See the salad and vegetable processing line in action at the Lakeland Customer Innovation Center

Most equipment evaluations happen one machine at a time. A washer here, a dryer there, each judged on its own. But in a fresh cut plant, the result on the packing scale depends on how those steps hand product to each other. This demo line lets you look at the whole process instead of a single stage.

The addition builds on JBT Marel's recent investment in the renovated Lakeland facility, which was unveiled as a premier customer destination for sustainable food tech across fresh fruit and vegetables, ready meals, beverages, dairy, and more. Read more about the Customer Innovation Center renovation.

Why the full line matters in fresh cut

For leafy greens and salad processors, quality is cumulative. How product is cut affects how it washes. How steadily it feeds the washer affects wash consistency. How much water leaves the leaf before drying affects what the dryer has to do, and how the product looks in the bag.

Those connections are hard to judge from a spec sheet. They are easier to see when product moves through the line in front of you.

That is the idea behind the Lakeland demo line. Processors can bring product, run it through, and watch what happens between the steps, not just inside them.

What the line covers

The salad and vegetable processing line in Lakeland covers the core of a fresh cut process, from cutting through to collection:

• Belt cutting with a trim table, where operators prep and trim product before it enters the line
• Infeed conveying into the washer, setting a steady, controlled flow
• Flotation washing, where product is cleaned and separated in water
• Dewatering, removing surface water before the product moves on
• Buffering, holding product to keep the line running smoothly between steps
• Shaker feeding, spreading and metering product evenly into the dryer
• Tornado drying, removing remaining moisture ahead of packing
• Collecting conveying at the end of the line
• Integrated controls tying the sequence together

Each piece has a job. Together, they show how product condition, flow, and moisture are managed across the process rather than at a single point.

What you can explore during a demo

A demonstration is a working session, not a walkthrough. Alongside JBT Marel application specialists, you can run product, adjust settings, and talk through what you are seeing.

Common things customers look at:

• How cut quality and trim setup affect everything downstream
• How product feeds and distributes into the washer
• How the flotation wash step handles the product you actually run
• How much surface water is removed before drying, and what that means for dryer performance
• How buffering and feeding keep flow steady when volumes shift
• How product looks, feels, and holds up at the end of the line
• How controls, layout, cleaning access, and line footprint would fit your plant

You can also use the visit to think past this specific line. Fresh cut operations rarely start and end at washing, so conversations often extend into reception, cutting, inspection, drying, and packing steps around it.

Manufacturing closer to North American customers

The salad and vegetable processing line is also part of a broader shift in how JBT Marel supports fresh cut and frozen fruit and vegetable processors in North America. Selected equipment and components are moving into the manufacturing scope of the Lakeland facility, bringing more of the process closer to the customers and teams that will use, demonstrate, and support it.

This shift is helping build a stronger North American operating model that combines regional manufacturing with hands-on demonstrations, application expertise, service, parts planning, training, and long-term lifecycle support. The Lakeland demo line puts that model into practice by giving customers a place to evaluate the process, work directly with specialists, and plan beyond an individual equipment purchase.

Built for hands-on evaluation

The Lakeland Customer Innovation Center gives customers a place to test, validate, and better understand technologies before making decisions for their own operations. The renovated facility includes spaces for live equipment demonstrations, product testing, training, and collaboration with JBT Marel specialists.

The salad and vegetable processing line joins other demo capabilities in Lakeland, including the recently added Flip & Wash bin washer, giving fruit and vegetable processors more ways to evaluate fresh cut processing equipment in a real food processing environment.

At JBT Marel, innovation moves forward through collaboration. By continuing to expand what customers can see and run in Lakeland, we are helping processors ask sharper questions, compare options with real product, and plan their next line with more confidence.

Schedule a salad and vegetable processing line demonstration

The salad and vegetable processing line is now available for customer demonstrations and product trials at JBT Marel's Lakeland Customer Innovation Center. To schedule a visit, connect with your JBT Marel representative or fill out the form below, and one of our specialists will get in touch.

You can also meet our team at IFPA and PACK EXPO to learn more about our fresh cut processing solutions and discuss your operation with a JBT Marel specialist.