Meat&Poultry -- August 2014 - 8

Commentary
BY JOEL CREWS, EDITOR
jcrews@sosland.com

Uber-impressive
F

or five days in Germany this past

of 1,000 stores. He's always thinking of how

month I devoured schnitzel, wolfed

to improve. Several years ago he got the

down Iberico ham, noshed on some of the

idea to automate the order-picking process

world's finest dry-aged sausage, inhaled all

at the plant from observing how shipments

varieties of wursts and even surprised my-

of flowers were handled at the Frankfurt

self by mowing down "Mett" (minced, sea-

airport. Today, his plants use a similar

soned, raw pork) for the first time. And

paperless system.

while the dozens of US processing plants
I've toured and written about in the past 14
years were all impressive in their own
rights, it was a walk through one of the
plants serving approximately 1,000

Despite the plant's 32-year age, it
is equipped with the widest variety of
equipment and processing technology I have
seen under one roof and one of the cleanest
operations I have witnessed, especially given

Edeka supermarkets in the country

that 1,000 workers are churning out such a

that left one of the most memora-

wide variety of products six days per week.

ble impressions during this business
trip. Keeping in mind that the economies of scale in the US meat industry
vs. Germany's are vastly different and
even comparisons are not realistic, nothing

"We are
specialized
in not being
specialized,"
is one
Wolfgang-ism
I admired.

"In this factory we cut pork, we produce
sausage and we produce tray products,
like Parma ham. We deliver to about 1,000
shops every day, six days a week," Ehret
says. Orders to Ehret's plants are taken until

can diminish the world-class precision, effi-

about 4 pm and are delivered the following

ciencies and variety of the processing opera-

morning. Sausage made one day is on the

tions there, not to mention the expertise of

shelf of an Edeka store the next. "Without

the people running them.

exception," he barks with a knowing smile.

After spending hours in a handful of

Speaking of sausage, the plant makes 500

Edeka stores, which are independently

varieties, totalling 200 tons of sausage

owned by more than 4,000 operators

per day. In total, about 500 tons of meat

and total about 11,600 retail locations in

products are shipped each day on average.

Germany, I had the pleasure of touring one

I realize the markets in the two countries

of those plants, Fleischhof Rasting's facility

are not comparable logistically, but some

in Meckenheim. Wolfgang Ehret (I liked

philosophies and approaches should apply

him instantly based on his name), executive

all over the world.

director of the plant, directs all operations
at this facility in addition to another plant

specialized," is one Wolfgang-ism I

located within 65 miles. He also routinely

admired. He never forgets that by serving

suggests new products and challenges R&D

his stores, he's serving customers. "We say

workers at the plant to develop a product

'Our job is to make them rich, not to make

he's seen at other stores outside Germany.

us rich.' We have to transfer the money to

The facility manufactures more than 4,000

the front. It is at the front where we come

meat products and ships them to a network

8

"We are specialized in not being

together with the consumer," he notes. ■

* Meat&Poultry * August 2014 * www.MeatPoultry.com
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Meat&Poultry -- August 2014

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