A meat slicer, also called a slicing machine, deli slicer or simply a slicer, is a tool used in butcher shops and delicatessens to slice parma ham, salami, meats, and cheeses. The first slicer was invented by Paolo Giusti in Bologna, Italy in may 1873, only after that Wilhelm van Berkel in Rotterdam in 1892 build the first slicer factory. Older models of meat slicer may be operated by crank, while newer ones generally use an electric motor.