“We don’t just deliver equipment, we truly think along with our customers”
As manager Sales Design at Gpi De Gouwe, Leo Smits plays a key role in helping food manufacturers optimize their processes. His specialization? Designing custom-built batter coating preparation systems, better known as the Batterline. This advanced processing system is purpose designed for the potato processing industry, ensuring a consistent and efficient supply of batter with the ideal composition, viscosity, and temperature.
Whether for frozen French fries, hash browns or other battered snacks, the Batterline supports high-volume, high-precision coating, improving product quality, reducing waste and enhancing line efficiency.
From passion to expertise
Leo’s passion for his work is immediately clear when you talk to him. A trusted voice in the world of coating system design, Leo combines deep technical knowledge with a strong understanding of his customers’ operational challenges. Over the years, he has evolved into Gpi’s go-to expert for batter coating solutions, valued for both his engineering skills and his pragmatic, customer-first mindset.
Leo regularly joins site visits across Europe and beyond, working closely with production teams to understand bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. He also tests new batter compositions in-house to evaluate behavior, viscosity, and dosing accuracy, ensuring the Batterline delivers on performance across a variety of coating types.
“I don’t just design from my desk. I listen to the needs of operators and production managers, I visit facilities, and I translate those insights into robust solutions that work in the real world” – Leo Smits
Engineered for hygiene, designed for efficiency
In food processing, hygiene and uptime are critical. That’s why the Batterline is built with CIP (Clean-in-Place) functionality, enabling full automatic cleaning without system disassembly. Its modular design ensures fast maintenance access, and the closed-loop circulation system prevents contamination and batter degradation.
Filtration units remove product debris such as fry fragments, to maintain a clean, smooth batter. Integrated heat exchangers ensure the batter stays within the optimal temperature range throughout the process.
Leo: “Our goal is to make the coating process as efficient, repeatable, and food-safe as possible, with minimal labor and downtime.”
“Since implementing our French fries coating preparation system, our coating line has become more predictable, clean, and efficient. We have significantly reduced material loss and downtime.” – Plant manager, potato processor
Fully customized, end-to-end solution
No two factories are the same and no two Batterlines are either. Each system is configured specifically to fit the customer’s recipe, space, and capacity requirements.
“Our Batterlines handle capacities ranging from 3 to 60 tons per hour and coating outputs between 500 and 21,000 kg per hour” Leo explains. “They process a wide range of batters; from transparent and seasoned coatings to high-viscosity mixtures (>55%) with particulates like herbs and spices.”
To ensure coating consistency, Gpi’s French fries coating system integrates advanced dosing and mixing technologies. These systems accurately combine powder and water in optimal ratios, supported by automated controls and inline sensors that monitor viscosity and product composition in real time.
The benefits? Higher product yield, fewer rejects, and less manual intervention.
What is a Batterline?
A Batterline is a fully automated batter preparation system that continuously delivers high-quality batter to the production line. The system starts by transferring powder (via big bags or smaller bags) into a powder hopper. A volumetric feeder doses the powder into a mixing tank where it’s combined with water. After mixing, the batter is transferred to a buffer tank, then pumped into the working tank for application.
Any excess batter is filtered and recirculated through the system; reducing waste and ensuring maximum product utilization.
Practical involvement makes the difference
One of the key reasons customers enjoy working with Leo is his hands-on attitude. He doesn’t just sell systems; he builds long-term partnerships. Leo visits the plant during the design phase and challenges your assumptions. His input helps you to design a solution that fits perfectly, not just on paper, but in practice.
Ready to optimize your coating process?
Whether you are scaling up, improving yield, or starting a new product line, Leo Smits is ready to help you find the right batter coating solution for your business.
Contact Leo to learn more. He is happy to think along with you!
