News

Dec 2007

Meat sector is catching up in the field of automation

Source: Vlees in Bedrijf augustus 2007

Automation is not always a high priority in the meat sector. However, companies in this sector have little choice. The government insist that meat be traced from beginning to end. Furthermore, the requirements in the field of hygiene and allergens are increasing. Without automation it is almost impossible to meet these requirements.

Jan Adema van Adema Vlees uit Leeuwarden.

Eight years ago, Adema Vlees in Leeuwarden decided to automate. Managing director Jan Adema choose a system from ReflexSystems; Reflex 3000. “In the past we placed a piece of meat on the weighing scales and wrote the details on a receipt. Now the entire process has been automated. Paperwork no longer exists really. We make up an order in the office and its picking list is made at the dispatch/receiving station. We weigh the meat and register the batch number. This data is coupled, the office makes an invoice and everything is entered into the accounting programme. In addition, we can automatically collect and make payments with the system.” Adema Vlees is a beef cutting plant where tracking and tracing play a large part. “We need to know from where the product comes. If a farmer finds that the cattle have had incorrect feed or medicine then he can find out where the meat has ended up. The entire tracing system also works the other way around.” Modernising his company was a huge investment. “This entire system including the invoicing programme, computers and weighing scales has certainly cost about thirty-five to forty thousand euro's. This is feasible for a company that moves with the time but if you get left behind and are then forced by the government then you are too late. The investment is then too great. We have accomplished this in stages over a period of seven years.”

Adema Vlees bought the system from ReflexSystems in Almere. Their assortment comprises of two main components: the Reflex 3000 software programme and the Flex 3000 CT registration terminal. “Reflex 3000 is a modular software programme which everyone can easily manage. One of the modules within the system is Reflex Beef trace which is for the registration of relevant beef data. This is compulsory due to the General Food Law and can be used when tracking suspect beef,” says sales assistant Maarten van der Steen. The Flex 3000 CT is a sturdily-built industrial terminal with a touch screen. “This terminal is water-resistant and can therefore be placed in a wet production environment. That is often a problem in the fresh produce sector as electronics and moisture do not work well together at all. In addition, the Flex 3000 CT is foolproof as it can stand rough handling and even a cut from the butcher's knife. Furthermore, we can teach everyone here within an hour how to use it,” according to van der Steen.