Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Case Studies & Field ReportsProcessing

CASE STUDY

New Grinding Equipment and Automation Continue Optimization for FPL Food

FPL Food LLC is a major beef producer in the southeast and is adding new equipment to meet its next stage of growth.

By Grant Gerke
Humanely raised cattle

Angus and Wagyu cattle from FPL Food’s Châtel Farms are raised in a vertically integrated process that prioritizes animal welfare for the highest quality products free from growth-promoting drugs and supplemental hormones.  Image courtesy of FPL Food via LinkedIn

August 31, 2023

“American consumers are buying beef in new ways , whether it is directly from local farms, ranches or online through e-commerce,” says Mark Eisele, president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in response to a new proposed bill in May 2023 to expand direct-to-consumer sales of beef and poultry.

Buying online is growing, and FPL Food LLC in Augusta, Ga., has been leaning into this trend while also selling large volumes of beef to retail stores, foodservice and food manufacturing partners. Founder, Francois Leger, first purchased the processing facility in Augusta in 2004, and eventually grew the business that now includes a grinding facility in Thomasville, Ga., as well as 3,500 acres of farmland raising genetically certified Angus and Wagyu cattle. The beef producer has three facilities and farms, with more than 1,500 employees.

FPL Food handles every aspect of production from the birth and raising of the animals to the harvest and final product. By implementing responsible agriculture practices at the farm and decreased transportation time to the harvest facility by buying and raising cattle in the Southeast, FPL Food is committed to giving back more to nature than it takes.

With continuous growth for the last twenty years, FPL Food has also continued to optimize its food operations with new equipment and more automation. In 2015, FPL Food added an inline X-ray inspection to measure the fat/lean ratio of portions before grinding. The new trim management system allowed for large pieces of beef—up to 40 lbs. each—and provided high throughput, unlike other systems that require different material handling methodologies. This process extracts more high-value beef and can be sold at a higher value.


FPL Food upgraded from the Weiler 1109
New mixing and grinding equipment helps FPL Food increase capacity to produce 72,000 pounds per hour. Image courtesy of Provisur Technologies


“The biggest benefit is the 100% sampling achieved by the inline X-ray machine. This eliminates all the sampling errors traditionally associated with extracting a 5-lb. sample from a 2,000-lb. combo of meat,” says Tyler Randolph, corporate engineering manager at FPL, back in 2015.


Upgrading Mixer and Grinding Equipment

Recently, FPL upgraded from Provisur Technologies Inc.’s Weiler 1109 to the company’s Dominator 14 and Dominator 1612 Mixer/Grinder. The equipment is designed specifically for fresh industrial meat grinding and alternative protein applications, focusing on improved product texture.

The counter-rotating paddles optimize rollback and turbulence that offers a more consistent particle definition. “The overlapping paddle system allows you to mix slower and achieve the optimal blend,” says Leger, president and CEO of FPL Food. “It preserves the texture of the meat without extracting the protein, which gives you a much better texture and a less chewy texture in the meat.”

Another added feature of the mixer pump grinder technology is the positive displacement pump controlling the speed of the blade, screw and pump. Moreover, the bone eliminators are included in the grinder head and offer more yield.

“The new equipment helped us increase capacity to produce 72,000 lbs. per hour,” says Leger.

Similar to the addition of X-ray inspection equipment, more automation also offers greater plant flexibility. “We were also able to modify the grinding equipment by adding a custom-made programmable logic control (PLC) program,” says Leger. “So, on each system, the grinder is independent and recipe-driven. Depending on the recipe, we can easily adjust the blending and chilling times for each batch.”

FPL Food also uses the Formax ULTRA26 former from Provisur to deliver precise weight and shape control for its meat products. This servo-driven knock-out former includes a feed screw assembly that offers simplified maintenance and cleaning due to the modular design. The forming machinery provides a water-cooled double enveloping main reducer with a temperature sensor to monitor its condition.

“We currently have three forming machines for our frozen patties,” says Leger. “The main benefit from the new forming machine is that we have a more consistent quality and weight across each patty. I’ve used other formers in the past, but Formax equipment delivers more volume and better texture.”


Ultra26 forming machine
The Ultra26 forming machine offers a servo-driven knock-out system to accurately place formed products on conveyors for further processing. Image courtesy of Provisur Technologies


The three machines create small columns of vertically stacked patties. The application includes filling the cavity during the mold plate's dwell period, which results in more even cooking, consistent internal temperatures, better overall shapes and an improved tender texture, according to FPL.

“The beauty of the ‘Tender Form’ system is that the patties maintain a consistent shape, even when you cook them on a barbecue,” says Leger. “We also use the ‘Homestyle Patty’ system, which gives you a better texture and the feeling of a homemade burger.”


A Growing Business

With growing interest in alternative protein and a high demand for traditional beef products, FPL Food is moving fast and continuously looking to expand its operations. “These are strong, extremely durable machines and Provisur is always evolving to help us meet our needs,” says Leger.

KEYWORDS: farming meat industry technology

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Cleaning | Sanitation
    By: Richard F. Stier
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

Food Plant Openings and Expansions June 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions June 2025

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

More Videos

Popular Stories

Cargill Cocoa Plant

Cargill Invests in its Cocoa Supply Chain

Campbell’s Utah plant

Going for Gold(fish): Inside The Campbell’s Company’s $160M Cracker Plant Expansion

Woman engineer on construction site

Exploring the Impact of Women Engineers on the Food Industry

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

July 23, 2025

Decarbonizing Process Heat: What You Should Know and Next Steps

Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • USDA to continue testing for Salmonella

    See More
  • Food Processing Equipment

    Selecting the Right Plastic for Food Processing Equipment

    See More
  • Fluidsens SWA1 smart water analyzer

    New equipment allows for sampling, testing water in real time

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Methods_food_products-2nd-Ed-Cover-415x600.jpg

    Methods for Developing New Food Products, Expanded Second Edition

  • Functionalized_Carbohydrate.gif

    Functionalizing Carbohydrates for Food Applications

  • statical.jpg

    Statistical Process Control for the Food Industry: A Guide for Practitioners and Managers

See More Products
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!