VMI, a specialist in premium mixing and kneading solutions, is committed to providing efficiency and innovation to meet the development and performance goals of its customers. EPP’s (European Process Plant Ltd) technical sales support executives, Jole Reddin and James McConnell, had the pleasure of visiting VMI’s manufacturing plant in Nantes, France, to gain a deeper technical understanding of the mixers and learn how they can benefit EPP customers.
Arriving at the testing laboratory, Aurelie Joubin, a VMI sales manager, welcomed James and Jole into the factory, and the EPP duo got stuck into activities straight away, putting the mixers to the test and learning from the on-site master baker. All VMI mixers are built to a high standard and made of quality stainless steel. They are robust,reliable and hygienically designed for effortless cleaning and built to operate 24/7.
“We were really impressed with the quality and standard of the mixers! The two belt drivers are a huge benefit and unique to VMI, allowing for less stress on the motor and meaning the mixer is less prone to breakdowns and thus more reliable,” says James.
VMI offers a wide range of high-quality mixing bowls to suit all needs, from craft bakeries that require small batches of dough to be mixed – such as a 10-litre bowl (BV10 & BV22 models) –up to large industrial and wholesale bakeries that require 24/7 continuous rotating and mixing for capacities of .
VMI also offers the SPI-LAB mixer, which is designed for testing purposes to allow tracking and analytics to be recorded, and is ideal for research, laboratory or university locations. EPP has recently installed these mixers in several sites in the UK such as the University of Cardiff, University of Reading and Reading Scientific.
Jole adds “Seeing the mixers up close and hands on, meant we could explore the various features in depth with a master baker, such as the removable or fixed bowls and how the planetary mixers can be easily switched and adapted to suit a customer’s product range. It’s brilliant that we can bring our UK customers to the VMI test site to see the mixers in action to try out their own ingredients with an onsite master baker.”
Following a hands-on first day of using the mixers, the second day’s activities consisted of meeting with the after-sales team and visiting the production site to see the assembly process and the individual components (such as the spirals) being made from scratch and put together. “It was a crucial learning day for us to understand how the products are engineered but also how the spare parts are ordered and serviced,” James comments. “The knowledge we gained was invaluable and we made sure when we got back to EPP’s UK HQ, that we passed this new knowledge onto the wider team to ensure that we can best advise our customers.”
Jole added,“Another fact we learnt is that each machine has a QR code that takes the customer through to relevant information pages on that particular model. This makes the information accessible and readily available, especially the user guides and spare parts section.”
EPP is the sole distributor for VMI within the UK and Ireland and it has a long and trusted relationship with the manufacturer, having worked with them for over 20 years. Depending on individual requirements, the VMI mixers can be purchased from ready-to-go stock or the team at EPP and VMI can advise and build a bespoke machine to match exact requirements.
If you are interested in scaling up your mixing production process, increasing the quality of your dough/batter, or in need of a replacement mixer, contact EPP to see some VMI mixers in action at a visit to the test centre in Nantes or a reference site in the UK. Please contact sales@eppltd.co.uk,where we can assist you with any enquiries or questions you may have.
For more information about the equipment EPP can supply – please visit https://www.eppltd.co.uk.
