The new Berkel Avantgarde meat slicer, now available from Avery Berkel has been developed to address retailers’ key requirements for improved safety, hygiene and performance.
Built upon more than a century of Berkel slicing expertise, the Avantgarde gravity-feed manual slicer is ideal for high-volume preparation of a wide variety of meat products, from small salamis to whole cooked hams.
Berkel has also paid particular attention to the slicer’s styling, with a patented design that will complement store counters.
Safety first
The slicer is fully CE compliant and features an integral blade sharpener. This positions the sharpening stones automatically in the correct position by simply lifting the cover, thereby providing additional operator safety.
Controlling slice thickness is also safer and more precise thanks to the new index control system. While other slicers may require several revolutions of the dial for the blade to open fully, with Aventgarde, operators can move the blade from the safe, closed position to fully open in a single revolution.
This removes any uncertainty because, if the dial is set above zero, the operator can be certain that the blade is open, helping to improve safety further.
Hygiene as standard
For the busy retailer, time spent cleaning the slicer, especially when changing between meat types, can affect productivity as the machine may be out of action. Berkel has therefore made Avantgarde both quick and easy to clean, with many quick release parts to help encourage regular maintenance and ensure a high level of hygiene whilst also minimising downtime.
All food contact parts, including the meat table, the guard, the knife centre plate and the pin plate are made from stainless steel and can be removed quickly. In addition, the large, 330 mm knife blade is manufactured from chromium steel for high durability and hygiene.
The remainder of the machine carries an IP54 rating to protect the slicer against the ingress of moisture and features an open design enabling easy access to all areas. This makes it easy to wipe down mid shift, helping to reduce downtime.
Performance first
Professional quality presentation can help to increase product appeal and Berkel has incorporated a number of features in to the design to help improve slicing performance.
The patented index system is highly accurate, featuring numerical indications that are true measurements in millimetres. This removes guesswork and means that the operator can produce repeatable slice thickness. It also makes slicing-to-order simpler as the operator can set the required thickness from as little as zero to one millimetre and upwards consistently.
The easy and safe-to-use integral knife sharpener also ensures that the blade maintains high slicing performance at all times, helping to achieve maximum yield from each cut of meat and minimising waste.
Comprehensive maintenance and local service support is available for all machines through Avery Berkel’s network of service centres.
For further information about Avery Berkel’s range of meat slicers and food processing products, please contact Mike Davies on email mdavies@averyberkel.com or visit the company’s web site at www.averyberkel.com