Pittman’s first sawing line was installed in 1994 and replaced after 10 years of use in 2004. For our new equipment we turned to Nienstedt in the German town of Haltern am See. Nienstedt is the number one in the world when it comes to frozen food processing.

‘Our new sawing line makes all the difference’

To always be able to meet the needs of the end customer requires constant investment and innovation. Pittman Seafoods has recently had a brand new sawing line installed that offers the precision required to cut their blocks of meticulously selected deep-frozen fish  – from salmon, and Alaska pollack to hake, hoki and pangasius – into approximately 70 different shapes and sizes. After all, ‘whatever the customer wants’ has become the new standard.

Pittman Seafoods is a down-to-earth family company with nearly 25 years in the industry. In order to be able to produce a precisely weighed and consistent end product, this company from Zeebrugge has opted for a new, state-of-the-art sawing line from Nienstedt. This choice stemmed from their desire to work with greater precision and to remain the ideal industry partner.

Pittman’s first sawing line was acquired in 1994 and the second was ready to be replaced after ten years of use. ‘The machines would occasionally pack in, leaving us up the creek, so to speak, with respect to production planning’, explains Kevin Martony, Production Manager at Pittman Seafoods. ‘After carrying out a series of thorough analyses, we decided to invest in a new sawing line. For our new equipment we turned to Nienstedt, who are based in the German town of Haltern am See. They are the number one worldwide in the field of frozen food processing.’

3-in-1

Such a huge investment requires careful consideration. ‘We made a proposal to Pittman Seafoods of a fully-automatic sawing line comprising 3 machines,’ explains Uwe Pinz, Vice President of Nienstedt. ‘The Log Saw PC 2100 saws large 7.5 kg deep-frozen fish blocks into portions with a width of 40 to 160 mm.  The Plank Saw PC3106 saws horizontally and can make a maximum of seven steaks with a height of at least 8.4 mm. With the Portion Saw MS 4000, one can cut steaks into portions and cubes starting at 3.5 g.’

Modular

Needless to say, the new machines meet the strictest safety and hygiene standards. Furthermore, the new sawing line remains completely modular after its initial installation. ‘Whenever the time comes to install an additional machine, it can be seamlessly integrated with the current setup,’ says Martony.

Training and maintenance

Experts from Nienstedt visited the facility in Zeebrugge specially in order to explain the functions and operating procedures of the automated sawing line to Pittman’s employees. ‘Training is a core part of our service,’ Pinz tells us. ‘If desired, we will even give technical courses relating to the maintenance of the machines.’

The daily cleaning and maintenance of the machines can therefore be carried out by Pittman Seafoods. However, a contract has been signed with Nienstedt for any major maintenance and repairs that may be required.

Added value

Pittman Seafoods is more than impressed by its new acquisition and is looking confidently to the future thanks to the new sawing line. ‘Thanks to these three state-of-the-art machines from Nienstedt, Pittman Seafoods can deal with a high capacity, prevent downtime and offer many more options with respect to cuts and portions. They also allow us to plan production more efficiently,’ says Martony. ‘This alleviates stress on the work floor, which our employees appreciate a great deal.  The most important thing is of course to produce a nice end product for the client and to do our very best to avoid any deviations in weight. Thankfully, Nienstedt has got precision down to an art.’