Case study · Food & Beverage
Meat processor trims 68% more meat per hour and raises trim yield to 96%
After a major plant expansion, a global meat supplier wanted better product flow and yield without added cost. A joint team redesigned the trimming tables, tools and cooking controls.
Results
68%
increase in meat trimmed per hour
96%
trim yield, up from 90%
46%
reduction in raw end-piece losses
Pounds trimmed per hour rose more than 60% within six weeks.
The situation
The company, a supplier to the world's leading food brands, had just finished a major expansion of one of its meat plants. It wanted better product flow and yield from the new capacity, without adding cost.
What the assessment found
- Non-value-added motion in the layout of three trimming tables
- Up to ten undersized end slices cut from each meat log
- Cooked product running 1% or more over target weight
How the work was done
Trimming: redesign the tables
A team from production, quality and process control tested table layouts, changed workstations and refined trimming and handling techniques.
68%
increase in meat trimmed per hour
Slicing: build a better fixture
Designed a new end-cutting fixture that cut deficient end slices from almost ten per log to two or three.
46%
reduction in raw end-piece losses
Cooking: hit the target weight
Worked with cooking staff on controls that brought over-target weight down to 0.2%, leaving more product for downstream processing.
2.2%
increase in final yield
Supervisors: build the skills
Trained supervisors in waste elimination, process mapping, capacity planning, problem solving, statistical process control and management control systems.
Before and after
Trim yield
+6 pts
Cooked product over target weight
−80%
Percentages of product weight.
Lasting impact
Non-value-added work fell 71%, trim process time 65%, and rework and work in process at the workstations disappeared, giving the expanded plant more meat for final processing.
Related case studies
Food & Beverage
Midwest food distributor saves $2.3M a year in yield by controlling beef giveaway
$2.3Min yearly yield savings
Read the case study →Food & Beverage
Food manufacturer reaches $16M in annualized benefits in half the planned time
$16Min annualized benefits, against a $3.5M target
Read the case study →Food & Beverage
Aquafeed producer saves $19.2M a year by taking warehouse operations in-house
$19.2Min annualized savings from warehousing and inventory control
Read the case study →