The Client

An American beef processing company located in the Midwest that is recognized for its Premium Black Angus Beef and Natural Duroc Pork products.

The Challenge

The client’s original plant was processing fewer than 1000 head of cattle per day but aimed to increase that volume. After Marubeni Corporation purchased the plant, the company decided to expand capacity to more than 2000 head per day. Since the company is privately owned, they control every aspect of production, ensuring only the highest quality products are produced.

The Solution

KPI Solutions designed and implemented a new facility based on the client’s strategy for flexibility and future growth. To increase capacity and add space for additional pallets and 3PL clients, the building was designed to be tall versus wide. The cold storage facility is always 28 degrees and is a 65-foot-high clear building, using a cubed footprint. Less roof line leads to less heat, and LED lighting throughout the facility helps keep the utilities cost low. Sustainability, efficiency, flexibility to grow and the ability to handle more case and pallet volume were key aspects in the search for the right integrator. The client chose KPI, because they are the known experts in providing automated single box storage systems in the beef industry.

Solution Highlights:

• KPI Opto Software
• Conveyor System 58 BPM
• 20 Lane High-Speed Dual Sided Shoe Sorter
• Storage Buffer Sorter
• 14-Lane High-Speed Single Sided Shoe Sorter
• 2 Palletizer & Handline Sorter
• High-speed Rotary Stretch Wrapper with heat seal bars
• High Bay Horizontal Carousel System (4 High)

The Value

• Reduced utilities cost with less roof line and lighting
• Ability to process double the previous volume per day
• Shipping operations of 5-6 days per week and up to 2 shifts per day