“We didn’t know of this anniversary of the Kiremko Strata Invicta® steam peeler at the moment we bought it,” Aviko Belgium Project Manager Cor Koole admits. “We just bought it because it offers us the highest reliability. We know the Kiremko Strata Invicta® from other Aviko locations. Yield, capacity, operational reliability and total cost of ownership were our main focus. As always – with new major projects, like Poperinge – we had a good look at what the market has to offer and again Kiremko came out as the best. It’s always nice when your choice is acknowledged by others. That is how we see the celebration of the 30th STRATA Invicta® they sold to us. And we congratulate them with this impressive milestone.”
Highest customer value
Kiremko director Andy Gowing: “We have always set ourselves out to be suppliers of leading equipment throughout the potato processing industry,: fries, flakes, chips, precooked and fresh . To be innovative and improve ourselves, we work closely together with our customers every day. That is how we meet the market demands in terms of improvements like higher yields, larger capacities, progressive automation, energy reduction and environmental concerns. All aspects of the business are continually examined, so we can keep progressing towards the best customer value for money.”
Steam peeling is a science
Steam peeling has become an important process in a turnkey potato processing, in the last 50 years when Kiremko built their experience in this field. It is the preferred peeling method for the French fry industry and has become a standard method for fresh peeled potatoes, pasteurized potatoes and the flake industry.
Due to the Strata Invicta® ’s unique stainless steel vessel shape, the whole surface of every potato is heated evenly by steam. As a result of this optimal heat transfer, the steam time decreases significantly. The large diameter inlet door allows high capacity processing, for large or small sized potatoes and small and large batches. The Kiremko Strata Invicta® peels more efficiently and thinly than any other steam peeler, with 5 to 10% increase of yield. The secret of this success is the combination of an extremely short cycle time, up to 25% faster, with quick filling and steam exhaust. This way the most potatoes per hour can be processed at the highest possible yields.
Sustainable choice
Kiremko’s Andy Gowing: “For a sustainable production line we save energy by installing a condensate removal system. This saving is over 25Kw per ton peeled product with a temperature of 50 degrees. The vapor emission can be reduced to almost zero emission. To reduce the noise produced when steam is blown off by a steam peeler, we have developed a silencer. The noise released when steam is blown off creates a noise nuisance and is a reason why an environmental permit can be declined. The Kiremko silencer has been developed to transform the long-range low frequency sounds into a higher frequency which can then be substantially reduced in the silencer. Lowering the energy consumption and reducing the emissions – both vapor and noise - are of great impact to the environment. When you add up the energy reduction of these 30 Kiremko Strata Invicta® steam peelers in a year, it’s the equivalent of 2 million m3 natural gas, that can heat nearly 1.100 homes for a year.
Total cost of leadership
Not only the sustainability is secured in the Strata Invicta® steam peeler, also the durability. The shape of the vessel, the stainless steel that it is made of and the construction that avoids direct influence of heat and steam, all make sure that the Strata Invicta® is low on maintenance. “This leadership in the marketplace results in the lowest Total Cost of Ownership by far. We have customers comparing the Strata Invicta® first hand with other brands and they all say alike: it’s better and more durable. No replacing vessels every few years, no costly repairs or maintenance due to rust or other causes.” For Kiremko the Strata Invicta® is just one success story. “At this moment we’re working on a next generation fryer, that has the same mindset to it: Be the best.”
Artificial Intelligence in peeling
To optimize efficiency of the STRATA Invicta® steam peeler Kiremko designed the PeelGuard®. Andy Gowing: “The PeelGuard® is an optical in-line inspection, equipped with a weigh belt, so the exact peel result can be calculated accurately. The system detects the thickness of the removed skin and cooking ring, in order to continuously optimize the steam peeler settings. This way, the PeelGuard® guarantees a constantly optimized peeling yield and up-to-date information with respect to quality of raw material used. This information can be made available to the customer’s MES and/or ERP systems.”
One step in a total solution
For Kiremko steam peeling is one of the major potato processing steps where their innovation efforts and product development is directed to. Andy Gowing “We like to call ourselves total solution providers. When customers like to order a complete line, so they just have one throat to choke, as I always say, Kiremko provides them with product leadership on peeling, cutting, blanching, drying and frying. Together with our strategic partner Idaho Steel we can add flake drying and forming to the menu as well. And for all the other processing steps we have a network of partners in place. And we’re counting. The big question is, when will we install our 150th flake drum, or our 200th fryer? Just keep an eye on us.”
For more information:
Nicole Peters
Kiremko
Tel: +31 348 47 94 00
www.kiremko.com