ARTICLE
februari 05, 2022
Bacon Manufacturer Saves Thousands, Maintains Quality With Replacement Slicer Blades

John F. Martin & Sons®, a maker of meat and cheese products for grocery stores, restaurants, and delis, including ham, bacon, deli meat and cheese, realized substantial cost savings by a simple switch of a slicing blade from an OEM blade to a replacement slicing blade from PRIMEdge.
 
The bacon industry, thanks to more people cooking at home and buying larger quantities, is resulting in double-digit sales, according to this National Provisioner article. To keep up with the increased demand, John F. Martin decided to expand its bacon plant in Womelsdorf, Pa. Initially, the plant was operating with only two Weber® Slicer 702 machines. Today, the company is running a total of six Weber® slicing machines.
 
The expansion and additional slicing machines in production created a new need for the company—an increased number of slicing blades to be used in production and an additional back-up inventory in case of repairs.
 
“We were looking for a cost-effective blade solution compared to what the manufacturer was offering us,” said Jeriah Martin, Maintenance and Procurement Manager, John F. Martin. “We run our blades every other day, and sharpen them on the off day. PRIMEdge was supplying blades for our slitting machines, which have proven successful, so we reached out to them for replacement slicer blades.”
 
Keeping a minimum of 12 slicing blades in rotation for John F. Martin’s one day on/one day off manufacturing process, plus back-up inventory for emergency repairs and maintenance, came with a substantial cost. As OEM blades can sometimes become substantially expensive, the total investment can quickly add up.
 
PRIMEdge Sales Manager Hector Jimenez offered a solution with a significant price savings and longer standing time, and sent John F. Martin replacement blades from PRIMEdge to test. After running several tests, John F. Martin chose PRIMEdge’s replacement slicer blades and started to phase out its OEM blades going forward.
 
“Processors have told us they have seen up to a 1.5 times longer standing time between resharpening on PRIMEdge blades compared to others,” said Jimenez. “Our blades also help maintain product quality and yield with consistent slices whether you are stacking, shingling or have a custom food service layout.”
 
PRIMEdge’s OEM-quality replacement slicer blades are made with premium materials from select steel mills that provide consistent cuts and withstand harsh environments—but at substantially lower cost compared to OEM blades. Since the initial testing, John F. Martin has ordered several replacement blades, five of which are running on six Weber® Slicer 702 machines.
 
“We are in the process of phasing out the OEM blades and are currently using PRIMEdge for a third of our blade usage,” said Martin. “PRIMEdge’s replacement blades slice exactly like the OEM blades, but with a large cost savings. I believe this blade will be our long term solution and confident it will be a success. PRIMEdge is extremely willing to help and the customer service is very good.”