A new name and company structure in 2011 has resulted in an immediate recognition for the contracting supplier to primary food processing markets
Milmeq.
The company won the mechanical and manufacturing category award for 2011 at New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards late last year for its developments with Ovine Automation technologies for the successful integration of robotic technologies on a high speed process chain in the South Island.
“The award is an excellent achievement for our team of engineers who have been committed to the goal of integrating robotics into what has traditionally been a very manual process,” says chief executive Matthew Wall.
“It demonstrates the value of the process knowledge that we have within Milmeq and the strength of being able to apply this for each system solution we integrate whether it be within the primary processing, materials handling or cold chain operations.”
The need for robotics in primary meat processing was identified as a common challenge by a number of New Zealand meat processing companies. It was brought about by an increasing shortage of manual labour available to fill the specialised processing positions and the ongoing need to lift productivity.
As a result, the Meat Industry Association (MIA) facilitated the set up of Ovine Automation Ltd with shareholders Alliance Group, ANZCO Foods, Blue Sky Meats, Silver Fern Farms, Taylor Preston, Ovation New Zealand, Progressive Meats, Crusader Meats New Zealand and Auckland Meat MIRINZ Inc (jointly owned by the MIA and Beef + Lamb NZ) provided initial industry funding.
Other key participants in the project included Industrial Research Ltd and the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the funding support of which has been critical to the success of the project.
“To be identified as a key partner with a collective group of industry processors, research bodies and government associations on a development such as this has been an excellent process and this type of partnering model is exactly how we are developing the culture of our company and the way we do business to ensure we deliver future proof systems for food processing industries,” says Mr Wall.
Further details regarding the commercialisation of the Ovine Automation systems are expected this quarter.
