"We get the feeling the food sector is evolving increasingly rapidly, making it hard for our clients to keep responding," begins Nicolas Bauwens, who owns the Belgian machine-building company Constructie Bruynooghe. He considers this one of the sector's biggest challenges. "Nowadays, there's plenty of demand for snackable, easy-to-eat vegetables."
NIcolas Bauwens
"More and more, consumers consider convenience and product quality - as indicated by things like nutri scores - important. To meet these market needs, producers put different emphases on our customers' production processes. It's a chain reaction, and these trends are noticeable right down to the machines' design phase," says Nicolas, adding that that customization is precisely why establishing a dialogue is essential. "Our sales engineers and project managers are in close contact with clients to realize a process solution that meets their specific needs."
Cleanability
That includes, for instance, hygiene. "You can no longer ignore hygienic design - considering the choice of materials, cleaning accessibility, and avoiding retention zones as early as the design phase - and every company is working on it. Our engineering division is strongly committed to that, and we keep an eye on trends and developments in that area," explains Nicholas. The company, thus, focuses on certain aspects.
Those include cleanability and using certified materials like, for example, metal-detectable plastic. "People are becoming increasingly demanding and assume that what our customers offer is almost ready-to-use. Retailers increasingly expect to offer quality-labeled products to shoppers, so manufacturers must be able to meet that demand. A hygienically designed process line can help."
Smoother maintenance
There is a similar development regarding maintenance. "We continue innovating to make the maintenance process smoother," Nicolas indicates. He says that aims to, among other things, minimize maintenance time so there is minimal downtime. "We also ensure that hard-working parts are always easily replaceable." The machine building company focuses on factors such as accessibility and ergonomics. "With every design, the system's longevity and reliability is a crucial starting point," says Bauwens.
The process involves factors like optimum energy use and process water recovery. "In our processing lines, electric motors, pumps, fans, and chillers use the most power. We make sure to use components with the highest energy efficiency label."
Processing line integration
Nicolas adds that using high-tech machines such as optical sorters has become commonplace. He notes that such machines are a craft unto themselves. "People often chose Constructie Bruynooghe to integrate different types of optical graders. Once customers decide on the grader brand, we carefully coordinate with them and the supplier to place that machine seamlessly into the processing line. Thorough consultation means we ensure perfect infeed, outfeed, and accessibility throughout the line," concludes Nicolas.
50 years!
Founded in 1973 by Daniel Bruynooghe, Constructie Bruynooghe celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Gerard Dupulthys and his grandson Nicolas Bauwens are now at the helm of this family business. "Constructie Bruynooghe has been a family business for half a century; that's something we keep promoting. We, thus, considered it crucial to put our colleagues and their families at the center of our celebrations held in early September," Nicolas says.
The company is active worldwide, with current projects in places including Belgium, other European countries, and Australia. "We see North America as a potential growth market in our sector." Nicolas is optimistic about the future. "We're committed to Constructie Bruynooghe's continued growth. We believe the food sector will always keep evolving and expanding. Healthy, good quality and easy-to-eat food are becoming increasingly important. Our customers find it challenging to respond to and innovate in trends. As a machinery partner with 50 years of experience, Construction Bruynooghe wants to support them in that," he says.
Nicolas Bauwens
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Bruynooghe Processing Experts
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www.bruynooghe.be