When Schirnhofer’s existence was proverbially “on the line,” the company was able to rely on its long-standing partner for machine and plant manufacturing. Weber Food Technology equipped the well-established Austrian company with a full solution slicer line that allows Schirnhofer to notch up their performance as a service provider in the slicing area.

Re-invent or disappear? This question probably arises at some point for just about every company that is active in the market long enough. This was also the case for the meat processing company Schirnhofer. The Austrian company based in Kaindorf near Hartberg will be able look back on 100 years of business operation in the coming year. And during this time, the company has re-invented itself more than once. The last time – which Production Manager Jeton Syla can remember well – was five years ago. After withdrawing from the store business, many structural changes and a strategic reorientation were necessary at Schirnhofer, the production manager recalls: “Since then we have consistently specialized in sliced products.” However, because the required systems were already over twenty years old, the company decided to invest in this business field again in 2023. In Weber Food Technology, Schirnhofer fortunately has a business partner at its side that is an absolute specialist in manufacturing line solutions for slicing applications. 

The new Weber full solution line includes all modules from the scanner to the belt separator. It starts with the Weber weSCAN 5000 laser scanner to guarantee optimum product utilization with maximum yield and minimum give-away for the wide variety of different products that are processed at Schirnhofer. For slicing raw materials, Schirnhofer decided in favor of the weSLICE 7500 slicer. The vario technology integrated in the slicer allows independent carriage on up to four lanes according to the previous scan result. Not only does this contribute to a first-class yield, but the scanner, slicer, and weigher work together so harmoniously that Schirnhofer achieves a give-away of zero percent. The sliced portions are transported further by the Weber CompactBuffer and then placed fully automatically, precisely, and hygienically into the wePACK 7000 high-performance thermoformer by the wePICK pick robot with up to 130 picks per minute. In particular the gluing table integrated in the wePACK for changing the top film “is a huge benefit for us,” emphasizes Jeton Syla, “because of the many different types of film that we have to process and which we can now change much faster and above all more easily.” The weLABEL transverse conveyor labelers integrated in the packaging machine put the finishing touches on the packages with individual labels on the top and bottom. Last but not least, the finished individual packages are merged from two lanes into one lane with the help of the compact weSORT 3000 belt separator.

Since all line modules come from a single supplier, Weber was able to integrate the individual components and combine them into a strong unit. Schirnhofer therefore does not have to worry about interface problems. Schirnhofer operating personnel also benefit from the comprehensive integration and networking in relation to line control. “With the help of the Weber OneControl technology, each line component can be controlled from any control panel. This makes work easier for our operators and reduces walking distances,” explains Jeton Syla. In addition, all machine and performance data can be called up at any time and from anywhere at one of the intuitive terminals.

“Because we obtained all the system modules from a single source, all line components can talk to each other perfectly thanks to the deep software integration via a control system,” explains Andreas Rosenberg from Franz Gramiller und Sohn, Weber’s representative in Austria. “As a result, the communication of the modules functions so well that we achieve a packaging output that is higher than originally specified by the customer.” The Weber full solution line, which Schirnhofer bought for ten cycles a minute, currently runs with over thirteen cycles per minute. “In this case, the customer got an extra third of a line for free,” grins Tobias Weber, CEO of Weber Food Technology. The businessman does not find this situation regrettable at all: “I am delighted that Schirnhofer can achieve such a development here,” he says and quotes the company owner, Karl Schirnhofer, who readily admits that he could not have “ramped up” Schirnhofer at all without the line solution from Weber. “When I hear something like that, I get goosebumps,” beams Tobias Weber, “it’s just great!” Jeton Syla’s pride in the efficiency of his production is also written all over his face: “Thanks to the possibilities that Weber gives us with the new system, we have the potential for growth,” he says, looking towards the future. And for the future, Syla is already considering the next joint projects for new processing and packaging lines with Weber.