Meincke to present new systems at Interpack

Frank Müntzberg, Meincke's chief executive and part of a Danish consortium which has just bought the firm, said the company would use its independence to focus on researching and developing new food products and processors at its test centre.

And the company plans to unveil new technology at April's Interpack expo in Germany, including a new method of combining filling and moulding techniques.

Müntzberg declined to give further details of Meincke's Interpack showcase before the event, but the group has already done a lot of work on fillings and says its test centre, including food technologists and scientists, are currently running trials in partnership with suppliers of baking stable masses, such as chocolate, fruit and cheese.

Meincke said it was also focusing on leading edge depositing technology, such as temperature controls on all equipment as well as the pivoting and cross motion of depositing nozzles. The group is launching newly developed depositors combining needs for in-line sandwiching and decorating biscuit base cakes.

Müntzberg said Meincke particularly wanted to serve a general shift towards smaller, premium baked goods, such as cookies and cakes in single-serve packs, which it was witnessing across developed markets in Europe and America but also in China.

Working on innovative ways to add fillings could help the firm tap into this trend by helping food producers to raise product value. This is a tactic much needed in the UK, where data from analyst group Mintel​ says the 3.8 per cent cake market growth since 2003 is mainly due to higher prices and not increased sales. The UK cake market was worth around €2.4 billion (£1.75 billion) in 2003.

Yet Müntzberg said that Meincke would continue to supply reliable equipment to lower end market players, and that supplying both ends of the market were becoming increasingly important due to producers moving out of the mid-range.

He said the company was already working closely with many major biscuit and cookie companies in Europe and the US, and planned to tailor product innovation to producers' needs by discussing the pressures on the baking industry.

Müntzberg added that he was confident Meincke could move forward if it could press its main competitive advantages; providing cutting edge, flexible equipment and the ability to use its test centre to act as a partner for customers developing new products.

Meincke.​, which has an annual turnover of about €23.8 million, was last month bought out by Müntzberg and Danish industrial investors Industriudvikling II K/S and Hellebjerg A/S. The firm's previous owner was Italian firm Dry Products/CIR.