GB2477275A

GB2477275A - Maintaining traceability in the processing of meat portions

Info

Publication number: GB2477275A
Application number: GB1001285A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Jonathan Christie; Jyhannes V Gunnarsson
Original assignee: SKELLVILLE ENTPR Ltd
Current assignee: SKELLVILLE ENTPR Ltd
Priority date: 2010-01-27
Filing date: 2010-01-27
Publication date: 2011-08-03
Also published as: GB201001285D0

Abstract

Traceability between a primary meat article and its secondary product cuts, such as fat and trim cut from the meat article, is achieved in a method and apparatus for processing meat articles on a processing line by maintaining an ordered arrangement between primary meat products on a first conveyor and their respective secondary off-cut products on a secondary conveyor. The processing of individual meat articles can be divided between multiple operators enabling traceability and yield control data to be generated by meat article and by operator.

Description

I

Apparatus and Method for Processing of Meat Portions

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing meat articles on a processing line. In particular to controlled feeding and transportation of meat articles such as pieces beef, pork, or lamb on a processing line. More particularly aspects of the invention relate to transportation at a controlled pace through the processing line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flow line processing systems use a method of continuous processing whereby meat articles continuously move at a slow pace along the production line past the operators. Materials (the meat articles) move along the processing line at a predetermined pace or flow' so that a continuous processing rate can be maintained. Meat articles can then be assigned to individuals to process.

In meat processing systems, it is important to monitor products for processing lines so that yield, waste and other data such as traceability can be generated.

This information is important so that inefficiencies, performance and areas for optimization can be identified thus minimizing wastage and increasing throughput.

Background prior art relating to meat process processing systems can be found in: W02009/098171 and W098/46086 for example.

A disadvantage with existing flow line processing systems is that a high minimum skill level for each employee is often needed, which is hard to maintain and requires significant training. This can result in unstable running of the processing system and can affect the overall performance as skills are acquired and/or make errors, thus resulting in poor throughput of meat articles and unnecessary wastage on the processing line.

The applicant has appreciated the need for an improved system and method of processing meat articles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Broadly speaking, the invention provides a method and apparatus in which the processing of individual meat articles can be divided between multiple operators whilst generating the needed traceability and yield control data and keeping the benefits of a system which is easy to use and manage. Operating at a continuous, pie determined pace, the method of dividing tasks between employees simplifies the running of the system; training is reduced; and the set pace ensures a targeted throughput can be achieved.

According to a first embodiment of the invention there is therefore provided a method of processing meat articles on a processing line, the method comprising: characterising meat articles to be processed; receiving said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of a first processing conveyor in a first ordered arrangement; processing said meat articles, said processing comprising trimming said meat articles to remove secondary product portions at workstations allocated along a length of said first processing conveyor and simultaneously transporting said first ordered arrangement of said meat articles from said infeed end of said first processing conveyor to an outfeed end of said first processing conveyor; moving said secondary product portions on said first processing conveyor to a first takeaway conveyor, wherein said secondary product portions are in a same said first ordered arrangement as said meat articles; characterising at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and moving said processed meat articles from said first processing conveyor to a central conveyor; wherein said first ordered arrangement of said meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved throughout said method.

The ordering of both meat articles and secondary product portions (fat and turn) is preserved from infeed to outfeed on the processing line, thereby advantageously enabling the secondary product portions to be traced back to the meat article they were removed from. This provides full traceability of the meat articles from input to the processing line, through processing, and exit.

Performance and yield analysis are also made possible by this processing method by maintaining the same ordered arrangement of processed meat articles and secondary product portions as the meat articles that entered the processing line. Secondary product portions (fat and trim) may be further separated into fat portions and trim portions when moved to the first takeaway conveyor. One or both of the fat and trim portions may then be characterised independently during the secondary product portion characterising.

In embodiments of the invention the characterising of meat articles to be processed may comprise generating pie-trimming data defining said characteristics of said meat articles before said processing; and the characterising at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions comprises generating post-trimming data defining said characteristics of at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions. The method may further comprise processing said pie-trimming data and said post-trimming data to determine performance metrics of said processing line dependent on said pie-trimming data and said post-trimming data.

In embodiments of the invention the characterising of said meat articles to be processed may comprise weighing said meat articles to be processed, and said characterising at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions may comprise weighing a respective said processed meat articles or said secondary product portions.

Pre-trimming data and post-trimming data can be processed to determine yield, product wastage and rate of processing for example, allowing inefficiencies in the product process to be identified, addressed and rectified.

In embodiments of the invention the method may comprise continuously transporting meat article along the processing line. This avoids the need to stop and start the processing line, instead providing a continuous flow of meat articles along the processing line. Each operator processes meat articles as they slow move along the processing line enabling a predictable and constant flow of meat articles.

In some embodiments of the invention each of said workstations is associated with one or more tasks, each task defining a sequence of actions for processing said meat article. The method of processing meat articles may then further comprise displaying at said each of said workstations instructions defining said one or more tasks to complete at said each of said workstations.

Advantageously the modularity of the processing line means that the range of operation performed at each workstation may vary. Fewer operators may each perform more processing steps if they are more highly trained. Alternatively, more operators may perform fewer processing steps at each processing station resulting in less training and reducing the skill set required by each operator.

The processing line may also adapt quickly to different processing requirements by changing the instructions on the display so that the operators are shown any changes to the processing that must be carried out.

In some embodiments of the invention the method may further comprise detecting the position of said meat articles on said first processing conveyor.

The location of all meat articles on the processing line can then be accurately monitored to provide accurate tracking of unprocessed and processed meat articles.

In embodiments of the invention the method may further comprise receiving said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of a second processing conveyor in a second ordered arrangement; processing said meat articles, said processing comprising trimming said meat articles to remove said secondary product portions at workstations allocated along a length of said second processing conveyor and simultaneously transporting said second ordered arrangement of said meat articles from said infeed end of said second processing conveyor to an outfeed end of said second processing conveyor; moving said secondary product portions on said second processing conveyor to a second takeaway conveyor, wherein said second secondary product portions are in a same said second ordered arrangement as said meat articles; and moving said processed meat articles from said second processing conveyor to a central conveyor; wherein said second ordered arrangement of meat articles is preserved throughout said method.

The provision of a second processing conveyor, similar to the first processing conveyor provides further processing throughput. Processed meat articles are moved onto the central conveyor located between the first and second processing conveyor when processing has completed. With a second processing conveyor meat articles to be processed are selectively routed to either the first processing conveyor or second processing conveyor at the infeed end of the processing line.

According to a second embodiment of the invention there is provided apparatus for processing meat articles, the apparatus comprising: an infeed characteriser to characterise meat articles to be processed; a first processing conveyor to receive said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of said first processing conveyor in a first ordered arrangement and transport said meat articles from said infeed end to an outfeed end of said first processing conveyor, said first processing conveyor comprising a first plurality of workstations allocated along a length of said first processing conveyor for processing said meat articles; a first takeaway conveyor to receive secondary product portions removed from said meat articles during processing at said first plurality of workstations, said first takeaway conveyor transporting said secondary product portions in a same said first ordered arrangement as said meat articles to be processed; a central conveyor to receive processed meat articles from said first processing conveyor; an ouffeed characteriser to characterise at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and a first outfeed router to move said processed meat articles from said first processing conveyor to said central conveyor; wherein said first ordered arrangement of said meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved along said apparatus.

The ordering of both meat articles and secondary product portions (fat and trim) is preserved from infeed to outfeed on the processing line, thereby advantageously enabling the secondary product portions to be traced back to the meat article they were removed from. This provides full traceability of the meat articles from input to the processing line, through processing, and exit.

Performance and yield analysis are also made possible by this apparatus by maintaining the same ordered arrangement of processed meat articles and secondary product as the meat articles that entered the processing line.

Secondary product portions (fat and trim) may be further separated into fat portions and trim portions when moved to the first takeaway conveyor. One or both of the fat and trim portions may then be characterised independently by the outfeed characteriser.

In embodiments of the invention the infeed characteriser may generate pre-trimming data defining said characteristics of said meat articles before said processing; wherein said outfeed characteriser generates post-trimming data defining said characteristics of at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and the apparatus may further comprise a data processing unit, said data processing unit receiving said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data and determining performance metrics dependent on said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data. The infeed characteriser may comprises scales to weigh said meat articles before said processing, and the outfeed characteriser may comprise scales to weigh at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions.

In embodiments of the invention the processing conveyor moves continuously.

This avoids the need to stop and start the processing line, instead providing a continuous flow of meat articles along the processing line. Each operator processes meat articles as they slow move along the processing line enabling a predictable and constant flow of meat articles.

In some embodiments of the invention each of said first plurality of workstations may be associated with one or more tasks, each task defining a sequence of actions for processing said meat article at said workstation, and wherein said each of said first plurality of workstations further comprises a display, said display displaying instructions defining said one or more tasks to complete at said each of said first plurality of workstations. Advantageously the modularity of the processing line means that the range of operations performed at each workstation may vary. Fewer operators may each perform more processing steps if they are more highly trained. Alternatively, more operators may perform fewer processing steps at each processing station resulting in less training and reducing the skill set required by each operator. The processing line may also adapt quickly to different processing requirements by changing the instructions on the display so that the operators are shown any changes to the processing that must be carried out.

In some embodiments of the invention the apparatus further comprises tracking apparatus, said tracking apparatus detecting the position of said meat articles on said first processing conveyor. The location of all meat articles on the processing line can then be accurately monitored to provide accurate tracking of unprocessed and processed meat articles.

In some embodiments of the invention the first takeaway conveyor is located substantially under said first processing conveyor. This reduces the floor space required by the processing line and further provides direct access to the takeaway conveyor for the secondary product portions.

In embodiments of the invention the first processing conveyor may comprise slats. Each slat may further comprise an aperture to guide said secondary product portions to said first takeaway conveyor. The slats may also be moveable between a processing position to transport said meat articles and a cleaning position, wherein in said processing position said slats are generally parallel to a direction of transport of said meat articles, and wherein in said cleaning position said slats are generally perpendicular to a direction of transport of said meat articles. In said processing position the slats move in a forward direction from said infeed end to said outfeed end of said first processing conveyor; and wherein in said cleaning position said slats return from said outfeed end to said infeed end of said first processing conveyor. The slats may also be rotatable relative to said processing position so that they can automatically move from the processing position to the cleaning position as the slats move from resting on top of the processing line in the forward direction to moving under the processing line in the return direction.

In embodiments of the invention the apparatus may further comprise a second processing conveyor to receive said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of said second processing conveyor in a second ordered arrangement and transport said meat articles from said infeed end to an ouffeed end of said second processing conveyor, said second processing conveyor comprising a second plurality of workstations allocated along a length of said second processing conveyor for processing said meat articles; a second takeaway conveyor to receive secondary product portions removed from said meat articles during processing at said second plurality of workstations, said second takeaway conveyor transporting said secondary product portions in a same said second ordered arrangement as said meat articles; a second outfeed router to move said processed meat articles from said second processing conveyor to said central conveyor; wherein said central conveyor further receives said processed meat articles from said second processing conveyor; and wherein said second ordered arrangement of meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved along said apparatus. The outfeed characteriser may further generate post-trimming data defining characteristics of said secondary product portions transported on said second takeaway conveyor.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling the processing of an ordered arrangement of meat artictes on a processing line, the method comprising: characterising an ordered arrangement of meat articles to be processed; detecting the receipt of said ordered arrangement of meat articles at an infeed end of a first processing conveyor; controlling said first processing conveyor to transport said ordered arrangement of meat articles from said infeed end of said first processing conveyor to an outfeed end; controlling a first takeaway conveyor to transport secondary product portions removed from said ordered arrangement of meat articles, wherein said secondary product portions are in a same said ordered arrangement; characterising at least one of said meat articles at said outfeed end and said secondary product portions; and controlling a movement of said meat articles at said outfeed end from said first processing conveyor to a central conveyor; The processing line is controlled so that the arrangement of unprocessed, processed meat articles and secondary product portions (trim and fat) are maintained in the same arrangement. This provides full traceability of the meat artictes from input through processing to output. The speed of the first processing conveyor and takeaway conveyor can also be controlled to achieve a desired throughput dependent on the number of operators and processing tasks assigned to each processing line thereby providing complete control of the processing line and tasks needed to be performed.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of determining the yield of meat articles on a processing line the method comprising: detecting the receipt of a meat articles to be processed; weighing said meat articles to be processed to define a first unprocessed weight; detecting at least one of a receipt of processed meat articles and a receipt of secondary product portions removed from said meat articles to be processed; weighing at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions removed from said meat articles to be processed to define a respective processed weight and a trim weight; and using said first unprocessed weight and at least one of said first processed weight and said first trim weight to determine the yield of said meat articles on said processing line; wherein said meat articles are in an ordered arrangement and said secondary product portions are in a same ordered arrangement as said meat articles; and wherein said ordered arrangement of said meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved throughout said method.

Maintaining the order of both meat articles on the processing line and secondary product (trim and fat), from infeed through processing to ouffeed and takeaway advantageously enables the yield of meat articles to be determined by weighing meat articles entering the processing line and one or both of the processed meat article and secondary product portions removed from the meat article during processing. A more detailed analysis and understanding of yield can be obtained by separately weighing trim and fat (the secondary product portions).

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a carrier carrying processor control code to implement the method of controlling the processing of an ordered arrangement of meat articles on a processing line as described above.

According to a further aspect of the invention further there is provided a carrier carrying processor control code to implement the method of determining the yield of meat articles on a processing line as described above.

The processor control code may comprise software and/or hardware definition code for example in embodiments it is convenient to implement some of the lower level functions in silicon and some of the higher level of functions on a DSP. Thus the carrier may be, for example, a disk, CD-or DVD-ROM, or programmed memory such as read-only memory (Firmware). The code (and/or data) may comprise source, object or executable code in a conventional programming language (interpreted or compiled) such as C, or assembly code, for example for general purpose computer system or a digital signal processor (DSP), or the code may comprise code for setting up or controlling an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or code for a hardware description language such as Verilog (Trade Mark) or VHDL (Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language). As the skilled person will appreciate such code and/or data may be distributed between a plurality of coupled components in communication with one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the invention will now be further described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Fig. I a shows a top down view of the layout of a production line according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. lb shows a side view of the layout of the processing line of Fig. Ia; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the takeaway system (TAW); Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the processing conveyor according to an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of the meat processing steps according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figs. I a and lb show a layout of the processing line module 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. Ia shows a top down view, Fig lb shows a side view of the processing line of Fig. Ia.

Depending on factory layout and production specification, processing lines can be designed and implemented with varying length processing line modules and also a varying number of processing line modules. A system may have an eight station module for primal processing and one or two lines with four stations for further processing (PAD or Patatunie -further processing whereby the product is made ready for packing). A software system for the factory processing enables the managers to plan the process for the complete factory and optimise throughput. To change function, different software settings are applied to the processing line to reconfigure the system control.

The processing line comprises an infeed station preceding the infeed end 13 of the processing line where quarters are cut up to create cuts' (meat articles) and then moved to a Primal SLAT conveyor 11, 12 (processing conveyor) according to information on a display at the infeed workstation. At infeed station, the cut may also be sent (meat article) directly through the line using the central belt (central conveyor) 16 to PAD or Packing, bypassing the Primal SLAT conveyors (processing line) 11, 12.

In the embodiment shown in Fig.la and l.b the processing line comprises two Primal SLAT conveyors (processing lines) 11, 12 separated by a central belt (central conveyor) 16. It will be appreciated however that a single Primal SLAT conveyor 11 or 12 may only be present in a processing line in conjunction with the central belt 16. A takeaway conveyor 28 is located underneath each Primal SLAT conveyor and is used to transport trim and fat removed from the meat articles by operators along the processing line.

The Primal SLAT conveyor 11, 12 is a closed conveyor system comprising cutting plates (slats) 60a, 60b with apertures 62 to allow trim and fat removed from the meat article to be passed to a takeaway conveyor 28 by operators working at each of the workstations 18a-18g. It will be appreciated by the skilled reader that one or both of trim and fat (collectively known as secondary product) may be removed from a meat article during processing and it will not necessarily be the case that both are removed.

Further details on the Primal SLAT conveyor are provided in Fig. 3 and the accompanying description. A residual outfeed conveyor 19 is located above the central belt and Primal SLAT conveyors which is used for small bones and other cut-offs from the meat articles which are not the fat or trim moved onto the takeaway conveyor 28.

A meat article is fed onto a Primal SLAT conveyor (processing conveyor) 11, 12 located on one side of the central belt (central conveyor) 16 according to a description displayed on the infeed station 13. The correct' primal, as requested by the description on the infeed station 13, is placed on the correct Primal SLAT conveyor 12, 13 so that the operators will process it according to sequence of operations displayed at their workstation (1 8a-1 8g). The number of operators on each Primal SLAT conveyor (line-side) of the processing line will depend on the allocation of tasks on each line. This provides flexibility in adjusting the speed and throughput according to the processing requirements and variation in number of operators each day.

Fig. Ia and lb show an example of seven processing workstations (18a-l8g) and one Quality Control (QC) station 20 at the outfeed end 15 of each Primal Slat conveyor 11, 12. The operators trim the product according to the description on the display 21 at their workstation 18a-18g and place any removed secondary product (one or both of trim and fat) through the apertures 62 on the primal slat conveyor 11, 12 onto the takeaway conveyor 28). The number of processing steps each operator carries out is reduced, thereby requiring a reduced skill set. In addition, the presence of a display guiding and instructing the operator provides further assistance thereby guiding the operator further. If the type of meat article being processed changes, then the instructions can also be updated so the operator is provided with guidance on any new processing to be performed. The takeaway conveyor 28 moves at the same rate as the processing conveyor 11, 12 so that the secondary product cuts are received by the takeaway conveyor and move in sequence with the primal of meat to the end of the processing line 10. The order of the secondary product cuts thus corresponds to the order of the meat articles on the processing conveyor allowing the secondary product to be associated with the corresponding primal of meat.

Preserving the ordering permits tracking and yield analysis of the meat articles processed by the group of operators, whilst enabling flexibility of the product setup in the processing line 10. The trim and fat (the secondary product cuts) transported on the takeaway conveyor 28 are then taken to a weighing station.

Component parts of the secondary product (the trim and fat) are placed on the takeaway conveyor separately, allowing trim and fat to be weighed independently (which may be advantageous for analysis and determining where product wastage is occurring). The takeaway system that receives the trim and fat transported by the takeaway conveyor 28 is described further in Fig.2 and

the accompanying description.

Any of the conveyors may also contain a detector which keeps track of the positions of the meat articles, and/or the secondary products on at least one of the conveyors.

Optionally, the infeed station 13 may comprise an infeed router to selectively route the meat article to be processed to either of the two processing conveyors or along the central conveyor 16 to bypass the processing conveyor if no processing is needed for that particular cut of meat.

At the outfeed end 15 there may also be an automatic destination selector which controls if the product is going to pre assigned packing or a PAD line.

There may also be a QA station 20.

Fig. 2 shows the takeaway system (TAW) 40. The takeaway system transports trim and fat from the takeaway conveyor 28 to packing stations 50a, 50b, 50c.

The takeaway system 40 indexes secondary product portions of trim and fat coming from off the production line via the takeaway conveyor 28 (as it is known which of the secondary product portions belong to which meat article because the ordering of the products on the conveyors has been maintained) and automatically brings them to packing stations 50a, 50b, 50c via conveyor 44 (which has an extendable end to allow secondary product portions to be routed to the packing stations via conveyors 46ac and hoppers 48a-48c). The processing system is aware of the ordering of products on extendable conveyor 44 (as the ordering has been maintained), therefore it is also able to control the positioning of conveyor 44 and thus the hopper and packing station selection.

Each of the trim and fat portions forming the secondary product portions will also be in a known order (if separation of trim and fat is required according to the configuration of the production line) enabling trim and fat to be moved to separate hoppers and packing stations if required.

The layout of this can vary between solutions depending on a customer's preference, but the process will adopt the same methodology.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the Primal SLAT Conveyor (the processing conveyor) 11, 12. The Primal SLAT conveyor 11, 12 is a closed conveyor system comprising cutting plates 60a, 60b with apertures 62. Operators place trim and fat removed from the processed meat article through the apertures onto the takeaway conveyor 28. The apertures 62 on the plates 60a are used to guide the trim to a pre-designated takeaway. Shown on Fig. 2, there are two apertures in front of each operator during the processing of a meat article, with fat being placed through one of the aperture 52, 54 and trim through the other aperture 54, 52. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 each operator uses the first slot for fat, and the second slot for trim. In doing so, the trim and fat moved to the takeaway conveyor are separated and in a known order. In the embodiment in Fig. 2, the takeaway conveyor comprises compartments to ensure the trim and fat placed on the takeaway conveyor remains separated. It will be appreciated that the implementation of this can vary between applications depending on the customer's preference and more or less separation of secondary products may be carried out.

The cutting plates 60a, 60b are moveable between a processing position (for example cutting plate 60a) when moving along the forward cycle of the processing conveyor 11 (from infeed to outfeed) to a cleaning position. In the processing position, the cutting plates 60a are generally suitable for transporting and processing the meat articles. In the return cycle, the plates can rotate to the cleaning position (for example cutting plate 60b). In the embodiment in Figure 3 the cutting plates rotate about hinge 64 and this may automatically rotate as the cutting plates change direction about sprocket wheel 66. In the return cycle (plates returning from the outfeed end to the infeed end), the plates are rinsed.

Typically the plates 60b are not fully cleaned, but washed with cold water (although it will be appreciated that more rigorous cleansing is possible) and the surface of the plates 60b dry as they hang down on the return cycle of the conveyor 11. When the cutting plates return to the infeed end, operators are presented with a rinsed surface in preparation for new meat articles to be placed on the processing conveyor 11.

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of the processing stages.

At step 80 a meat article is received at the infeed end of the processing apparatus. The meat article is analysed in step 82, typically measuring the weight for example. An operator can also perform a quality check of the meat article.

Optionally, processing of the meat article may be bypassed in step 84. If processing is bypassed, the unprocessed meat article is moved onto the central conveyor and transported to the outfeed end of the processing line.

The meat article to be processed is moved onto the processing conveyor in step 86 and continuously moves along the processing conveyor in step 88 at a predetermined rate or flow. By maintaining a continuous flow a set processing rate can be maintained, The set processing rate may be dependent, for example, on a particular target performance metric, such as a total number of primal products processed per hour or a total weight target. The setting of this processing rate (for example by controlling the rate of movement of the conveyors in the processing line, or rate of delivery of unprocessed meat articles to the processing line) may be implemented by a computer system.

Multiple operator workstations are present on each Primal SLAT conveyor (processing conveyor). At each workstation instructions are presented to the operator describing the particular process to be carried out. Processing is distributed along the processing line so the skill level required by each operator is reduced. Each operator now only performs a reduced set of operations on the meat article being processed and is further guided by instructions present on the display at each workstation. A workstation operator processes the meat article according to these instructions at step 90. In step 92 the operator moves any pieces of trim and fat (secondary product) removed from the meat article onto the takeaway conveyor, by placing any fat and trim into the apertures on the Primal SLAT conveyor. When processing meat articles, in the embodiment in Fig I and 2, each operator has two apertures available to them on the Primal SLAT conveyor; fat is placed through a first aperture 52, and trim is placed through a second aperture 54 resulting in separation of the trim and fat on the takeaway conveyor. For example, in Fig. 2 the operators may be instructed to use aperture 52 to their left for fat and aperture 54 to their right for trim.

Providing a consistent approach is adopted, the trim and fat received by the takeaway conveyor from all workstations remains separated. The takeaway conveyor can comprise compartments to ensure trim and fat remain separated during transportation.

The meat article continues to move along the processing line, being processed by the next operator according to instructions on the display at each workstation until the processing steps designated for that particular line (between the infeed and outfeed) is completed at step 94. If further processing is required when the end of the processing line is reached, then the meat article can be moved to another processing line. The processed meat article is then moved onto the central conveyor in step 96. The processed meat article is then analysed (e.g. weighed) in step 98. Trim and fat on the takeaway conveyor is also analysed in step 98 (at another station on the takeaway system). The order of both the processed meat article and the removed trim and fat has been maintained on the processing and takeaway conveyors allowing the processing system to determine which trim and fat portions correspond to which processed meat article, and consequentially, the originating unprocessed meat article at step 100. Information such as yield, productivity and wastage, for example, can then be determined, providing useful information for each group of operators working on a Primal SLAT conveyor.

The process of Fig. 4 may be computer controlled for example. Computer controlled data collection and control over infeed and outfeed for the system to secure traceability and yield control are provided. A control unit (e.g. computer system) can be used for arranging the allocation of the individual items (meat articles) to the processing lines, and for any material coming off the primal product during the process. Each piece is weighed and registered into the line at the infeed end. The registration is carried out by scanning a barcode located with each meat article. The barcode contains data such as the animal the meat article is from and the kill data, and is scanned and/or confirmed on a display at the infeed station. All cutoff and trimming (the secondary product) is later weighed and allocated to the originating primal product that entered the infeed end. The processed meat articles can also be weighed if this is deemed necessary for the monitoring and analysis required.

Traceability from origin through processing is provided using the process in Fig. 4 whilst further enabling yield per line side to be determined (in addition to automatic assessment per line-side) by recording weights and issuing reports.

Reports on throughput, yield, percentage by-product and waste allow the production line owner to optimize the output and profitability.

In summary, embodiments of the invention have the following features: o Yield control is per piece and accountability per group of operators per line-side 0 By the use of QA it is also possible to obtain accountability per person * Each workstation may have a display to instruct the operator on the trimming process to carry out.

* The instructions may be in a graphical form at each workstation * Traceability is through the system as a whole according to a set of

standardized specifications.

* Modularity, with workstations able to be used to perform different operations.

Integrated weighing and software generating yield and product reports.

* Full Traceability of individual elements through the process.

* Real Time feedback of yield per line side displayed at each.

Segregation of primal and various by-products (secondary products -fat and trim, and residual outfeed -bones).

The system generally comprises:

(I) Material introduction,

(II) Workstations, which may optionally be in modular sections, for example, sections of four workstations, (Ill) QAStation, (IV) Trim and fat takeaway system.

The conveyor sections can be controlled by PLC allowing full individual speed control of each conveyor.

No doubt many other effective alternatives will occur to the skilled person. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and encompasses modifications apparent to those skilled in the art lying within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Further features provided include: * An apparatus for processing meat articles in a continuous flow at a predetermined pace. Traceability is managed, and yield control is possible through the process. The flow of meat articles is controlled onto one or more receiving areas, wherein the arrangement of the food articles during the process is preserved.

The apparatus comprises: o Means for determining one or more characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the meat articles, o The main conveyor (Primal SLAT Conveyor) for conveying the meat articles along operators trimming stations is a closed conveying path, the conveyor comprising a number of article holders (Fig.3) o Takeaway means for arranging the trim meat articles (secondary products comprising trim and fat) onto the article takeaway conveyor (TAW). The takeaway conveyor system is adapted to preserve the arrangement of the food articles in the packing area during the conveying.

o A processor for using the one or more characteristic parameters for selecting process specifications. This may include characteristic parameters derived from the meat articles before processing and/or after processing including the processed meat article and/or the secondary product (trim and fat).

The apparatus may comprise of one or more processing conveyors.

The processing conveyors may comprise an encoder (detector) for keeping track of the position of the meat articles.

The apparatus comprises means to move the meat articles automatically from one conveyor to another.

A method of processing meat articles based on at least one characteristics of the articles, wherein the operation comprises building up processing data of the meat articles in a software system, wherein the arrangement of the food articles during the process is preserved, comprising: o determining one or more characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the meat articles, o conveying the meat articles along a closed conveying path, the conveyor comprising a number of conveyors attached to the main conveyor for holding the meat articles during the conveying along the closed conveying path, o The determining of one or more characteristic parameters may comprise determining the quality of the work performed by operators on the line through registration of data on the QC stations (Quality Control).

o A computer readable media adapted to store instructions for executing the method of processing meat articles based on at least one characteristic of the articles.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A method of processing meat articles on a processing line, the method comprising: characterising meat articles to be processed; receiving said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of a first processing conveyor in a first ordered arrangement; processing said meat articles, said processing comprising trimming said meat articles to remove secondary product portions at workstations allocated along a length of said first processing conveyor and simultaneously transporting said first ordered arrangement of said meat articles from said infeed end of said first processing conveyor to an outfeed end of said first processing conveyor; moving said secondary product portions on said first processing conveyor to a first takeaway conveyor, wherein said secondary product portions are in a same said first ordered arrangement as said meat articles; characterising at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and moving said processed meat articles from said first processing conveyor to a central conveyor; wherein said first ordered arrangement of said meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved throughout said method.
2. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in claim 1, wherein said characterising meat articles to be processed comprises generating pre-trimming data defining said characteristics of said meat articles before said processing; and wherein said characterising at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions comprises generating post-trimming data defining said characteristics of at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and the method further comprising processing said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data to determine performance metrics of said processing line dependent on said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data.
3. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in claim I or 2, wherein said transporting is continuous.
4. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each of said workstations is associated with one or more tasks, each task defining a sequence of actions for processing said meat article, the method further comprising displaying at said each of said workstations instructions defining said one or more tasks to complete at said each of said workstations.
5. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising detecting the position of said meat articles on said first processing conveyor.
6. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said characterising said meat articles to be processed comprises weighing said meat articles to be processed, and wherein said characterising at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions comprises weighing a respective said processed meat articles or said secondary product portions.
7. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising: receiving said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of a second processing conveyor in a second ordered arrangement; processing said meat articles, said processing comprising trimming said meat articles to remove said secondary product portions at workstations allocated along a length of said second processing conveyor and simultaneously transporting said second ordered arrangement of said meat articles from said infeed end of said second processing conveyor to an outfeed end of said second processing conveyor; moving said secondary product portions on said second processing conveyor to a second takeaway conveyor, wherein said second secondary product portions are in a same said second ordered arrangement as said meat articles; and moving said processed meat articles from said second processing conveyor to a central conveyor; wherein said second ordered arrangement of meat articles is preserved throughout said method.
8. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: generating pre-trimming data defining said characteristics of said meat articles before said processing; generating post-trimming data defining said characteristics of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and processing said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data to determine performance metrics of said processing line dependent on said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data.
9. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in claim 7 or 8, further comprising selectively routing said meat articles to be processed to said second processing conveyor.
10. A method of processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising detecting the position of said meat articles on said second processing conveyor.
11. Apparatus for processing meat articles, the apparatus comprising: an infeed characteriser to characterise meat articles to be processed; a first processing conveyor to receive said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of said first processing conveyor in a first ordered arrangement and transport said meat articles from said infeed end to an outfeed end of said first processing conveyor, said first processing conveyor comprising a first plurality of workstations allocated along a length of said first processing conveyor for processing said meat articles; a first takeaway conveyor to receive secondary product portions removed from said meat articles during processing at said first plurality of workstations, said first takeaway conveyor transporting said secondary product portions in a same said first ordered arrangement as said meat articles to be processed; a central conveyor to receive processed meat articles from said first processing conveyor; an outfeed characteriser to characterise at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and a first outfeed router to move said processed meat articles from said first processing conveyor to said central conveyor; wherein said first ordered arrangement of said meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved along said apparatus.
12. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 11, wherein said infeed characteriser generates pre-trimming data defining said characteristics of said meat articles before said processing; wherein said outfeed characteriser generates post-trimming data defining said characteristics of at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions; and further comprising a data processing unit, said data processing unit receiving said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data and determining performance metrics dependent on said pre-trimming data and said post-trimming data.
13. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein said first processing conveyor moves continuously.
14. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein each of said first plurality of workstations is associated with one or more tasks, each task defining a sequence of actions for processing said meat article at said workstation, and wherein said each of said first plurality of workstations further comprises a display, said display displaying instructions defining said one or more tasks to complete at said each of said first plurality of
15. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising tracking apparatus, said tracking apparatus detecting the position of said meat articles on said first processing conveyor.
16. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein said first takeaway conveyor is located substantially under said first processing conveyor.
17. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein said infeed characteriser comprises scales to weigh said meat articles before said processing.
18. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 17, wherein said ouffeed characteriser comprises scales to weigh at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions;
19. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein said first processing conveyor comprises slats.
20. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 19, wherein each of said slats further comprise an aperture to guide said secondary product portions to said first takeaway conveyor.
21. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claims 19 or 20, wherein said slats are moveable between a processing position to transport said meat articles and a cleaning position, wherein in said processing position said slats are generally parallel to a direction of transport of said meat articles, and wherein in said cleaning position said siats are generally perpendicular to a direction of transport of said meat articles.
22. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 21, wherein in said processing position said slats move in a forward direction from said infeed end to said outfeed end of said first processing conveyor; and wherein in said cleaning position said slats return from said outfeed end to said infeed end of said first processing conveyor.
23. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein said slats are rotatable relative to said processing position.
24. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 25, wherein said first outfeed router comprises an arm to push said meat articles onto said central conveyor.
25. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 24, further comprising: a second processing conveyor to receive said meat articles to be processed at an infeed end of said second processing conveyor in a second ordered arrangement and transport said meat articles from said infeed end to an outfeed end of said second processing conveyor, said second processing conveyor comprising a second plurality of workstations allocated along a length of said second processing conveyor for processing said meat articles; a second takeaway conveyor to receive secondary product portions removed from said meat articles during processing at said second plurality of workstations, said second takeaway conveyor transporting said secondary product portions in a same said second ordered arrangement as said meat articles; a second outfeed router to move said processed meat articles from said second processing conveyor to said central conveyor; wherein said central conveyor further receives said processed meat articles from said second processing conveyor; and wherein said second ordered arrangement of meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved along said apparatus.
26. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 25, wherein said outfeed characteriser further generates post-trimming data defining characteristics of said secondary product portions transported on said second takeaway conveyor.
27. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in claim 25 or 26, wherein said infeed router further selectively routes said meat articles to be processed to said second processing conveyor.
28. Apparatus for processing meat articles as claimed in any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein said second takeaway conveyor is located substantially under said second processing conveyor.
29. A method of controlling the processing of an ordered arrangement of meat articles on a processing line, the method comprising: characterising an ordered arrangement of meat articles to be processed; detecting the receipt of said ordered arrangement of meat articles at an infeed end of a first processing conveyor; controlling said first processing conveyor to transport said ordered arrangement of meat articles from said infeed end of said first processing conveyor to an outfeed end; controlling a first takeaway conveyor to transport secondary product portions removed from said ordered arrangement of meat articles, wherein said secondary product portions are in a same said ordered arrangement; characterising at least one of said meat articles at said ouffeed end and said secondary product portions; and controlling a movement of said meat articles at said outfeed end from said first processing conveyor to a central conveyor;
30. A method of determining the yield of meat articles on a processing line, the method comprising: detecting the receipt of a meat articles to be processed; weighing said meat articles to be processed to define a first unprocessed weight; detecting at least one of a receipt of processed meat articles and a receipt of secondary product portions removed from said meat articles to be processed; weighing at least one of said processed meat articles and said secondary product portions removed from said meat articles to be processed to define a respective processed weight and a trim weight; and using said first unprocessed weight and at least one of said first processed weight and said first trim weight to determine the yield of said meat articles on said processing line; wherein said meat articles are in an ordered arrangement and said secondary product portions are in a same ordered arrangement as said meat articles; and wherein said ordered arrangement of said meat articles and said secondary product portions is preserved throughout said method.
31. A carrier carrying processor control code to, when running, implement the method of claim 29.
32. A carrier carrying processor control code to, when running, implement the method of claim 30.
33. Apparatus for processing meat articles substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.