South African meat processer hails digital tech

07-Sep-2016 - Last updated on 08-Sep-2016 at 11:14 GMT

Cavalier said the system helped manage information coming from its meat plants

Red meat processor Cavalier Group has lauded the impact the internet of things – dubbed South Africa’s fourth industrial revolution – has had on business.

Interconnectivity and the use of different technology channels to share and exchange data has enabled Cavalier Group to optimise its business for the modern world. The beef and lamb vertically integrated company supplies meat to leading retail chains in South Africa, whilst exporting meat abroad too.

In the past, the business said it had struggled with information flow across farms, feedlots, abattoirs and other business lines. Thus, managing its operations was a difficult challenge. The meat processor has recently migrated to an online platform developed by South Africa’s tech frim IoT.nxt, and said the move had paid off.

Oversight optimised

“IoT.nxt’s internet of things solution offered us connectivity between all the business divisions and provides us with a real time overview of everything,” said Heinrich Bahlmann, IT Manager at Cavalier Group.

“Also, the workflow model developed by IoT.nxt creates immediate reaction times when a sensor sends an alert about something that needs attention. We know immediately when, for instance, the cooling rooms or fridge temperatures are not correct and can reset it. In a further phase, once completed, we will know when the dam is full and the work flow system will automatically switch the water pumps off, reducing water wastage.”

Bahlmann added that using an online-based management system has reinforced Cavalier’s ability to manage compliance, food safety and regulatory requirements.

Before upgrading its systems, each business unit at Cavalier had its one networks, but sharing data between systems was not even considered. Through the Iot.nxt system, Cavalier has been able to connect its monitoring of cooling’s plants, generators, biometric access control, cameras and turnstiles – all of which now share and exchange information, making the business apparently more efficient.

CEO of IoT.nxt, Nico Steyn, said his company’s system “eradicated human error in the management of operations”.