What do French fries, Viking pumps, and a small volcanic landmark in Oregon have in common? They’re all vital to one Oregon-based industrial frying equipment manufacturer. GEM Equipment in Mt. Angel, Oregon, manufactures industrial French frying processors with the help of Viking pumps that help to power an $18 billion global French fry market. Modern French fry processing plants use giant steam peelers, precision water-jet cutters and industrial blanching & freezing lines to produce French fries for an ever-growing market.

Customer Background

GEM Equipment of Oregon, Inc. has been manufacturing custom food processing equipment since 1968. The company specializes in advanced frying systems, and delivers turnkey custom food processing systems worldwide. A subsidiary of Food Process Solutions (FPS), they believe in providing systems with the lowest total cost of ownership, exceptional service, and continuous improvement.

When they opened, GEM Equipment was the first industrial company on the block at their original location in Woodburn, OR. Now, they are building a new location 12 miles away in Mt. Angel, OR. The manufacturing company built their first belt blancher in 1975, growing in scale and advancing frying technology. In 2024, GEM Equipment built the largest French Fry Fryer in Europe.

GEM Equipment builds standalone machines to fully integrated processing lines, constructed from stainless steel and equipped with a fire suppression system and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling – allowing the design engineer to watch the oil flow through the system on the computer monitor and make adjustments for maximum efficiency.

Ray Rowe, plant manager at GEM Equipment, has a 34-year history with the company. Ever since he can remember, they have sourced Viking hot-oil pumps from Rogers Machinery.

"I'll be calling you guys all the time to get pricing or ask "we have questions" or engineering information, whatever the case may be. It's been a super good relationship," Rowe said.

How The System Works

GEM Equipment uses anywhere from 6 to 10 Viking pumps for hot oil in their French fry fryer applications: battering, frying, and hot water blanching. Each pump has a specific task within the system, extracting and storing oil from the French fryer as it produces perfectly-cooked fries. In a large system, the pumps also perform smaller recirculation in tandem with a centrifugal pump.

"They're a super durable, reliable pump. We don't have lots of problems with seals, they handle the hot oil, [and] they just run," Rowe said.

French Frying 101

Industrial French frying applications operate with automated precision. Here's how it works:

1. Cut and blanched potatoes are fed into the oil pan via stainless-steel or Teflon-coated mesh conveyors.
2. As the conveyor belt moves the fries through the hot oil, the fries cook evenly and at a precise temperature. The oil is metered by internal paddle wheels or controlled oil inlets to ensure every fry is cooked to perfection.
3. The golden-brown fries exit the other end of the fryer, lifted by the belt to drain excess oil, which is collected in storage tanks for reuse.

GEM Equipment designs and builds single and two-stage fryer systems. In a one-stage system, a minimum of six Viking pumps are included in the hot-oil collection and recirculation process. For 2 stage systems, expect ten pumps working to pump down the oil in the system.

Working with Rogers

GEM Equipment and Rogers Machinery have been partners since 2005. GEM aims to provide their customers, big players in the food processing industry, with the highest quality equipment and lowest cost of ownership possible.

Besides using high-quality materials, the manufacturer also provides custom solutions for a facility’s needs. According to their site, “Our experienced service and retrofit specialists can also help further maintain or extend the life of the fryer. For valued customers, our goal is to be part of the solution.”

One of the changes GEM Equipment made in the pursuit of continuous improvement was to the Viking pumps they order.

Tailoring Viking Pumps

A few years ago, GEM Equipment began ordering Viking pumps with a modification: adding a larger low-point drain to the bottom of the pump case. Communication was key in ensuring every pump that left our warehouse included that modification.

Setting up that system of communication took some time. Until GEM made it a standard note on every pump order so that nobody could miss it, occasionally a pump would get missed. No matter where the communication broke down, getting the pump retrofitted was an easy fix.

"In those situations, we just make a phone call and say "we forgot to get this" and it's always taken care of. There's never been a problem," Rowe said.

Quality Pump Service From Real People

GEM Equipment manufactures equipment for high-rollers in the fried foods industry. When those companies put pressure on GEM, they have to meet expectations. That’s where a great service relationship comes in.

"Multimillion dollar companies put a lot of pressure and stress on us. In turn, we have to go out to our suppliers and throw some of that stress downhill a little. And yeah, [Rogers is] really good about figuring out how to come through and make it work," Rowe said.

For much of Ray Rowe’s 34 years, he’s dealt with a single salesperson at Rogers. This means he and long-time pump salesman, Rick Wright, have established great rapport and an even better working relationship.

The long-tenured relationship benefits both Rogers and GEM Equipment with quick sales and service turnarounds, all centered around a single, real person who knows the company and its needs. When Rowe needs something, he calls Rick.

"I have the utmost respect for him, and the respect I have for him should permeate through the entire Rogers organization because I haven't worked with a lot of people, but the few that I have and I've met over the years, they all just seem to be like Rick," Rowe said.

What's Next for GEM Equipment?

GEM Equipment has produced over fifty fryers alone designed and manufactured in-house that operate in six continents. With worldwide distribution and demand ramping up, they’re running out of space fast, and are currently migrating their flagship manufacturing base from Woodburn, OR to Mt. Angel, OR.

With a storied history, commitment to quality, and industry-leading expertise, we are proud to partner with GEM Equipment to supply their Viking pumps. And if they would throw in a few bags of French fries, we wouldn’t mind.