Which Type of Topping Applicator Is Right for Prepared Meals?

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The Future of Prepared Meals

Prepared meals is one of the leading sectors in the food manufacturing industry. Within the last decade, the demand for prepared meals has sky-rocketed. A survey of 63,000 individuals found that nearly half purchase freshly prepared food at the grocery store. Prepared meals have grown to a $29 billion business, with the growth rate doubling that of typical grocery store sales. With such a high demand for prepared meals, there is an equally high demand for target applicators. 

Food manufacturers must prepare their production lines with high-quality equipment to keep up with the fast-growing industry. At Quantum Technical Services, we provide the food automation technology necessary to meet your consumer demand. Our prepared meal topping applicators will pave the way for limited food waste, increased revenue, and substantial customer growth within your business. Quantum Technical Services guarantees capable machinery and customer service that will invariably boost your confidence when using topping applicators for prepared meals. 

 

Choosing an Automated Prepared Meals Production System

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Automated machines are the future of food manufacturing. While some are worried such systems may limit job availability, they are just systems. Our target applicator systems seek to maintain efficiency and stability during production. In 2018, a study tracking US consumers’ eating behaviors reported that frozen foods alone represented 9.8 billion in-home meals. Imagine how many other forms of prepared meals feed these individuals daily. 

Prepared meal topping applicators enable quicker production rates to meet the high demand from busy, on-the-go consumers. Therefore, these production systems provide many benefits to companies leveraging them. While these machines offer simplified solutions to increased production, you might still wonder why you should invest if your current system works just fine. 

Here are a few arguments as to why you should upgrade to Quantum’s prepared meal topping applicators:

  • High-Quality Products – Food manufacturing machines of sub-par quality tend to produce inconsistent results – whether concerning sanitary conditions, food prep, food distribution, or spotty tech malfunctions. However, high-quality food target applicators like the TC-5S and MLT2000 Series produce continual consistent results. Automated lines allow the even distribution of ingredients and contribute to maintaining hygienic food production conditions.
  • Limit Inefficiency – Bottlenecks are a common and irritating event in the food industry. Reduce bottlenecks by adopting automated machines. Instead of wasting your time clearing the bottleneck, avoid it altogether by using highly efficient machinery. 
  • Decreased Costs – Another inefficiency of human resources concerns finding 24/7 staff, updating staff training, and planning for human error. Let your team focus on the fine details, and instead, feel confident that your topping applicator for prepared meals can keep operations running smoothly. 

 

Types of Topping Applicators for Prepared Meals

Quantum Technical Services understands the challenging aspect of finding the right topping applicator for meals. Based on your business, existing production lines, and food manufacturing goals, you may need an entirely different applicator than you originally had in mind. Quantum offers several topping applicators for prepared meals – the TC-5S and the MLT2000 Series. 

 

TC-5S 

Quantum’s cheese and topping applicators portion more extensive toppings like veggies, cheese, meats, and other dry ingredients into packaging for prepared meals. The TC-5S Series is an excellent option for businesses that want to cut down on food waste while increasing productivity. This targeted applicator features a cantilevered design and a touchscreen control system with diagnostics.

If your business is on the smaller side or in a space with less wriggle room, we recommend choosing the TC-5S. Due to its compact and portable design, the TC-5S provides easy-to-use operations systems and is accessible to most businesses. With a production rate of up to 80 feet of product per minute and 18- or 24-inch usable product belts, the TC-5S is convenient for almost every business. 

 

MLT2000 Series 

Compared to the TC-5S, Quantum’s MLT2000 targeted applicator offers advanced features. This model cantilevers the applicator over existing lines. Unlike the TC-5S, the MLT2000 series’ “no tray, no fill” deposits increase productivity, reduce food waste, and provide clean topping coverage during production. 

 

Benefits of Prepared Meal Topping Applicators

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Customization

Our prepared meal topping applicators have many distinguishing and patented features, such as user-friendly operation systems, clean designs, and conveyor or cantilever-style installments. However, we can custom engineer machines for you if our TC-5S or MLT2000 applicators need to meet your preferences or physically fit in your business space. These customizable machines will create efficient conveyors and prepared meal machines suited to your unique production line

 

Individual Packaging

The spike in demand for prepared meals may have sparked from reducing the spread of Covid-19, fitness trends, the hype over intense meal-prepping, or an increase in 1- and 2-person households. Regardless, the demand for prepared meals has increased the need for individual food packaging.

While individualized packaging requires other manufacturing equipment forms, the direct investment has long-term financial and sustainable results. If your business benefits from a demand for single-packaged items, we recommend purchasing the MLT2000 for heavy-duty production lines. 

 

Sustainable Equipment

Along with the rise in individually packaged items, there has also been an increase in demand for plant-based and meat-alternative products. In response to the need for more sustainable food alternatives, manufacturers like Quantum have also considered how to create more environmentally friendly machines. Our targeted applicators, like the TC-5S, reduce waste by targeting and applying ingredients only to the product detected by the photo eye. To lower your eco-footprint, consider investing in the sustainable TC-5S. 

 

Sanitary Spaces

In response to the USDA’s strict food safety and inspection standards, most facilities have sought to increase their sanitary and safety measures. Many of these sanitary measures start with avoiding cross-contamination by maintaining clean equipment. Fortunately, our stainless steel equipment simplifies your sanitation process as we design our products for easy cleaning. 

 

Quantum Technical Services Preps for Your Needs

Take part in meal prepping with Quantum Technical Services. Our topping applicators are just the equipment you need in your business. Our targeted applicators – the TC-5S and the MLT2000 – are top-of-the-line applicators that simplify individual packaging and sustainable food prep. Consider investing in our targeted applicators for easy and high-yield prepared meal production lines.