shaved lunchmeat at high production rates in any packaging machine with Formax’s FXplus autoloading and depositing systems.

Frans Vermee showed off its form/fill/seal machines for filling chubs. The company’s Chub System is capable of high speeds up to 160 packs per minute, features extremely rugged construction, meets accurate product weights consistently and can produce package sizes from 15 g to 10 kg with a diameter from 15 to 150 mm and a package length from 50 to 2000 mm. The Chub system machines also come with an optional  “Easy-Open” accessory a tear strip that is sealed to the package as an opening aid, when PVDC film is used in the packaging.

A new high-speed slicer was introduced by Grote at the show. It is built for high-speed bulk slicing and interval count applications. Usually used for bacon processing lines, it keeps pork bellies steady during the pendulum-style slicing process.

Speed can be adjusted up to 400 strokes per minute, per lane. Product can be continuously loaded into the product holders while the machine is running. Sliced product is placed onto conveyor belts, oven belts or paper. Operation and sanitation is simple. The touchscreen allows most functions to be changed with the touch of a finger and parts can be easily removed to allow for thorough cleaning.

A large, modernistic-looking booth announced Handtmann’s presence at IFFA 2007, where the company showed off most of its line of products, including its vacuum filling equipment, its twisting and portioning equipment, ham and bacon portioning machines, and its process control automation systems.

The sausage maker parade kept going with products from Hitec Food Equipment. Among the products on display at Hitec’s booth were the M-3X, a high speed cellulose stuffing, linking and hanging machine. Other products were the Linkseparator, Linkwel and an automatic stick loading and unloading system. And taking care of the casing removal end was the Sabre-10. Alls systems were made of stainless steel.

Hoegger showed off its IP 320 Press in its booth. The hydraulic press is made for beef and case ready applications. It was shown completely redesigned with new controls and new hydraulic systems. The lift and feed system both work as inline solutions to processing problems.

Marlen Research Corporation showed off hopper systems at its booth. The company’s OPTI-Series was the main attraction with features such as a new vacuumizer hopper with auger assist, an externally adjustable diffuser valve, a hydraulically driven front valve and a new self-diagnostic electronic control panel. All of these are contained within the one machine.

The models on display were the Model 200, 280, 140HP & HS and the 40 horsepower Hydraulic Unit with Vacuum Pump. Other machines available as auxiliaries were the 2000 Vari-Form machine, the COV Portioner and RS Portioner.

Poly-clip System debuted several of its machines in a world premiere at IFFA 2007. The FCA 160 and 120 Automatic Double Clipper, the FCA 50 Automatic Double Clipper and the RLS 1200 Rack Loading System were all present in the company’s booth. Poly-Clip also showed the TSCX 120 Automatic Sealing/Clipping Machine, which holds the world record for producing 25 tons of sausage an hour. On display as well at the quite large Poly-Clip booth was its ICA 8700 Automatic Double-Clipper and the TSA 120 & 200 Automatic Sealing Machines.

The FCA 160 & 120 Automatic Double Clipper machines are self-regulating, process-proof and fully automatic. The system uses RFID technology on the clip spools to ensure the right clip is used for the right product.

Smoke and flavor producer Red Arrow laid out a feast with foods featuring the flavorings available. A salmon and potato salad dish feature SmokEz Oil M and Caramelized Onion 6147, while a barbequed shoulder of pork had the CharDex 7039 GF was available for those wanting downhome flavor. Chicken fried rice featured the Fried Flavor 4062 and an oven roasted chicken and vegetables were given a taste of Fried Poultry Type 6093 and the SmokEz Oil.

Beef was not left out with tenderloin medallions with pesto and balsamic glaze featuring Nat. Prime Rib Beef FL WONF 6151. Pork tenderloin was wrapped with Red Arrow Smoked Bacon and the parmesan whipped potatoes featured SmokEz 8092.

In Roser’s booth, attendees could test the company’s line of hygiene control systems, including the SANI-ECO and SANI-COMPACT. These machines roll entryway hygiene all into one piece of equipment, forcing plant employees and visitors to make certain their boots and hands are clean and sanitized before they are allowed onto the floor. Roser also showed its line of product handling equipment, including bins, buggies and sanitizers for those pieces.

Schröter displayed the ContiJet at the IFFA show. The continuous line system is perfect for sausage production and serpentine style hams. The system comes with a heavy duty chain and sprocket setup and uses a duel air fan like an oven to achieve a uniform cooking environment. It is capable of product loading and unloading robotically, another system that Schröter offers.

Stick brackets keep products in place and prevents falling. The framework itself is within the structure, allowing for easy cleaning.

The company’s BakeJet works like a one truck backing house, with multiple airflow from four jets providing for uniform cooking. The system has different controls for each part of the world that Schröter serves. It can also communicate with PCs, even working with two computers with one as a backup.

The Stork Food Systems booth at IFFA 2007 showed why Stork Townsend leads the industry in sausage linking, skinning/trimming, curing/marinating, meat harvesting and QX system quality coextrusion.

Visitors saw demonstrations of the most flexible linker on the market — the Townsend NL17 FLEXlinker. The Townsend SK 11-300 Series utility skinners featured sanitation enhancements that reduce cleaning time by as much as 50 percent. And the Townsend 6000DHT AUTOtrimmer showed how processors can remove an exact layer of fat from pork loins with automation that cuts knife trimming in half.

Other Stork further processing machines attracting great attention in the booth included the RevoPortioner, RotoCrumb and ValueDrum.

Tipper Tie Group brought examples of many of its clippers for display at its IFFA booth. The models shown included the Swipper C, SwiStick, Swopper, DC SV 5000, DCM-90, KDCM, KDCMA, Flex Sizer and the TM 2001.

The Falcon conti was on display at the Treif booth during the show. The Falcon conti can make up to 500 cuts per minute of fresh, crust-frozen or bone-in meat in portion-control applications. The company demonstrated the machine’s speed, power and accuracy in frequent demonstrations throughout the show. The meat is scanned upon entering the machine for optimal cutting in exact-weight processes. Treif also featured its line of sanitary slicers, from the smallest — the Divider 440 — to the largest — the Divider 800.

Viscofan unveiled its new logo during the show, as well as its new marketing tagline — Casing Solutions Worldwide. The company featured its Shirred Coffi Film, which provides processors an improved netting in an automated process setting. The product can be used in a smoker, and Viscofan is looking to roll it out in the U.S. market.

Volta Belting Technology brought its DualDrive SP to IFFA. The belt is designed to work with a smaller pulley while maintaining the same positive-drive and highly hygienic characteristics as the Volta DualDrive and SuperDrive belts.

The DualDrive SP belt requires a lighter conveyor construction since it works with a 50 mm pulley diameter and requires minimal tensioning. This relatively small pulley provides a tight transfer of the end-product between conveyors, reducing product loss and overall conveying costs.

Weber brought its Slicer 604 to the show, an update from the 602 model. The new machine has rear-center loading on a conveyor by hand or by machine. Log length can go up to 1600 now. The knife head will still at the same 800 rpm speed, does the moving now, not the meat. The conveyor of the 604, along with that of the 404 and 304, allows for 80 mm stacks. The entire portioning part of the system swings out for cleaning.

The company brought a wide selection of products to the show. Two portion loaders were brought as part of its Food Robotics systems. The loaders fit right over in-fed packaging, working as a “pick and place” loader.

The ASX 460 skinner uses a vision system to remove the rind and a chosen level of fat on a product. Taking the work of two machines plus labor, it reduces the process to one machine.

Weiler Food Processing Systems had its Dominator Series on display in the booth. The series featured a balanced flow design that allows for better product quality, grinder productivity, maximum bone and hard tissue removal and lower operating costs. The members of the series include a mixer grinder, pre-grinder, self-feeding grinder, mixer grinder and conversion unit and a block grinder.