Revamping Hazeldene’s chicken plant

Chicken meat consumption in Australia is forecast to continue trending upwards according to the Australian Chicken Meat Federation and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is anticipated that consumption will increase from 43.9 kg per person in 2011 to 46.1 kg per person by 2015.

This is good news for Hazeldene’s Chickens as the company has recently upgraded and revitalised its plant on the outskirts of Bendigo, transforming it into one of the most advanced poultry processing facilities in the world.

The family-owned company was established in 1957 by Dick and Mavis Hazeldene and the brand is now over half-a-century old. The Australian, fully integrated regional poultry processor is now owned and run by the second generation of the Hazeldene family.

The comprehensive upgrade of the Hazeldene plant involved the construction of a new, cutting-edge processing facility on the family’s Lockwood site, approximately 15 kilometres from the centre of Bendigo. The processing plant is set on 1500 acres of land and is the only major business in the Lockwood area. Hazeldene’s is also one of the area’s largest employers.

According to the revamp project driver, Adam Hazeldene, “The old plant had high maintenance and downtime costs, reduced productivity and downgrading of product quality as a result of being in use for more than twenty years.”

He went on to explain that the new project “will improve animal handling and welfare for chickens, further enhancing ‘high’ standards of finished product quality and will significantly increase our overall productivity”.

The new plant and equipment

All of the Stork poultry processing equipment, kilometres of stainless steel tube work including vacuum service lines for transporting product around the plant, steam lines and compressed air and sanitary lines for sanitising the plant post production, were all installed by Lab45. The company also refurbished the spin chiller from the old plant, supplied and installed the stainless steel drip trays and also supplied a bidirectional, cleated conveyor to divert product to trucks at the offal discharge area.

The new plant was delivered on time over the March long weekend. Lab45 and Hazeldene’s maintenance staff worked hand in hand on the changeover weekend to remove the final pieces of equipment from the old plant which completed the mechanical installation of the new plant.

The new plant’s layout was predominantly Stork PMT (Holland) processing equipment and included a new receivals area, atmosphere stunning, kill line, evisceration line and spin chillers that are used to bring product temperatures down after the birds are processed.

Improved animal welfare

Hazeldene’s is focused on systems and procedures that increase animal welfare. The Stork processing GP Live Bird Handling System installed provides effective animal welfare. The modular system is easily installed and provides for fully automatic washing, cleaning and disinfection programs.

Also, live birds travel through a system of controlled atmosphere stunning via carbon dioxide. This offers several welfare advantages as the birds are numb and lack any feeling by the time they are hung on the shackles.

Prior to atmosphere stunning, the traditional methods of hanging the birds on the processing line used to induce stress in the birds and the trauma resulted in lesser quality meat. The new system has resulted in improved product quality and will surely increase consumer acceptability in terms of animal welfare.

Stainless steel for cleanliness and corrosion resistance

Stainless steel tube and pipe is normally specified in food processing plants, as well as for pharmaceutical and chemical applications due to its corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning.

At Hazeldene’s, the vacuum, feather, steam and blood lines are all constructed of 25 to 300 mm diameter stainless steel tube. Various grades from 304 to 316 were specified in different applications, depending on the product being carried.

Lab45 purge welders and tube fitters completed the welding requirements. The purge welding process is a technical and specialised process that significantly reduces bacteria counts in the tube. Without a purge, the weld and heat zone on the tube would be dark and crusty, easily corroded and impossible to maintain in any kind of sanitary condition. This process significantly reduces the accumulation of food particles and organic matter and thus minimises the opportunity for increases of microorganisms.

The Lab45 crew is equipped with the latest orbital tube cutting machines which also assist in better sanitary outcomes.

A Lab45 developed stainless steel bracketing system compensates for movement in the vacuum lines as product is fired throughout the plant.

Sanitary washdown stations have been installed in 52 locations around the new processing facility. The stations provide easy access for cleaners to Maxifoam foaming sanitiser, Quatrasan disinfectant spray, hot and cold water lines and compressed air at each location. Hazeldene’s cleaners and maintenance staff simply hook on hoses at the desired station. Lab45 provided the design, fabrication and installation of the laser-cut wash stations. The stations are 304 stainless steel for sanitary purposes. Blucher stainless press fit systems were installed to feed each station via recirculation pumps.

Up and running

The new plant was delivered on time and the plant’s production times were maintained throughout the installation process. Saleable cuts were made on the first day of the processing operation.

Lab45 General Manager Miles Pepperall commented that “our company has been heavily focused on providing turnkey solutions to the Australian poultry market and is now looking to expand in building factories across the food processing industry. The new facility at Hazeldene’s is cutting edge and provides a bench mark for the Australian market.”

He commended Hazeldene’s no-fuss approach saying, “the Hazeldene’s family have been a great team to work with. They assisted Lab45 in every way possible to bring the installation together and I wish them every success in their new world-class facility.”