Windhoek
Meatco’s Operations department has implemented a strategic plan that has been running
smoothly so far.
Confirming this, Thokozile Mdlalose, communication officer at Meatco, says in the past two years, infrastructure investments were made at the Windhoek and Okahandja plants. Unfortunately, renovations took longer than expected with the opening and closing periods at the factories causing a delay as well as giving less time to renovate each plant.
The Windhoek abattoir closed for maintenance and upgrades in August 2015, while the Okahandja plant will be running until the end of the year. The maintenance and upgrading activities are currently underway at Meatco’s Windhoek abattoir.
“The general maintenance and upgrade projects at the Windhoek abattoir were delayed for about two years as it couldn’t be done during the production period. Also, the deboning production section has expanded quite extensively over the years and now requires a larger air conditioning system, since the current system cannot cope with the demands of the deboning production line.
“Although Meatco has managed to keep the production line going with an average uptime of 98%, the immediate need to replace the system was evident to avoid compromising the quality of our meat products.
“Due to the increase of cattle slaughtered at both Okahandja and Windhoek abattoirs, there has been quite a bit of expansion at the feedlots and tannery. The value addition plant that started last year increased the volumes received as well as production throughput.
“With regards to the maintenance work, replacing the abattoir overhead conveyer chains,
bunch conveyer and plates, the refrigerator compressors and air-conditioning are in
progress. There is a list of items for repair and upgrade that was created; from there a schedule for maintenance was made. Some of the upgrades can be done while in
production, while other larger projects have to wait until production at the abattoir has been shut down.
“Meatco is becoming a new business as production transforms and the company reinvent itself. Meatco is in the investment phase of its reinvention and the strategies implemented over the past two years have proven to be successful so far.
Earlier in the year, the Okahandja plant was closed briefly for renovations to ensure an improvement in capacity to manage different carcasses and to alter the plant to suit Meatco’s marketing needs. The same applies to the closure of the Windhoek plant.
“These renovations are expected to be completed in the next three years. The efficiency that we are building up to is a good thing for both Meatco and our producers, as we get more volume in cattle and the producer earns more,” Mdlalose concludes.