Richmond Takapau hits Two Million Milestone

Richmond Takapau’s 700 staff members have raised the bar on performance and productivity in the New Zealand meat industry.

They have created history for Richmond and set what is believed to be an industry record as the first two-chain plant to process more than two million lambs in a season.

All season Takapau’s team has been unstoppable, honing their skills and breaking plant production records day after day, week on week.

Since January, they have broken the plant’s previous daily record of 11,800, set two years ago, 15 times over and it now stands at 14,300. The weekly record has increased from 60,000 to 76,000. Staff put their success down to “everything coming together at once”. Right across the production chain the capability of the plant has been building and improving for some time.

Butcher Roger Nelson said it’s been a top season with all three processing shifts breaking records. “It’ll be hard to get another one like it”.

The mild weather has placed intense pressure on livestock processing space. To keep ahead staff needed to go the extra distance and the plant has been running at optimum efficiency with minimal breakdowns.

Butcher Ian Connor, who has been in the meat industry since 1964, said he did not think hitting two million was possible. “We were used to doing it at Whakatu on six chains so to do it on two is a great effort”.

Supervisor Murray Pedersen said it just goes to show what great team effort and attitude can achieve.