Three Spiral Freezer Tips for Business Owners

The Spiral Freezer and Your Business

The spiral freezer differs from other freezing technologies in that it wraps the conveyor belt around a central cooling unit. Instead of extending across a production room floor, as is the case with a freezing tunnel, it extends upward. It saves space, but it’s also harder to expand than other similar technologies. However, in production areas where space is limited, or when supply and demand are both steady, it can be an amazingly efficient piece of equipment. These three tips are designed to help you figure out if a spiral freezer is right for your business, or if you already have one, if you should upgrade it.

#1 The Spiral Freezer and Demand

Where many other systems are modular – designed to be expanded over time – the spiral freezer’s upward expansion is limited by the ceiling of your facility. For that reason, you should carefully consider what your long term growth plans are if you’re thinking of investing in one. It’s easy, in this uncertain economy, to think the light at the end of the tunnel seems pretty dim. If you’re wrong and you buy the wrong freezer, even if that light gets profoundly bright, you’ll be shackled by the capacity of your hard-to-expand freezer.

#2 Customizing a Spiral Freezer
If you do choose a spiral freezer, one of the first things you should look at is what customization is available. If you already use a similar system, you probably have it configured exactly the way you want it. Migrating that configuration may not be as easy as it at first appears, though, and that’s something you should prepare for. The best way to prepare is to read what options are available upon installation – what’s a permanent, hard-wired value, and what you can change on the fly. For example, modern freezers allow you to input the average temperature of incoming product. This lets you avoid overfreezing and damaging the product. Otherwise, think about the conveyor belt and how your product enters it.

#3 Maintenance of a Spiral Freezer

Nobody likes to spend money on maintenance. If you find yourself looking at your current equipment’s operating expenses with more derision than normal, you might look at upgrading it. However, there’s no reason to upgrade if you’re going to have exactly the same problems with your new equipment. Reading product reviews, or even asking about a particular freezer’s suggested maintenance cycle will let you nip those issues in the bud. You want forward movement in this department, not lateral. Don’t trade one negative for another unless you’re convinced it’s worthwhile.
Hopefully these tips help you decide if you want or need a spiral freezer. Business decisions aren’t to be made lightly; do your research, ask these questions!