Peek inside: How our Factory of the Future makes your protein

 

Imagine there’s a 1.5-pound brick in one corner of a desk you’re sitting at.

Grab that brick and move it to the opposite corner. Then do it again. And repeat it 10,000 times.

“That’s what some of our plant employees do every day,” says Brad Down, who leads Cargill’s case-ready protein operations at several of our U.S. facilities. “They move the equivalent of a brick 10,000 times in a day. And then the next day, they do it again.”

Working in a plant can be hard and repetitive, Brad says. It’s one of the main reasons why he’s passionate about Factory of the Future. Cargill's Smart Manufacturing initiative is modernizing our North American protein operations.

The program uses advanced technology and data to make our protein plants safer for our people. It is also enhancing our supply chain resilience for our customers. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened attention on supply chain disruptions and supply chain risks. Since that time, the demand for supply chain visibility — and for protein — has only increased.

Scott Vinson, chief customer officer for our protein business in North America, says that "our customers want us to be reliable and predictable." 

“Investments like Factory of the Future lead to a better experience for our customers,” he adds.

Today, we have more than 100 Factory of the Future projects across 35 facilities in North America. This initiative is already transforming our manufacturing facilities and making a difference on the ground. Here is how it works.

 

A cut above in automation and safety

A look inside our protein facility in Newnan, Georgia.

In Dodge City, Kansas, two new chainsaw lines are changing the game at one of our largest beef processing plants. This automated meat processing equipment helps separate meat from bone.

Before Factory of the Future, two product line workers per shift pushed a large cut of beef into a bandsaw. They did this by hand up to 3,000 times a day.

Today, a 3-D vision system handles this product process in real-time. It scans the meat to find the best cutting path after loading it into a cradle. The meat travels on a conveyor belt through a bandsaw that adjusts for the best cut.

Our employees only need to load the cradle, which minimizes the risk of injury from the blade.

"Making three thousand fewer cuts by hand each day helps me sleep better at night," says Jeremy Burr, general manager of the Dodge City plant. "Meat processing automation helps us send our people back home safe at the end of their shift." 

 

Holistic tech: A win-win for our people and customers

Automation helps keep our plant employees safer and healthier. 

The automated meat processing plant shows how we are making jobs safer for employees. It also helps our operations run more efficiently and mitigates supply chain vulnerability.

Factory of the Future tools help managers set shift assignments based on factors like experience and recent workload. They can even predict when a worker is back from vacation and may need extra time to get back to full productivity.

The same technology is also streamlining processes, improving our performance and providing competitive advantages.

For example, each automated saw at our Dodge City plant can make up to 14 cuts every minute. This leads to higher output in less time.

"Our customers want us to be efficient and offer high-quality products," Scott says. "The investments in the Factory of the Future help us meet these needs."

 

Operating like family — while building resilient supply chains

At our protein facility in Dodge City, Kansas, employees work alongside technology. Automation makes their jobs safer and easier.

Meat is more than just business for Brad, the case-ready operations lead. 

His father was a butcher. Brad grew up watching his father treat each customer with care and compassion. Like family.

Factory of the Future, he says, is helping him do the same for our employees and customers.

Factory of the Future looks to upskill and prepare its employees to work alongside new technologies. Long term, that means more qualified personnel performing at a lower risk and producing more protein for our customers.