Completely new hygienic conveyor belts for Storteboom Hamrol

Van Leeuwen Techniek

On behalf of Storteboom Hamrol, Van Leeuwen Techniek has developed nine conveyor belts and installed them in the factory in Poland. “A challenging project, because we made various conveyor belts that had to be placed between existing machines,” says Bertus van Leeuwen, owner of the technical company. Customization was the solution here. Fortunately, the men at Van Leeuwen Techniek are masters of this.

Conveyor track design and production

In the office, the engineers immediately start drawing the conveyor belts during the design phase. The purpose of a conveyor belt is to transport chicken fillet and tenderloins from the existing filleting machine to the X-ray machine. The engineers design the conveyor belt to measure, based on drawings of the space at Storteboom Hamrol and of the existing machines. This is how Van Leeuwen Techniek determines the ideal setup for the conversion. The construction of the conveyor belts is also done in the Netherlands by the mechanics.

After filleting the chicken breast, a conveyor belt will ensure that the meat is taken to the X-ray. The X-ray detects any bone remaining in the chicken fillet and causes a split: completely bone-free fillet is brought further into the logistics process via the conveyor belt. At the same time, a conveyor belt brings the chicken with bone remains to Storteboom employees. “We have made work platforms for the production employees on this conveyor belt to manually remove the bone. The product then goes through a conveyor belt to the X-ray machine again for checking.”

Conveyor track with hygiene and comfort

The work platforms or cutting tables and the conveyor belts of Van Leeuwen Techniek are very easy to clean. “Hygiene is very important, especially in the poultry industry. Our conveyor belts and cutting tables are made of durable stainless steel with mainly smooth surfaces and are equipped with a CIP installation, Clean-In-Place. The conveyor belt is cleaned from the inside.” In this way, in addition to the choice of materials, the design also contributes to hygiene. “Work comfort is also considered early in the design phase. For example, we build cutting tables at the ideal working height. At Van Leeuwen Techniek we believe that working in a responsible manner should be a matter of course.”

Installation of conveyor track in-house

Van Leeuwen does the installation of the conveyor belts itself. “Immediately after New Year’s Eve, a team of four left for Poland to install the conveyor belts. By keeping the installation in our own hands, we guarantee the quality. Our technicians ensure accurate placement between the existing machines. We have experienced that the dimensions between the machines deviated slightly from the drawing we had received and on which our design was based. By keeping the installation under our own management, we can switch quickly and adjust the size of the conveyor track. Flexibility and customization is what we prefer to do, that’s what we excel at.”

“We had two weeks for this project in Poland, because production had to be restarted after that. Fortunately, we are used to working according to a tight schedule!” said a proud Van Leeuwen.

For quality and customized conveyor belts, please feel free to contact Van Leeuwen Techniek.