Food processing equipment producer Fabcon Food Systems, headquartered in Norwich, has supplied Essex-based Fairfield Farm Crisps with a variety of frying, weighing, seasoning and packaging systems for the producer’s facility in the Colne Valley, near Colchester.
The contract is the latest in a line of positive news for Fabcon which has seen a period of strong growth across Europe and the Middle East.
Fabcon now employs 24-strong workforce at their Norwich headquarters, including a sales team who manage a customer base of new and existing clients.
Trevor Howard, managing director of Fabcon Food Systems said: “The team at Fairfield Farm Crisps has developed a tremendous brand in the past few years which has meant an expansion to their production facilities. We worked closely with the company to supply and install the best and most suitable machinery. Working with Fairfield allowed us to showcase the impact our processing equipment can have on quality, speed and packaging within the food sector. They now have a light maintenance facility which has helped make their production far more flexible, effective and efficient. The contract win is another positive milestone for us as we reach the midway point through what has so far been a successful 2017.”
Fairfield Farm Crisps owner and managing director, Robert Strathern, added the facility has now vast improvements to the seasoning and packaging systems. “We set the Fabcon team a tight timescale so the installation did not impact our production. Fabcon’s attention to detail and bespoke designs have been first-class and we are delighted with the result. Importantly, we have a new-found flexibility in our production line as it allows us to season and package different flavors at the same time but uniquely, on the same line and on any machine. That interchangeability is vital as we bring new lines to market and satisfy demand as our product range expands.”
Technical overview
Fabcon Food Systems provided Fairfield Farm Crisps with the following processing and packaging equipment:
• A 120kg/hr pellet fryer
• An FFS-HM twin lane, horizontal motion gated conveyor system – feeding seasoning and packaging stations
• Two ‘on head’ seasoning systems including feeders, stainless steel seasoning drums, electromagnetic vibratory conveyors and seasoners to feed the packaging stations
• Weigher, bagmaker and rotary packing table
• Supporting structures with extensions and modifications to accommodate new equipment
• Integration of the existing system with the new system – with a new control system, on-site wiring and services
Fairfield Farm launches Heat and Eat range
Recently, Fairfield Farm has launched an innovative range of crisps named “Heat and Eat”. The potato crisps bags have an innovative unzipping system and the crisps can be heat in the microwave oven. They are coming in two flavors – Lightly Salted with a Tomato Salsa dip and Cheese & Chive with Caramelised Onion Chutney Dip.
