Cutting waste not corners

It was in 2016, while visiting European meat processors to see the SensorX Accuro running on the floor; that Auckland Meat Processors first encountered JBT Marel’s Process Consultancy service. Two years later, in 2018, Auckland Meat Processors installed the SensorX Accuro and brought the Process Consultancy service on board with it.

The SensorX Accuro trim management in action

The SensorX Accuro is a trim management system. It takes product from deboning through visual pre-grading, where trim is manually sorted into categories like fat, medium, and lean. From that point, batches travel through the SensorX, which uses X-ray technology to measure weight and fat-to-lean (CL) ratio precisely, while also detecting bones and other hard contaminants such as foreign material. A trim grader then sorts product to match customer order specifications for weight and CL ratio, before batches are packed for dispatch.

It’s a system that reduces giveaway of valuable lean and ensures fewer claims by customers due to incorrect fat ratios.

How Process Consultancy takes it further

SensorX Accuro is the hardware and software. Process Consultancy is what ensures Auckland Meat Processors is getting the most from the SensorX Accuro, and operations.

“In the early stages, the Process Consultancy really taught us how to use the system to best effect,” said Bruce Fyfe, Commercial Group General Manager, Auckland Meat Processors. “Subsequently we’ve continued the process as it brings our operators and Supervisors back to optimal operation of the system.”

Chris Adcock, JBT Marel Process Consultant for Auckland Meat Processors, explains that process consultancy goes beyond the fine-tuning of JBT Marel solutions. “It’s a layered process. We’re looking at what’s working and what isn’t in a customer’s process, how they’re using the system, whether there are any mechanical issues impacting them, and how they’re managing people. Then we consolidate all those findings and show where they can make improvements, gain more money, time, or both.”

Chris draws on 20 years' experience in the meat processing industry, but he’s clear that his technical knowledge is only part of the job. “You always have to earn the trust of the customer and show them that you understand the industry. We give customers recommendations; they can take them on board or not. With Bruce and Tone at Auckland Meat Processors, that relationship is there and they take on most of the recommendations.”

For Bruce, the outside perspective Chris provides is a big part of the value, “An outside expert view is very valuable to us. The Process Consultants we’ve had — two, now — have both been very good at honestly and factually highlighting where we can improve. The site visits let the Process Consultant interact directly with operators on the floor, as well as run feedback sessions with operations management during the visit.”

That matters for a business like Auckland Meat Processors, where the day-to-day line runs from chilled beef intake through boning, trimming, sorting, weighing, packing, labelling, quality control, and dispatch, all while managing industry pressures from tight margins to high staff turnover.

Tone Loto’a’atu, Boning Room Manager at Auckland Meat Processors, has seen the benefits of implementing Chris’s process recommendations show up across throughput, operations, efficiency, yield and process stability. But, according to Tone, “The greatest impact came from identifying and addressing the key bottlenecks and process constraints. Having a clear understanding of where production flow was being restricted has helped the team respond more effectively, improve workflow, and maintain more consistent daily production.”

Is Process Consultancy worth the cost?

Particularly at a time when beef processors are dealing with tighter margins and rising overheads like energy, investing in Process Consultancy services is often viewed as just an added cost.
Chris is upfront that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. “Not every customer is the same, not every process is the same. My job is to see what needs refining to deliver a consistent return year after year.”
So, is it worth it? For Auckland Meat Processors, the answer has been consistently yes.

“The Process Consultancy service helped us identify the key constraints around the SensorX Accuro and improve the flow of product, people, and SensorX Accuro through the process,” said Tone. “We’ve seen a noticeable improvement in production flow and throughput consistency after implementing the recommendations.”

For Auckland Meat Processors, the installation of the SensorX Accuro was just the start of improving their throughput. By having a Process Consultant regularly visiting, small problems missed in the day-to-day are spotted and resolved, so AMP has a consistently optimized production line.

Auckland Meat Processors

Is one of two processing operations for Wilson Hellaby; New Zealand suppliers of premium quality New Zealand beef, lamb and pork. AMP uses innovative technology to ensure high-quality PRIME beef products are delivered to local and international customers, on time, in full, and to spec.