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While drawing up the specification for the latest two of the nine processing and packing lines for QK Meats in Johannesburg, British weigh labelling firm Herbert Industrial quickly realised that geography would play an important part. Johannesburg is some 6,000 feet (or 2,000 metres) above sea level, but many of QK’s packs are shipped to coastal regions. This meant that the packs had to be over-gassed prior to receiving labels in order to prevent them becoming concave when they were transported down to places such as Cape Town, with their lower atmospheric pressure. But this over-gassing adversely affected the positioning of labels.
Thus conventional blow application for labels was not appropriate if packs were to retain their integrity and labels be placed correctly. So the latest equipment to be supplied by Herbert to QK Meats includes top label touch applicators.
QK Meats originally went to Herbert Industrial for Gemini Family Network (GFN) weigh price labellers when they were equipping their new plant on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The GFN allows for centralised control, full data capture, label design and remote support from the UK. So when QK recently gained an additional major contract to supply Woolworth’s in South Africa with a wide range of packs of beef and lamb, they naturally went back to Herbert Industrial.
Because of the volumes involved, QK clearly needed to go the automated route, so they selected Gemini Lightning top and base labellers along with Herbert’s Cyclone promotional labellers and metal detectors.
QK Meats process and produce a wide range of beef and lamb products from steaks through boerewors sausages to patties (as burgers are called in South Africa).
“The latest Herbert equipment will help us to improve product throughput and efficiency,” comments Ivor Quealy, QK Meats’ Managing Director. “And we went back to them partly because of the excellent work they have done in the UK for our associates, Dawn Meats.“
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