MARKET LEADER OF THE CENTURY

Idaho Steel has been around for over a century. In those years they have built up an impressive portfolio on flake drums. More than 200 drums have now been installed worldwide. But an important development has been set in motion for a number of years. The new drums have been built in a new way. The major advantages of this are better heat conduction, (as a result) lower steam consumption and a larger efficient surface. All new factors contribute to a higher return and a better end product. What started all those years ago as “an addition to the range” has grown into an absolute specialty, resulting in worldwide market leadership.

THE “GO TO GUYS” IN IDAHO

Davis Christensen, director of Idaho Steel puts it this way: “In North America, we’ve been the go-to guys when you want to produce flakes since the second half of the last century. And that market has grown enormously since then. Firstly, because you make a potato product with flakes that exceeds the shelf life of other potato products. Second, because potato flakes are used in more and more products, such as instant mash, crisps, flour, snacks and all kinds of binding agent applications. The world of “convenience” in the kitchen, the easy-to-prepare meals, all these developments have contributed to the growth of flake production.

DON’T BOAST WITH KILOS PER HOUR
Idaho Steel introduced the first stainless steel drum dryer in 1993 and a super drum dryer in 1995. This hygienic machine was an instant hit and the market responded positively. Larger more productive drums followed in the following decades, with increasing global demand. The latest megadrum, produced by Idaho Steel, has a guaranteed capacity of 1,250 kg per hour and can – depending on the dry matter content of the potatoes used – even deliver up to 1,500 kg per hour. “But we don’t use that as a sales argument, because in practice we often have to work with potatoes with a sub-optimal dry matter content. We also do not have to boast with those numbers, because the effectiveness of our drum dryers is also proven by the steam consumption.”

PRIDE DUE
Both partners Idaho Steel and Kiremko are now installing flake lines all over the world. The United States, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia. “And we are currently processing an application for Africa. Then we will have all continents complete again. Because we don’t count Antarctica, no potatoes grow there,” says Kiremko director Marcel van Huissteden with a smile. “Our unique collaboration enables us to make customers all over the world successful in producing flakes. We have been successfully joining forces for almost 25 years, which has meanwhile yielded us a convincing market share and we are proud of that. ”

FLAKES AS INSURANCE
And he continues, saying that recent projects show the great interest in our drum dryers, partly as a result of the global Covid crisis. But flake production will become an indispensable part of versatile potato processing after the pandemic. This is obvious for the specialists, but it may be new for the French fry producers. A flake line as an “insurance policy” for difficult times. So that no potatoes are lost, or to respond more flexibly to the market price of the raw material. Finally, the sustainability assessment will also play an increasingly important role, the zero-waste idea is also permanent. In short, the production of potato flakes is a business case that will stand the test of time.