GEA is set to showcase a number innovations at IFFA 2025 in Frankfurt, Germany, from May 3 to 8. The company will demonstrate its expertise in meat, alternative proteins and cheese production, highlighting their latest technological advances in food processing, slicing and packaging designed to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
Commented Peter Lauwers, CEO, GEA Food & Healthcare Technologies division: “We are committed to helping our customers navigate today’s challenging market by providing innovative technology solutions that enhance production efficiency and sustainability. From maximising raw material utilisation and reducing packaging volume to adopting recyclable mono materials in line with Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation placed on the EU market, we prioritise sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Our solutions support to optimise energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enabling our customers to achieve greater operational efficiency while minimising their environmental impact. State-of-the-art systems for automation and advanced digital tools provide additionally comprehensive Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and increase the production yield.”
GEA is expanding its successful CookStar family with the introduction of CookStar First, a new spiral oven designed to serve medium-capacity markets, particularly for coated and plant-based products, with a throughput of up to 1,700 kg/hr. Offering up to 3% higher yield than most ovens and delivering 10-12% energy savings, CookStar First qualifies for GEA’s TÜV-validated ecolabel, ‘Add Better’. To put this into perspective, a 1% yield improvement in a two-shift operation at 1,500 kg/hr could result in savings of up to 55 tons of product annually, translating into a financial impact up to 200,000 EUR, depending on the substrate and coating type. CookStar First is equipped with advanced process enhancements that improve process control and cooking insights. It comes with the cloud-connected Starter Package Plus, a service solution that supports preventive maintenance to maximize uptime. Additionally, the Insight Partner module provides a comprehensive dashboard for energy usage, enabling customers to fine-tune their settings and minimise energy consumption for their SKUs (stock keeping units).
Also being introduced is the MaxiFormer II, the latest evolution in drum forming technology, setting new industry benchmarks for efficiency, consistency, and sustainability. Building on the proven legacy of the original MaxiFormer, this next-generation solution delivers superior performance at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) on the market. Its drum can now run continuously for up to 60 hours, at speeds of up to 10 tons/hr, without the need for cleaning, resulting in impressive uptime and class-leading productivity.
A key feature of the new system is GEA MaxiClean, an intelligent, automated cleaning solution that minimises downtime and maximises productivity. By optimising water, chemical and energy consumption, the MaxiClean system reduces total annual water usage by up to 80% and hot water consumption by 91%, significantly lowering operational costs and environmental impact. As a result, the MaxiFormer II has been awarded the TÜV-validated ‘Add Better’ ecolabel of the company, underscoring GEA’s commitment to sustainable innovation.
The OptiSlicer 7000, available with a mono drive or optional two independent drives, enables high-capacity slicing of two natural products while maintaining individual weight control per lane. When paired with the newly developed GEA Slicing Blade R505, featuring an extended cutting edge, it ensures superior portion quality and accommodates wider products. In interaction with the preceding OptiScanner 5000, GEA’s latest advanced optical scanning solution, the system minimizes product giveaway and maximises throughput – reducing waste and optimising raw material utilisation in production.
The impact of this efficiency is significant: in a specific application, reducing portion weight by just 2 grams in a 200-gram package could generate annual savings of 400,000 EUR for a two-shift operation. Additionally, all GEA PLC-controlled machines are IoT-ready and seamlessly connected to the GEA Cloud, enabling smart data integration for real-time performance optimisation. For more visit Hall 8, Booth G10 or gea.com
