
Since Pierino Guglielmetti founded his premium pasta company more than 50 years ago, Lincoln Park, Mich.-based Pierino Frozen Foods has passed on not only to newer generations of Guglielmettis, but to newer generations of Messer freezers as well. With its first Messer Modular Tunnel Freezer installed in 1996 to handle the company’s frozen spaghetti, linguini, ravioli, and a wide range of other filled pasta varieties, Pierino is now using Messer’s newest individually quick frozen (IQF) freezer to achieve new levels of throughput and efficiencies.
Pierino gnocchi enter a Messer Wave Impingement Freezer.Photo courtesy of Pierino Frozen Foods
![]() | Messer's Wave Impingement Freezer was on display at IPPE 2022 in Atlanta. Watch our Take 5 video on this and other innovations at the show. |
Messer continued to develop its freezer technology as Pierino also continued to grow. Increasing production costs had Pierino looking for a way to improve freezing efficiency, reduce expenses, and thereby increase its profitability. Messer was working on a next-generation technology for IQF freezing that would help Pierino to achieve the increased freezing production that it was looking for—in the same footprint with more efficient cryogen and labor usage.
The new cryogenic technology
Pierino gnocchi exit the Messer Wave Impingement Freezer. The wave-like action helps keep the product separated while the impingement gas flows increase throughput, cryogen efficiency, and operating leverage for the premium pasta maker.Photo courtesy of Pierino Frozen Foods
Like the previously installed Messer Wave Freezer, the Wave Impingement Freezer uses a wavelike motion in its conveyor belt to help keep the pasta separated. Added to that technology are impingement gas flows that increase heat transfer. This improves capacity in the same footprint as the previous freezer, and it also reduces nitrogen consumption and overall cost to freeze. The new freezer also provides easy access for cleaning with a top that lifts vertically, making it easy to maintain.
Improvements in throughput and efficiency
Since installing the Wave Impingement Freezer in September 2021, Pierino has seen a 20 to 30% increase in throughput and has also improved nitrogen efficiency by 10%. Most importantly, Pierino has increased its operating leverage.
The Messer Wave Impingement freezer is the latest IQF freezing technology for improved throughput, efficiency, and labor savings.Photo courtesy of Messer
Messer worked with Pierino to set up a different recipe for each of its product lines so that the freezer’s wave action could be changed automatically with each change of product. This enables Pierino to more easily deliver perfectly cooked, high-quality pasta.
With the Wave Impingement Freezer, Pierino can run custom orders with minimal stocking time and inventory, helping the producer to grow its business and maintain its profitable growth trajectory.
“Our partnership with Messer goes back to my early days in the business,” says Guglielmetti, who grew up with the company. “If we run into a problem, we contact Messer and get prompt support.”