Australian family-owned meat processing company Thomas Foods International has partnered with Dematic to install the latest Multishuttle Meat Buffer and Pallet Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) at its new facility.
The new site – based in Murray Bridge, South Australia – is located eight kilometres away from the Thomas Foods International’s previous site, which was destroyed by fire in 2018.
As part of the plans to build the new facility, Thomas Foods International is aiming to meet the highest industry standards across technology, efficiency, animal welfare, worker safety and environmental sustainability.
It will introduce the Dematic Multishuttle Meat Buffer and Pallet ASRS as automated solution to streamline operations and future-proof the site, and will have capabilities to operate both frozen and chilled environments/
“Our new Murray Bridge facility has been designed with a focus on efficiency and sustainability of which Dematic’s advanced automation technology is a key component,” said Thomas Foods International group engineering manager Nekta Nicolaou.
Dematic’s automation technology will help to transfer product cartons between aisles without the use of traditional conveyor systems and aims to increase overall flexibility and system throughput within the facility.
Dematic business development manager Soeren Schauki said With the current flood of demand for local product, the solution will improve Thomas Foods International’s in-house operations “by providing a high-performance order fulfilment and despatch processing system”.
“Even after the devastation of losing its previous facility, Thomas Foods International’s ambition to transform the new facility has positioned them as a leader for innovation in the industry, now with a self-sufficient, sustainable and resilient supply chain,” said Schauki.
Construction and commissioning of the first stage of the new plant is expected to be a 24-month process with the build reaching completion in late 2022.
