Tummers Food Processing Solutions is the globally recognised leading specialist in the development and improvement of processes in the potato and tuber processing industry. Head of Sales Edwin Langbroek spoke with Richard Hagan about how the company’s latest investments will ensure its continued market leadership.
Tummers Food Processing Solutions, based in the Netherlands, specialises in the development, design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of processing equipment for the global potato industry. Selling to customers
ranging from major multinationals to family-owned companies and emerging processors, businesses around the world rely on Tummers’ machinery to reliably and consistently produce the highest-quality products every day.
The company offers a comprehensive package of products and services, all of which are sourced from within its manufacturing facility in Hoogerheide, in the province of North Brabant. This includes the whole scope of any project, from sales and project management through to engineering, production, shipping, installation and commissioning.
That immediately sets the company apart from the competition, according to Edwin Langbroek, Head of Sales: “We have the entire scope of supply in-house,
including all of the deliverables needed to support our customers from A to Z. This enables us to have full control on the quality of every step in the process.”
For its electrical controls, Tummers Food Processing Solutions trusts the Eltra Group
to provide it with the highest quality electrical control equipment for its various processing lines. Tummers’ relationship with Eltra extends back to the early days of both companies. “We grew together,” said Mr Langbroek. “We’re part of what they do and vice-versa; we’ve experienced mutual growth both in terms of volume and professionalism. It’s a great example of a successful partnership and it’s comparable to the way we partner with other companies as well.”
The power of potato flakes
Tummers’ potato flake processing machinery has always made a substantial contribution to the company’s revenue. Potato flakes are a core ingredient in a wide variety of food products, including stackable crisps/chips, many different fabricated snacks, gnocchi, instant potato mash, soups, potato croquettes, sauces, thickeners and various other products.
“A lot of products in the supermarket that don’t have the shape of a potato or even the original texture of it, are made with potato flakes,” revealed Mr Langbroek.
The potato flake market has seen sustained growth and Tummers Food Processing Solutions has consequently continued to enjoy notable success in this area, particularly in developing economies. “There has been worldwide growth in processed foods such as snacks, but also in frozen products and ready meals,” said Mr Langbroek. “Growth in India and China has been especially strong.”
But Tummers’ continued growth in these and other markets is not left to chance; Indeed, it is by design.
The root of process research
At the start of 2024, Tummers Food Processing Solutions proudly opened the doors to its brand new, state-of-the-art research and development laboratory. The Tummers Innovation Centre has been specifically designed to allow the company to carry out advanced testing and prototyping for its customers – not only in terms of potato processing, but that of other food materials, too – including starches, proteins, yeast and algae.
“There are so many different potential applications of our technology that it’s very useful for us to have this facility,” explained Mr Langbroek. “It allows us to work with our customers to find the right application for drying their product.
“Our growth in markets such as China and India is due to our continued product development using the latest technology. Since 2019, we have really stepped up our development programme, and our highly skilled R&D department is our latest step to ensure that we remain the industry leader in these and other markets.”
Saving vapours, saving energy
In one of its latest and most significant technological breakthroughs, Tummers Food Processing Solutions has introduced a new evaporation process for its potato flake drum dryers. This E 2 E SteamClosure promises to vastly reduce the energy
required for potato mash evaporation. The groundbreaking new system captures, processes and reuses the vapour produced during the potato mash drying stage, resulting in energy savings of approximately 70% versus the traditional drum dryer system. The energy recovered from the reuse of the vapour is then used to generate steam to power the drum dryer.
“We believe that the conventional means of powering a flake line is not sustainable and won’t last,” said Mr Langbroek.
“By exploring this new method of running a flake line, we can drive the drying process with electrical energy instead of gas.
The energy required can be generated by renewable sources such as solar and wind. That’s how we see a factory of the future.”
In addition to this innovation in the evaporation process, Tummers offers a similarly revolutionary system for steam peelers, the E 2 E Condenser.
“We now have a system to recover the energy that is normally just lost and turn
it into usable hot water that we can reuse in the factory’s process,” continued Mr Langbroek. “We focused on the two biggest energy consumers in a potato processing line – the steam peeler and drum dryers. Now, by reusing as much energy as possible from the steam exhausts, we have been able to eliminate emissions, lower energy costs and generally drive more sustainable factories.”
Expansion plans
Tummers Food Processing Solutions is happy to announce that in 2024 it will open its first sales office in the United States. Located in Boise, Idaho – the heart of America’s potato industry – the new office will open in partnership with Southern Fabrication Works, a local specialist in industrial food processing equipment. This physical presence in the important United States market promises to further increase Tummers Food Processing Solution’s own share in the US.
Simultaneously, Tummers will begin a joint venture in India with Food Processing Technologies India (FPT India). Tummers has enjoyed a long-term relationship with FPT India who have represented Tummers in the subcontinent for many years, and this JV is a natural extension of that successful relationship. The JV will initially see the opening of an Indian sales and service office, but it is also hoped that it will later incorporate a fabrication facility.
Concluding, Mr Langbroek emphasised the company’s high-quality offering: “We have the best flake lines in the world in terms of end-product quality, capacity, ease of operation and reliability. These are the most important reasons why customers choose Tummers.
“We truly are ahead of the competition. With that in mind, we look forward to continuing our growth worldwide.” n
