FAM STUMABO reinforces its role as a global partner for processors at Fruit Logistica 2026

At Fruit Logistica 2026, FAM STUMABO showcased how it partners with fruit, vegetable, and potato processors to help them navigate labor scarcity, rising processing complexity, and tighter quality expectations. From fresh-cut fruit and vegetables to prepared foods, customer discussions confirmed a clear shift toward validated, application-driven cutting solutions that optimize operations and protect margins in 2026 and beyond.

As the first major industry checkpoint of the year, Fruit Logistica provided a clear snapshot of the priorities shaping food and fresh produce processing in 2026. For FAM STUMABO, the exhibition was an opportunity to engage in strategic dialogue with processors across fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, foodservice, and prepared foods, exploring their operational challenges and investment priorities for the year ahead.

“Labor scarcity stopped being cyclical. Processors now assume permanent difficulty in recruiting and retaining skilled operators. This structural acceleration drives demand for automation, integrated lines, and machines that reduce manual handling and operator dependency,” said Guy Baeten, Strategic Director at FAM STUMABO.

From short-term challenges to structural change: what processors need in 2026

Across conversations at Fruit Logistica, a consistent picture emerged: pressures that once appeared temporary have become structural. Labor scarcity is now a permanent constraint. Automation becomes more and more important. Customers increasingly expect cutting solutions to integrate seamlessly with infeed, inspection, and downstream processes to ensure consistency, production speed, and predictability. Human errors must be avoided at all costs; cut shape adjustments and/or tool changes must be easy and straightforward. Quality consistency has become a non-negotiable requirement.

Processors are also navigating increasing SKU fragmentation, shorter production runs, and greater variability in raw materials across seasons, origins, or suppliers.  

In this environment, cutting is no longer viewed as a mechanical step. It has become a critical driver of quality, yield, and downstream performance. Uniform cuts and controlled cell damage directly influence shelf life, visual appeal, and processing stability, making cutting precision central to protecting margins and brand value as throughput increases and raw materials vary.

From machines to solutions: FAM STUMABO’s consultative approach

In today’s cautious investment climate, processors increasingly prioritize predictability and proof over novelty and avoid complexity whenever possible. Investment decisions are driven by validated outcomes, realistic performance commitments, and technologies that reduce operational and financial risk.

FAM STUMABO’s discussions at Fruit Logistica confirmed this shift. Customers are looking for partners with deep application knowledge who can analyze their specific situation. They want to test solutions on their own products and validate performance before committing to an investment. Processed products must be delivered on time, every day.

“Test labs and customer trials allow processors to move from assumptions to evidence. They can validate cut quality, yield, throughput, and product behavior on their own raw materials,” Baeten said.

This consultative approach underpins FAM STUMABO’s positioning as a solution provider rather than a machine supplier. The company delivers complete cutting solutions built around product behavior, target geometry, and line conditions, supported by modular platforms that allow customers to grow step by step. Machines and blades are designed and produced in-house, ensuring full control over cutting geometry, quality, and performance across fruit, vegetables, potatoes, and other food applications.

Fruit Logistica as a reality check: what processors need in 2026

Rather than signaling a return to aggressive capacity expansion, Fruit Logistica 2026 confirmed a clear focus on stabilizing and optimizing existing lines. Key themes included strong demand for machines that can absorb raw material variability while maintaining cut quality and for flexibility that supports product diversity without destabilizing operations.

Equally important is access to global support combined with local testing and regional expertise. Heavy investment in test labs and consignment machines – both within FAM STUMABO and across its partner network – has always been part of the company’s DNA. FAM STUMABO’s expanded facilities in Spain, Germany, and the United States reinforce its ability to combine global standards with solutions tailored to local products and processing realities. These hubs enable local cutting trials, more relevant validation of cutting results, and consistent support for customers operating across regions. On the other hand, FAM STUMABO’S equipment can be sent to a customer’s location for inline testing under real-life processing conditions.

“As we move into 2026, FAM STUMABO’s role centers on helping processors translate product ideas and market demand into repeatable, industrial reality,” Baeten concluded. “Our company’s value lies in combining cutting technology with deep application insight, so processors achieve predictable output, protected yield, and consistent quality at scale.”

“Together we cut your product to perfection” is more than a baseline. FAM STUMABO’s team of Food R&D specialists seeks to better understand the parameters that affect cutting, such as the product's shape, size, texture, and condition. Only then can FAM STUMABO select the best cutting solution, delivering the greatest value and best result for the customer.  

Photocaption of SureTec 240: robust heavy-duty dicer featuring the SureCut Unit.

The SCU allows even non-technically trained operators to install cutting tools on the machine quickly, simply, and error-free.