Companies join forces to help strengthen food processing sector
Food processors are navigating a dramatic shift in day to day operations as labor shortages tighten across the industry. With reliable help harder to find, plants are left with no choice but to turn to outside solutions to keep pace with rising production demands that show no signs of slowing.
Urschel, a global leader in food cutting technology, supports processors at every stage with versatile cutting solutions, in house engineering and manufacturing, and a worldwide sales and service network. With more than 500 employees, Urschel provides comprehensive customer support, including repairs, training, maintenance and on-demand global shipping of parts and knives.
In pursuit of its mission to continue to deliver quality food processing solutions, Urschel formed a prospective partnership with KRONEN GmbH in July 2025 and made a financial investment in the German based company. In addition to the investment, Urschel now has sole distribution rights for the KRONEN line in the U.S. and Asia. Urschel’s long-standing partner, Abamex, represents KRONEN in Mexico, further extending the collaboration.
The partnership has allowed Urschel to expand its product line to incorporate KRONEN’s product range, including washing, drying and cutting machinery. Through this expansion, Urschel has further established itself as a “one stop shop” solution for food processors when assisting them with diverse needs and cutting applications.
“The partnership with KRONEN is our first major venture of its kind,” said Tristan Scoble, Urschel director of sales. “KRONEN makes high-quality equipment and has a customer-focused philosophy that aligns with Urschel. The KRONEN team brings over 40 years of experience and a high level of expertise that we can pass to our customers.”
Scoble said the partnership with KRONEN was driven by a desire to add value for its customers.
“As an employee-owned, global company, we asked how Urschel can best serve food processors and continue to grow both the industry and our company,” Scoble said. “It was a bold move to make the choice to invest in KRONEN.
“We saw an opportunity to better serve our customers by not only providing best-in-class cutting solutions but also innovative processing line solutions that include, washing, drying and peeling, among others. KRONEN additionally offers high-quality complementary cutting machines that we did not have in our offering previously.”
The collaboration brings together the companies’ cutting and processing capabilities, Scoble said.
“From the commercial processor standpoint, Urschel now offers labor-saving KRONEN-built machines to increase production potential,” he said. “The best-selling GS 10-2 slicer offers a lower-capacity, highly versatile entry point to our equipment that complements the Urschel TranSlicer range. Additionally, the Tona-V is a machine that gives us the ability to work with cuts that require particular product orientation. In short, there is almost nothing we cannot accomplish from a cutting perspective.
“This partnership has allowed Urschel to set food processors up with even more productivity innovations, such as the highly regarded HEWA washer range, which utilizes a helical washing action, increasing retention time without the need for an expanded footprint. These washers can then be paired with a K650 or K850 inline vertical drier for a highly efficient, sanitary and state-of-the-art complete system.”
Scoble said the partnership will continue to drive innovation and growth for Urschel.
“Urschel has a long-standing history with processors in the U.S. and globally,” he said. “The company’s inventive spirit is alive and just as innovative with our teams of young engineers as it was in 1910. Our company has assisted food processors to build this powerful industry and overcome obstacles, and we will continue to manufacture patented cutting technology to expand our answer to customer needs.”
While KRONEN, headquartered in Kehl, Germany, and Urschel, headquartered in Chesterton, Indiana, remain independent with separate production facilities, the companies are providing future food processing solutions together.
“With nearly a year of proven synergy behind (the partnership) and more than a century of innovation guiding the path forward, Urschel remains steadfast in its core philosophy as it enters this next chapter of growth,” Scoble said. “We believe in manufacturing high-precision cutting equipment and controlling every aspect of manufacturing to ensure longevity, continued cutting accuracy, and high-quality parts that will keep machines running for decades to come.”
For more information on the Urschel-KRONEN partnership, visit Urschel.com/Kronen.
