Record US exports injects life into Apple

The Hull-based manufacturer said revenue shot up 29 per cent to £1.8m in the 12 months to July 31 thanks to strong demand from US food producers.

Apple International manufactures specialist food injecting equipment that is used all around the world. Its technology is installed in many UK bakeries and food manufacturing production lines to make doughnuts, cakes, prepared foods and desserts.

The firm’s US subsidiary, Apple Food Systems, contributed over £500,000 in turnover largely driven by sales of the firm’s high-tech RBB300 Rapid Depositor, which is used on some of the fastest and largest ready-meal production lines in the US.

The Rapid Depositor can accurately deliver exact portions of food into ready-meal trays at very high speeds. Apple International claims this can reduce waste and oversize portions by more than 85 per cent.

The firm’s managing director Steve Smith said: “The success of the Rapid Depositor in the US is something we are looking to build on this year.

“We have a unique opportunity to bring massive savings in waste to the operators of these vast ready-meal production lines in the US, and we can prove return on investment in less than nine months, which gives us a compelling sales pitch in an industry with very small margins,” he added.

As well as the RBB300 Rapid Depositor, the company is seeing improved sales of its smaller and less specialised production units, designed to pipe foodstuffs such as cream, jam and sauces into baked goods.

These are often used by small food manufacturers that don’t run the vast high-speed lines.