Himmerlandskød

Automation at Heart

“Next time we need automation there is no doubt we will contact QUPAQ”. This is the conclusion from Klaus Vestergaard, Facility Director at Himmerlandskød in Denmark after the installation of an all-new product line.

Himmerlandskød, located in the northern part of Denmark with 2 plants in Farsø and Aalestrup, is the second largest slaughter/cutting facility of livestock in Denmark with 200 employees and a yearly slaughter of 120.000 livestock.

The Right Partner for the Right Project

When Himmerlandskød was building a brand-new plant, Klaus Vestergaard recognized the need to optimize the throughput and efficiency of their production line to make it future-proof. When searching for the right solution for automating their end of line operations, Klaus reached out to QUPAQ.

“We have been working together with Intech, before they became QUPAQ, on other smaller projects and have been really pleased with the solutions delivered before. So it was only natural for me to contact QUPAQ and get their opinion on how they could fulfill our needs.”

Looking for Automation, from the Very Start

As the second largest producer of meat in Denmark, with many different SKUs of beef, the need for automation was clear from the very beginning. The new plant houses everything from preparation of meat, to packaging of products in a limited amount of space. With that in mind every piece of equipment needed to be well suited for a compact space. The solution offered from QUPAQ was tailored to the precise need of the new plant.

“The solutions QUPAQ came up with – the high quality of the equipment, a small footprint and great uptime and reliability – the choice was simple, even if it wasn’t the cheapest solution.” says Klaus Vestergaard with a cheeky smile.

Putting Words into Action

“One of the biggest surprises for me was how quickly the project moved from words into action. The team at QUPAQ worked fast and efficient and we were up and running much faster than we first imagined. Even when we hit a small bump in the road where a pillar had to be placed in the layout where QUPAQ first drafted in their equipment on the layout, they changed the layout to fit around it.”

The whole process from ordering to the installation of the equipment and support from the service team have been seamless.

Klaus is inspecting the new production line together with Thomas Thomsen from QUPAQ.

“We didn’t experience any negative surprises at any point during the project. QUPAQ delivered exactly what they promised, in the timespan agreed upon and with the output the machines were supposed to deliver. Thats not necessarily a given in my experience. So, that there were no surprises at all, was in itself a surprise. It was easy to see that the equipment had been thoroughly tested before being delivered and that the installation team knew exactly what they were doing.”

Continued Partnership

With a great solution delivered, the partnership between Himmerlandskød and QUPAQ have never been stronger. Klaus corresponds with QUPAQ regularly to ensure that everything keeps running as expected and plans maintenance to ensure the continued high uptime – something all parts are very pleased with. So pleased in fact that Klaus adds:

“Next time we are looking to expand our production automation it is a given that QUPAQ is our partner for the job. With such a great understanding of our needs, and their fast delivery and installation, we are more than satisfied.”