Newspaper Article 1971 – One of most modern works

One of most modern works

Boning plant’s impact:

More than doubles beef-kill capacity

The beef boning system and the plant and equipment that goes with it increased the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Meat Company’s beef-kill capacity from 350 head a day to 750 head when both sides of the floor were brought into operation last season.

This method of processing meat cost the company $1,150,000 to install.

One side of the floor was brought into operation in June, 1969 and the second half the next season.

The system differs from previous methods of processing beef. The butchers take the meat from the bones rather than under the old system of taking the bones from the meat.

Processing starts when beasts are killed, dressed and halved down the backbone.

They are put into a chiller overnight. A shroud is placed over the top at each side to stop dust settling on the meat.

The next morning the sides travel along an overhead rail to the trimming room where any faults, such as blood clots, and hair are removed along with some surplus fat and the shrouds.

Extreme care

Extreme care has to be taken at this stage to see all hair is removed. Each hair found on a piece of meat upon inspection in the United States helps build up to a number of faults which can lead to the rejection of the whole consignment.

After trimming, Department of Agriculture inspectors thoroughly examine the sides. The sides proceed into the boning room where they are processed into primal cuts.

Platform

The sides pass alongside a platform on which boners work at heights adjusted to the section of the meat they work on.

The meat is cut off the carcase from the bottom, the order being the foreshin, clod, brisket. No. 1 chuck, plate cover-rib, no. 2 chuck, cube roll trimmings, rump, knuckly topside, silverside, short loin and hind shin.

Bones crushed

At the end of the rail the skeleton – all that is left of a side – is released from the rail and falls into a pre-breaker.

The bones are crushed with the action of a giant mincing machine. An auger takes the crushed bones into a blower which blows them 700ft to the rendering department.

The boners drop meat down chutes to the packers where it is trimmed into cuts required, inspected, wrapped and its weight appraised.

Into cartons

The meat is then packed into cartons which are weighed and then weight recorded.

Processing of 1500 sides a day produces about 4500 cartons of meat.

The packed cartons are conveyed to freezer units where they are frozen overnight at minus temperatures.

There are two freezer units and each has a capacity of 2000 cartons. Two more freezer units are being built.

Storage

After freezing the cartons are stacked on pallets and taken to a 400,000 cubic feet capacity holding store and kept at a temperature of minus 15 degrees Celsius. There are three of these stores and a slightly smaller fourth one is being built.

The store can hold cartoned meat from 20,000 head of cattle.

When ships at Napier are ready to receIve the cartons, forklift trucks drive into the store, lift the pallets onto a truck in a covered loading bay and the trucks take them to the port.

Photo caption – Butchers at work on the beef boning floor of the new three-storey building at the Whakatu freezing works.

[Advertisements]
All around you can see the results of our growing, thriving community.
We’re proud of our part in the building programmes that help make this so…
Congratulations to the H.B. Meat Co. Ltd on their initiative and enterprise in building another asset to their Works complex…
WELDERS & ENGINEERS
(HASTINGS) LTD
Workshop – Wilson Rd   P.O. Box 1089   Ph 82-600
STRUCTURAL and GENERAL ENGINEERS

AITCHISON, TOBIN Ltd
329W HERETAUNGA STREET
PHONE 87-854
HASTINGS
installed
POLY-FLOR
FULLY FLEXIBLE VINYL FROM
AITCHISON, TOBIN Ltd FLOORING SPECIALISTS  HASTINGS
WHY DID THE H.B. FARMERS’ MEAT CO. AND THE ARCHITECTS AND THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR SELECT “POLY-FLOR?” – Because POLY-FLOR is colourfast, hardwearing, resists indentation, easily cleaned, ideal wall cladding.
PHONE 87-854 – HASTINGS

PERCY & HENDERSON LIMITED
Mechanical and Structural Engineers
We are proud to have played a part in the new buildings of the H.B. Meat Company at Whakatu. The “Structural Steelwork” was designed, fabricated and erected by us for this worthwhile and farsighted project.
– GENERAL ENGINEERING
– FACTORY INSTALLATION
– CONVEYERS
– HANDLING EQUIPMENT
– STORAGE TANKS
– WE ARE FABRICATORS AND ERECTORS OF ALL CLASSES OF STEEL STRUCTURES
We will design structures, plant and equipment and undertake contracts in Hawke’s Bay and environs.
PERCY & HENDERSON LTD
PHONE 86271 – PHONE 87-431
P.O. BOX 570 – CHATHAM RD, FLAXMERE

BAY-BRITE
STAINLESS STEELS AND ENGINEERING WORKS
HASTINGS
We are proud to have been selected for your design and construction of the PLANT and EQUIPMENT used in the new Lamb cutting section and adjacent areas…
– MATERIAL USED…
STAINLESS STEEL
ALUMINIUM
MOTORS
REDUCTION BOXES
CONVEYING SYSTEMS
– Contact us FOR ANY FABRICATION RELATED TO THE FOOD INDUSTRY!
HAYBRITE STAINLESS STEELS   HASTINGS