Meatco saves big on cold storage
Meatco is saving thousands of dollars after it converted its Okahandja abattoir into a cold-storage facility earlier this year.
In February, the company announced its decision to turn its Okahandja abattoir into an international export cold-storage facility. Its only remaining abattoir is the one in Windhoek.
The conversion allowed the company to move its cold-storage facility from Table Bay in Cape Town to Namibia.
Meatco says it is saving about N$20 000 per container by making use of the Walvis Bay route rather than storing and exporting meat from Cape Town. This exact amount saved depends on the destination port.
In May this year the Okahandja cold-storage facility received only one load of meat from the Windhoek abattoir, which was exported as a test run.
During June, 29 loads were received and 14 containers were exported, while in July, 29 loads were received and 25 containers were exported.
In August, 14 loads were received and 22 containers were exported from the facility.
The conversion also saved the jobs of employees who worked at the Okahandja abattoir, Meatco said.
The Okahandja abattoir had been closed since last year because of a water shortage in central Namibia, limited cattle numbers due to drought, and effluent challenges in Okahandja.
Meatco said at the time that it was beneficial to move the Cape Town cold-storage facility to Okahandja because transporting pallets to South Africa cost around N$22 000 per trip, in comparison to the N$10 000 it cost to transport them to Walvis Bay.
Furthermore, thanks to a British Retail Consortium (BRC) audit that took place in April and the facility's subsequent cold-storage certification, the facility can store food for other businesses too.
This is applicable as long as the facility remains in compliance with all necessary Directorate of Veterinary Services regulations.
“Cold storage is a winner for Meatco and it is even more beneficial because we are making use of our own premises and equipment.
Another positive factor is that we are proving to the market and our clients that we are in total control of the channels our products go through, from coming in as raw material until the final stage.”
ELLANIE SMIT
In February, the company announced its decision to turn its Okahandja abattoir into an international export cold-storage facility. Its only remaining abattoir is the one in Windhoek.
The conversion allowed the company to move its cold-storage facility from Table Bay in Cape Town to Namibia.
Meatco says it is saving about N$20 000 per container by making use of the Walvis Bay route rather than storing and exporting meat from Cape Town. This exact amount saved depends on the destination port.
In May this year the Okahandja cold-storage facility received only one load of meat from the Windhoek abattoir, which was exported as a test run.
During June, 29 loads were received and 14 containers were exported, while in July, 29 loads were received and 25 containers were exported.
In August, 14 loads were received and 22 containers were exported from the facility.
The conversion also saved the jobs of employees who worked at the Okahandja abattoir, Meatco said.
The Okahandja abattoir had been closed since last year because of a water shortage in central Namibia, limited cattle numbers due to drought, and effluent challenges in Okahandja.
Meatco said at the time that it was beneficial to move the Cape Town cold-storage facility to Okahandja because transporting pallets to South Africa cost around N$22 000 per trip, in comparison to the N$10 000 it cost to transport them to Walvis Bay.
Furthermore, thanks to a British Retail Consortium (BRC) audit that took place in April and the facility's subsequent cold-storage certification, the facility can store food for other businesses too.
This is applicable as long as the facility remains in compliance with all necessary Directorate of Veterinary Services regulations.
“Cold storage is a winner for Meatco and it is even more beneficial because we are making use of our own premises and equipment.
Another positive factor is that we are proving to the market and our clients that we are in total control of the channels our products go through, from coming in as raw material until the final stage.”
ELLANIE SMIT
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