When it comes to sausage peelers, processors have a wide variety of machines to consider. For Sara Lee Foods, Cincinnati, OH, its choice was the Townsend 2600 Sausage Peeler —and for several important reasons.

“The Townsend 2600 Sausage Peeler offered us enhanced reliability and a simpler sanitary design,” says David Jones, group vice president of operations, Sara Lee Foods. “We found it was the single-best value, and its enhanced sanitary design met all of the criteria for our ready-to-eat processing areas.”

Sara Lee Foods processes and markets a variety of packaged meat products. In the United States, its leading brands include Hillshire Farm, Sara Lee, Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, and State Fair. Jones was involved not only with the initial purchase of this peeler, but he also worked early on with his maintenance and sanitation crews on proper peeler operation, as well as with his cleanup crew on validating cleaning procedures for the peeler.

“An integral part of frankfurter processing, the peeler is located in our ready-to-eat packaging areas,” Jones explains. “This magnifies the importance of reliability, maintenance, and sanitation.”

The Townsend 2600 Sausage Peeler was developed and rigorously tested using American Meat Institute Sanitary Guidelines.

“Overall, the peeler basically embraced all of the principles of sanitary design for equipment,” Jones says. “It was a significant improvement over any other peeler available on the market.”

Not content to rest on its laurels, Townsend has further enhanced its 2600 Peeler since initial development. Enhancements include:

• Removed plastic flap over the switches on the peeler base. Previously, the plastic flaps had to be removed to thoroughly clean all areas.

• A square tube, completely sealed with no openings, replaced a hard-to-clean channel upon which the peeler wheels were mounted. The holes for mounting the wheels are tubes that are welded into the mounting feet so that nothing can get into the channel.

• A channel inside the cabinet and a vent hole at the bottom of the cabinet were removed. This eliminated a collection area for water and other materials.

• Electro-polished parts reduce the ability for bacteria to hide. Provides increased corrosion resistance.

• Redesigned head increases bearing life. Bearings relocated away from the steam.

• New in-feed sensor automatically shuts off the air when product is not being fed. Interfaces with processor’s air supply system.

• C-Clips (instead of bolts) on the steam tube attachment make cleaning easier and quicker.

• Extended air-filter life reduces filter expenses.

• Reduced noise increases employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

• No tools are required to set up for any product size. Product changeovers take less than five minutes.

• Easily adaptable to central vacuum systems.

The Townsend 2600 Sausage Peeler is not only enhanced from an operational standpoint, but it is also easier to maintain and clean during operation, easier for maintenance to work on it, and the cleaning and sanitizing process is simple and much more effective, Jones says.

When asked if he experienced any surprises in working with this equipment, Jones cites its durability combined with the simplicity of design.

“The real surprise was we came up with ways to disassemble the peeler using very simple tools or no tools at all,” Jones says. “We find that simpler designs are generally more robust.”

When it comes to service, Townsend also hit the mark.

“Townsend has done a good job with standardizing parts, and it has also provided the technical know-how when it comes to installing the peeler, servicing it, and training employees how to properly operate it,” Jones says. “As we look for Best-of-Class equipment, our approach is that whenever we find a piece of equipment that satisfies our needs we want to standardize that equipment in all of our facilities.”

Today, Sara Lee Foods operate 25 Townsend 2600 Sausage Peelers system-wide. NP

Townsend Engineering Co., phone (515) 265-8181 or (800) 247-8609, e-mail info@teconet.com, or visit www.TownsendEng.com

13 mm to 36 mm diameter, lengths greater than 4 pitch (38 mm) (1-1/2 inch)

Pressure: 500 to 700 kPa (75 to 100 psi)

Consumption: 17, 0-25, 5 m3/hr (10 to 15 cfm)

Connection: 3/8 to 18 NPT internal thread

Biological Filter: Customer supplied, pre-filter for 0.3 micron or less

Pressure (recommended): 172 kPa (25 psi)

Pressure (maximum): 345 kPa (50 psi)

Consumption: 17 m3/hr (10 cfm)

Connection: 3/8 to 18 NPT internal thread

Shut-off Valve: Ball-type for flow control

Customer: Provide condensation trap and vent

Vacuum: 75 mm Hg (40 inch H2O)

Consumption: 305 m3/hr (180 cfm)

Connection: 51 mm (2 inch) outside diameter

Normal operation emits 89 dB(A)

Shipping Weight

1246 lbs. (566 kg)

Exterior Metal: Stainless steel

Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the manufacturer.