MacIntyre Chocolate Systems is a worldwide supplier of chocolate manufacturing and processing equipment. Based in Scotland, it is part of the wider Probat Group. Offering solutions for the small-, medium- and large-scale processing of pure chocolates, compounds, truffles and creme fillings, MacIntyre is the go-to business for chocolate manufacturing and has been since 1974. Its place in the market is defined by traditional engineering excellence alongside a constant striving for improvement. Managing Director Joseph Gorman, George Johnston Internal Sales Manager and Linda Mather, Area Sales Manager for Europe, divulged the secrets of MacIntyre’s success to Hannah Barnett.
There is plenty to offer the chocolatemaker at MacIntyre Chocolate Systems, located in Arbroath, West Scotland. The company manufacturers pumps, filters, storage tanks, cocoa butter and liquor melters, product rework systems, ancillary equipment, and an artisan line for fine chocolate making.
With an eye on market trends, MacIntyre is also undertaking trials for the manufacturing methods of vegan chocolate, protein chocolate, dairy-free chocolate and sugarfree chocolate.
Its current headcount is 48 employees and MacIntyre Chocolate Systems has a long history stretching back to 1832, when it operated in a different form as Low and Duff, Monifieth. In 1974 it became Low and Duff (Developments) Ltd., and in 2017, MacIntyre Chocolate Systems Ltd. was established. In this way it is a hybrid of new and old; both pioneering and rooted in tradition. Joseph Gorman, Managing Director, painted a picture of a bustling, innovative
operation: “We’re an engineering and manufacturing company. We have our own f ull turnkey facility here for fabrication and welding, CNC machinery, electrical and mechanical assembly. Alongside that is engineering, technical, mechanical, electrical and electronic design. Also, we have our own lab. We’re able to develop products, recipes, tests, trials for NPD.”
An international operation
The innovation may begin at its Scottish site, but Mr Gorman went on to explain just how prolific the company is overseas and how this is significant in its vision for the future.
“We have a group strategy that we work towards,” he said. “A 2025 strategy. And that's really about growth and market share and being a global supplier. We export 99% of our business and are in 106 countries. We have a large global footprint, so to try and manage that can be challenging.”
Additionally, the twists and turns of the market have proved unpredictable for MacIntyre as Mr Gorman explained: “Even after Brexit, we saw a sales increase in Europe when all the indicators were telling you it was going to be different. And at the same time, sales in Southeast Asia dropped significantly during the pandemic, purely because of the situation in that region of the world. So when we saw growth, we also saw decline. But what we're seeing now is grass shoots coming back from Southeast Asia, and we’re seeing these economies coming back and starting to invest again.
“Although price pressures have been an issue, that's been an issue for this entire supply chain as a whole. But we've had solid development over the past two years, with Siemens as a major supplier for hardware and software development. And that has been fantastic.”
Mr Gorman was keen to stress that as well as global corporations like Siemens,
the company uses a local supply chain based on the West coast of Scotland, because ‘supporting a local economy is part of what we do.’ MacIntyre is a significant global player and firmly committed to supporting local firms.
The MacIntyre Refiner Conche
The company’s flagship product, the MacIntyre Refiner/Conche, was developed in 1926. A conche is a machine used during
the manufacture of chocolate which evenly mixes the chocolate mass.
“We’re the OEM, we are the original design,” Mr Gorman stressed. “The Refiner/Conche is our design: we own it. So, we are very distinct, and we are known globally as the market leader for the Refiner/Conche.”
The company’s work with the conche continues to successfully blend classic design and cutting-edge innovation.
This is something Linda Mather, the Area Sales Manager for Europe, expanded on: “We have always been using the same tried and trusted technology. This machine’s been in the market, producing high-quality chocolates, compounds, spreads and so on, for decades. But using an integral part of the machine, we’ve now improved it through design, and brought it in line with industry 4.0.”
“The refiner conche is our design: we own it. So, we are very distinct, and we are known globally as the market leader for the refiner conche”
Part of what makes the machine so successful is its simple design and handling; ‘almost plug and play’, as Mr Gorman said. But it is a clever, useful piece of kit too. It has a universal system that performs several functions in one machine.
“The MacIntyre Refiner/Conche is just one unit, with one geared motor and one heat setting,” Ms Mather said. “If you use a different type of technology to make your product, then you’ve got several machines and much more energy consumption. In times when we’re all conscious about energy consumption, the MacIntyre is a perfect solution. That’s including manufacturing rework. It will take product that hasn't passed the QA and bring that back into a mass.
So, there’s no waste, which is ideal for larger companies that have a lot of rework to handle.”
A vision for the future
MacIntyre is not a company to get stuck on the success of one outstanding product. It is always striving to improve, develop and keep innovating, while also maintaining its core strengths.
As Mr Gorman said: “2022 saw us invest approximately £1.1 million into the business. That was for new CNC machines. It was a significant investment.
“We are at the point where our machines are fully compatible with Industry 4.0, which is great. Industry 4.0 is really about data acquisition and data technology and that whole linkage and communication between
machines and systems. Our machine is compatible with that, and what we’re looking at next is AI, that ‘Lights out factory of the future’ idea where our machine can be used without an operator. Currently you can set the machine on automatic, but now we’re looking for the machine to basically run on its own.”
Succinctly summarising the synergy and diversity that makes the company tick, Mr Gorman reflected on the satisfaction he derives from his work: “We have a large footprint here in the UK, from big OEMs but also some fantastic independent chocolatiers. MacIntyre has been on the journey with these businesses. And there’s satisfaction to see their business grow. It’s really good. So, there are many different types of satisfaction when working at MacIntyre.”
