Using raw materials more efficiently, optimizing production processes and ensuring consistently high quality at the same time: the challenges facing food manufacturers are complex, particularly when processing natural products such as cheese, ham or sausage. No two products are alike. Differences in shape, structure and consistency have a direct impact on the processing operation. Slicing is therefore a decisive factor in how efficiently raw material can be used. Every slice, every gram and the size of the end piece affect the economics of production. In this context, sustainability is driven not only by new materials or energy savings, but also by durable machinery, high availability and the fullest possible use of the raw materials employed.
Defined portion sizes are standard practice in the food industry. A 200-gram pack must reliably contain 200 grams, regardless of variations in the incoming product. This is precisely where the technical challenge lies: cheese, ham and sausage are natural products with variable properties. Emmental cheese with holes has a different structure from a same-sized loaf without cavities. Maturity, temperature and composition also affect slicing behavior. Machines must therefore not only operate at high speed but also adapt to changing conditions.
The key question is not only how many products can be processed per hour. Equally important is how efficiently raw material is used. At high production volumes, every additional slice and every reduction in end-piece size can make a significant difference. However, sustainability in food processing technology does not end with optimal raw material utilization. Technology itself also determines how resource-efficiently products can be manufactured. Machines and systems remain in operation for many years, and their availability, maintainability and upgradeability have a major impact on the efficiency of the production process.
Sustainability throughout the entire life cycle
A system that operates reliably for decades provides investment security and enables more efficient use of resources over the long term. The purchase price alone is not decisive; what matters is the machine’s total performance over many years: availability, maintainability and the ability to integrate technical advances. This approach is particularly evident in custom machine engineering. Rather than developing standardized solutions for large production volumes, machines are engineered specifically for individual applications. The challenge is to solve complex production tasks reliably over the long term.
Innovation grows from experience
The further development of slicing systems rarely results from a single technological leap; it is more often driven by continuous adaptation to new real-world requirements. When processing natural products such as cheese, ham or sausage, machines must respond flexibly to variations in raw material properties. Insights gained from each application are therefore incorporated into the development of future systems. One example is Dipl.-Ing. Schindler & Wagner GmbH & Co KG, a southern German company that has been developing customized slicing systems for the food industry for decades. “In practice, no two SCHIWA machines are identical,” says Bernhard Kraus, CEO of SCHIWA. “Every system provides new insights that we incorporate into the next solution.”
This approach becomes particularly clear when specific requirements from production practice lead to technical developments. The objective is not maximum technical complexity, but the simplest possible robust and reliable solution. For example, blade geometries have been developed that allow a wider temperature window, increasing process reliability and production flexibility. Another example is the Yield Gripper, which combines the advantages of two gripping methods without inheriting their respective disadvantages. Belt transfers present another challenge. SCHIWA’s innovative hygienic shaft for belt conveyors allows transport shafts that are difficult to access by design and exposed to heavy contamination to be cleaned directly in the system using Clean-in-Place (CIP). Optimizing raw material yield is therefore not only a matter of sustainability, but also of economic efficiency.
Less waste through higher raw material yield
The economic impact of improved utilization is especially apparent with high-value raw materials. Products with long maturation periods or high material costs offer significant potential when more saleable product can be obtained from the same input through more precise slicing technology. Here, sustainability is a result of more efficient production. This differs from short-term optimization aimed solely at minimizing acquisition costs. What matters is the benefit a technology delivers to the user over its entire service life. Reducing avoidable losses is central to any effort to stop the manufacturing food waste cycle.
The future of food processing technology: efficiency rather than replacement
The food industry must meet multiple requirements simultaneously: rising quality expectations, more sustainable production and economic efficiency. Machines must therefore deliver more than speed alone. What matters is how reliably a system operates, how efficiently it uses raw materials and how much value it creates over its entire service life. Longevity, precision and continuous improvement are becoming key factors in sustainable food production. Wherever valuable natural products are processed, sustainability does not begin with the final product; it begins with the technology that extracts the greatest possible value from it.
