Clean and green conveyor belt solutions for the meat sector
Its predecessor HYECON(opens in new window) developed sophisticated conveyor technologies for the meat industry. However, these systems needed further development prior to market release. Providing the necessary development was the EU-funded HYECON2 (Demonstrating the hygienic, energy optimised HYECON products for the foodstuff industry) project. Overall, the aim was to demonstrate and validate HYECON's technologies. To boost the competitiveness of the participating SMEs, project partners demonstrated and validated various components that make up the HYECON system's product line. They designed a strategy to penetrate the market for each of the six innovations, namely the conveyor belt, drum motor, quick release system, water technology, hygienically optimised rollers and a drop belt system. The HYECON2 team approached potential customers at factories and various fairs in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. At factory visits, customer products were directly applied to the conveyor in order to demonstrate the HYECON system's efficiency. It also promoted these innovative components as part of the overall HYECON solution that features a highly hygienic solution with reductions in energy and water consumption, and labour and operating costs. Components bear the IP69K rating after undergoing rigorous tests to ensure that they offer protection against penetration of high pressure, high temperature water and dust. They are also certified by the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group, meeting the highest requirements for hygiene and food safety. HYECON2 showed the benefits, added value and competitive advantage of the conveyor belt solutions over current technology or products. In doing so, it enables SMEs to commercially develop, exploit and service the target market long after the project.
