"Meat" Us at IFFA 2025

Any Food in Any Tray

IFFA is the world’s leading trade fair for innovations in process technology for meat and alternative proteins and it gives us the opportunity to show our vision. As we know that every food production site has individual needs, the focus of the QUPAQ booth at IFFA is going to be: “Any Food in Any Tray.” Therefore, we are going to present a diverse range of our dependable technology at IFFA to demonstrate our flexibility to meet the various demands of the food industry.

Below, you can take a closer look at the machines we will be bringing; namely, the QUPAQ Flex Loader, the QUPAQ Shuttle Conveyor, and the QUPAQ Smart Tool – Flex.

The QUPAQ Flex Loader

Capacity is a crucial part in the meat packaging industry, as variations in meat products demands both flexibility and a high packaging capacity. As a result, QUPAQ launched the QUPAQ Flex Loader in 2023. With this machine, we broke the world record the same year by denesting more than 1.000 trays in just one minute, and in the last couple of years we have refined the technicities and installed the solution at production sites all over the world. So, this technical solution has indeed shown itself to be a big gamechanger in the market showing true next level performance.

The QUPAQ Flex Loader is our most versatile and adaptable tray loader yet, engineered for flexibility and efficiency based on specific demands. With a compact footprint, it delivers high-speed/high-capacity performance while offering modular adjustments to suit the needs for any production line. By eliminating the space between trays, the QUPAQ Flex Loader enhances efficiency by reducing tray transportation time. This creates a smoother process flow, which minimizes product movement and maintains consistency. The QUPAQ Flex Loader also has the capability of combining multi-product step-loading with straightforward single-product loading, which enhances operational efficiency and adaptability – even at high capacities.

Innovation Based on Customer Needs

The innovative design and advanced technology of the QUPAQ Flex Loader guarantee seamless compatibility with all tray feeding systems. This allows customers to easily incorporate the system into their current production lines.

At IFFA 2025 you can experience the QUPAQ Flex Loader in combination with QUPAQ Flex Aligner and the LeanOne Buffer 1500 and see the live flow of trays in Hall 12.1 at booth C19.

“he QUPAQ Flex Loader was based on specific needs for more flexible solutions as the meat packaging industry previously had separate production lines for minced meat, steaks and layered meat. This division often led to inefficiency, as the demand for different products varied. This meant that some plants were running at full capacity while others were standing still. Our innovative solution combines step-by-step loading with multiple products and direct loading with individual products in a single solution. The QUPAQ Flex Loader enables quick adjustments and combines the functionality of multiple lines into one. For meat companies, this is a great advantage to be able to pack meat products in trays in different ways, whether in portions, stacked or layered.”

Carsten Trudslev

Senior Product Manager, QUPAQ

The QUPAQ Shuttle Conveyor

In Germany, there is a noticeable trend in the meat market towards sustainability and ethical sourcing. Consumers are becoming more curious about the origins of their meat and the treatment of animals. This shift is largely due to increased awareness of environmental and animal welfare concerns, leading to a rise in organic and grass-fed meat choices. Consequently, industry players are focusing on sustainable production techniques and transparent supply chains to cater to this growing consumer interest.

Sustainable and Space-Saving Solutions

One notable impact of this trend is the increased use of flatskin trays, not only in Germany but also throughout southern Europe and even in Australia. This might be because Flatskin trays offer several benefits, such as:

Space-efficient storage
Versatile display options for presenting products as well as marketing the products on both the front and back sides
Sustainabilty, as the flatskin is made of cardboard, thus reducing plastic usage.
Especially suitable for product such as meat, salmon, and chicken.

At IFFA you can experience how our flatskin denester is used on the ANYTRAY Rack Servo, the QUPAQ Shuttle Conveyor, and the QUPAQ Step and Go 2000 chain in Hall 12.1. Come visit us at booth C19 and see more.

“Although flatskin trays can be challenging to denest automatically, we have successfully managed to do it multiple times with various tray types. Loading the trays properly can also be difficult, which is why we will be showcasing our flatskin denester on the QUPAQ Shuttle Conveyor at IFFA.”

Lars Zederkof

Sales Director, QUPAQ

The QUPAQ Smart Tool – Flex

As mentioned, there is a lot going on within the development of tray materials. Retailers and end-customers have a higher demand for sustainable materials that are easy to recycle while still maintaining the core features of keeping food fresh for as long as possible to prevent food waste.

However, a lot of the new tray materials and tray types have not been designed for automatic tray denesting. Therefore, adapting to these new demands could in fact lower the capacity drastically or enforce a higher retail price on the trays. This is something we have tried solving at QUPAQ.

“Sustainability in food packaging has become a major focus in recent years, with new tray types and materials continuously emerging. It is crucial for us and our customers that we design and innovate packaging machinery capable of adapting to future developments,” explains Lars Zederkof.

Versatility Meets Eco-Consciousness

If you want a head start on how to denest even the most difficult trays with no problems, then have a look at one of the newest additions from our Research and Development Department: The QUPAQ Smart Tool – Flex. With the Smart form factor, it will fit any INTRAY tray denester in operation today. The tool has a new innovative approach to denest trays – even very difficult trays with rigid materials, uneven nests, and trays without lips, which are commonly used.

This means the QUPAQ Smart Tool – Flex is able to denest trays made of cardboard, pulp or other materials that are typically used in the produce segment, which most traditional denesters have difficulties handling.

With the QUPAQ Smart Tool – Flex you therefore get a free choice of tray, and you get to run them on the same line and equipment as you have today by only changing the tool in your INTRAY tray denester.