Jamaica captivated by The Best Dressed Chicken

To win over a demanding public, the company invests in new technologies and has entrusted Marel with the installation of cutting-edge solutions at its processing plant in Jamaica.

Outgrown

The relationship between the companies started in mid-August 2018, when Jamaica Broilers contacted Marel about the need for end-of-line check weighing and labeling software for its processing operations. Previously, the company had been using a system of scales for the final packaging of products, but now needed more accurate and reliable information for integration with the plant’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

Configurable and adaptable

“Right at the beginning of our research, we realized that Marel had solid knowledge and experience with this type of application,” reports Dave Fairman, Vice President of The Best Dressed Chicken Division of the company. “We were looking for an application that was configurable and adaptable to the many demands and requirements of our consumers.”

Promising results

Marel’s Innova Packing and Innova Labeling software supports a wide variety of end-of-line applications for managing different parameters of product labels, packaging, and pallets. It offers accurate end-of-line information and label printing. “It is a very precise system. After comparison with Marel’s load cells, we found that the old load cells had an error margin of approximately 3 grams [0.11 oz] per package. Marel’s system is also capable of withstanding extreme production environments,” says Dave Fairman. “The result was so promising that, we decided to replace our other systems too. In a few more months, our end-of-line operations will be running solely on Marel solutions.”

Order fulfillment

Jamaica Broilers also proceeded with Innova’s Order Manager. Using this module, the planning department manages various production stages, from the purchase order to the sales order, in real-time, to guarantee the fulfillment of complex orders, packaging, and palletizing demands.

Tailored services

In addition to the safety and accuracy of end of line information, the quality of service provision was one of the reasons for choosing Marel. “To operate smoothly, we need a partner who is on our side. The Marel team has been very helpful and our maintenance team is very appreciative of this interaction,” says Thomas Waters, Vice President of Operations, The Best Dressed Chicken.

Customers drive investments

“We are driven mainly by our customers, who always expect the best product from us. That drives our investments,” says Dave Fairman. In 2019, the company invested in a Marel evisceration line of its processing plant in Jamaica, including the Nuova eviscerator.
With the installation project scheduled for 2020, the company faced the Covid-19 pandemic. “We had some issues along the way, but we managed to get the operation working as planned, without disrupting the production cycle,” reveals Thomas Waters.

About Jamaica Broilers

The Jamaica Broilers Group is a vertically integrated company, with operations covering the production and distribution of poultry products, animal feed and agricultural products. The group maintains diversified operations in Jamaica, the United States and Haiti. For more than 60 years, the Group has been supplying poultry products under the brand ‘The Best Dressed Chicken’. ‘Dressed’ means chicken already plucked and cleaned. “The Best Dressed Chicken brand has grown over the years, always remaining faithful to the fundamental values of integrity, fairness and commitment to serving our customers with the highest standards and quality products,” says Dave Fairman.

The Jamaica Broilers Group serves food service companies, restaurants, hotels, wholesalers and retailers, and offers a wide variety of products, such as whole chickens, chicken parts, boneless chicken, marinated and further processed (ready to cook) products. The domestic market is the main focus of the Group though it also exports around 10% of its production to other countries in the Caribbean region.

jamaicabroilersgroup.com