Case History
Rymer Foods
Team Spirit and Technology
The story of Chicago based Rymer Foods makes interesting reading and we won't dwell too long on the fact that 3 years ago the company faced considerable challenges. You can read all about that and more in the excellent article by Virginia Lazar in the July 1998 issue of Meat Processing magazine. Now, we're pleased to report that Rymer is very much alive and well, with new management, new and creative ideas and a team spirit that many companies can only dream about.
One of the AEW THURNE 400 bandsaws which forms part of the team of 10 at Rymer. This recipe alone however, could never work without one other essential ingredient - technology. Mix that in with creative flair, management skills and determination and you're bound to succeed. We know all about that at AEW THURNE!
Rymer Foods lives in a 1920's five storey brick plant, located at the heart of the former Chicago stockyards, where they process several hundred thousand pounds of meat every week, including beef, pork and poultry. The building has been brought up to modern standards and boasts state-of-the-art production facilities, including a 4,000 square foot pressurised clean room, which is currently being expanded to 12,000 square feet, 5 high capacity ovens and smoke houses, MAP tray sealers and of course, a comprehensive refrigeration system.
The company even has a fully equipped test kitchen, manned by an R&D chef, who helps to create new products and solve problems.
An ever increasing product range, sold all over the USA to retail supermarkets and food service outlets, includes: portion controlled cooked meat items, fully cooked meals, pot roasts and, of course, portion controlled, boneless and bone-in steaks, chops and strips.
Producing such a wide range of products has its problems and none more so than the shortage of skilled labour - a consequence of the booming US economy. But it's here that an example of the vital technology ingredient of Rymer's recipe for success comes into play with - you've guessed it - AEW THURNE's APC Slicer.
"The APC is utilised 2 shifts a day, for as much as 6 days a week," says Jose Muguerza, Rymer's COO.
It slices thousands of perfectly presented, weight controlled steaks and cooked portions every hour of every day with hardly a break and it never complains!
Everyone at Rymer likes APC because it's safe and easy to operate and cleaning is quick and straightforward too. Quality assurance plays an important role at the company but APC never fails to reliably and consistently produce accurate portions of a high standard and finish.
Being in the Chicago stockyard area often presents problems that many processors in other parts of the globe rarely experience, in particular voltage fluctuations from the main power supply. "But APC holds its own here too, unlike some of the other machines in the plant, says Jose. It's a superb piece of engineering - one of the few machines we don't have to worry about - it just gets on with the job."
No less than 10 AEW THURNE 400 bandsaws form part of the team at Rymer. They've been there for 8-10 years and perform the job of cutting short loins and bone-in strips with typical outputs of porterhouse steaks, heavy and light T bones and some cooked products.
"The 400's are absolutely flawless, they're quiet, smooth, fast and easy to maintain" enthused Jose Muguerza. Here at Rymer we have strict hygiene conditions which means that the 400's have to be cleaned very often - yet again AEW THURNE have made that task easy too. No matter what we throw at them, they handle it."
So there you have it, technology and team spirit working together for success. We're so pleased to be a member of the team.
