Meat products continue to be in demand in much of the world. Lean and Six Sigma methodologies help supply that demand with higher quality, timely production, and lower waste.
We’ll look at applications of Lean in the UK and Turkey and the results of Six Sigma application in the USA in Delaware, and finish with a video of a vacuum packaging line in Spain.
Lean in the Meat Cutting Room: UK
In a paper titled “Application of Lean paradigm in red meat processing,” authors David Wyn Simons and Keivan Zokaei discuss the application of Lean in the cutting room where meat is processed into retail cuts of meat.
Five case studies are briefly discussed.
- Small Beef Food Service
- Medium Pork Supermarket
- Medium Beef Food Service
- Large Beef Food Service
- Small Pork Supermarket
You can read the article here.
Reducing Food Waste in Poultry Meat Processing: Turkey
In a case study titled “Reducing Food Waste Through Lean and Sustainable Operations: a case study from the poultry industry,” authors Yigit Kazancoglu and others discuss the application of Lean in a large turkey meat products plant in Turkey, focusing on Value Stream Mapping (VSM).
Note: The case study only covers the initial stages of VSM when the turkeys are collected by the supplier, arrive at the company, and are unloaded.
Current state maps and future state maps are discussed.
The authors go on to cover the implications for sustainability.
You can read their case study here — (PDF) Reducing food waste through lean and sustainable operations: A case study from the poultry industry (researchgate.net)
Six Sigma at One of Perdue’s Delaware Chicken Processing Plants: USA
In a summary article called “Perdue Finds Success with Six Sigma” posted by The Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DMEP) author Larry Nagengast summarizes the results of Six Sigma applications at Perdue’s Georgetown, Delaware chicken processing plant.
You can read Larry’s article here.
Meat Vacuum Packaging Process Video: Spain
In a video from Ulma Packaging, headquartered in Spain, we see their packaging sealing line for beef products.
You can watch the video here.
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