World Butchers' Challenge captains go head-to-head before competition
Ahead of the World Butchers' Challenge, the captains of 14 nations’ teams squared off in Paris over the weekend.
Alliance Group has launched a new $16 million warehouse technology system at its Lorneville plant near Invercargill.
The fully integrated storage and warehouse management system for frozen products introduces automation to the warehousing process, using automated shuttle vehicles rather than manual lifting for the storage and retrieval of product.
Product is then automatically moved through the warehouse and palletised without being touched by human hands.
Wayne Shaw, general manager processing and safety, Alliance Group, says the technology has improved the health and safety of employees, unlocked advantages of scale and lifted the efficiency and competitiveness of the plant.
“Previously more than 60 people were required to work in the warehousing operation during peak processing, manually handling boxes of fresh product, each weighing around 22kg,” Shaw says.
He says that lifting poses a risk of muscular skeletal injury to Alliance’s employees.
“The system also includes a more effective stacking system for frozen boxes, minimising product damage and potential safety risks,” Shaw adds. “It has enabled improved handling of cartons and product and reduced the use of forklifts.”
Shaw says the investment in the system reflects the co-operative’s commitment to both the Lorneville site and the wider Southland region.
“We have been continually investing in Lorneville over the past five years including the opening of a new venison plant and the installation of primal cutters for processing,” he says.
No job losses have occurred as a result of the project, with existing staff re-deployed.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.