42 | Ongoing investment key to growth T Sue Russell Peter Egan at the opening of the Hamilton plant’s world leading “Ibex” freezer/blast tunnel in 2008. T to page 45 Matamata Piako - Greenlea Meats REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Greenlea Meats has two plants operating out of sites in Hamilton and Morrinsville. Operations Manager Aaron Craig has been with the family-owned company for well over 20 years and is based at its Kahitatea Drive, Hamilton site. Founded in 1993 by Peter Egan, who got his first taste of the meat industry in the 1960’s at the family’s Gisborne butchery, today the Governance reins have been passed on to son James, chairman of the Greenlea board of directors, while nephew Tony is Greenlea’s managing director. Peter’s other son Simon and daughter Caroline also have seats on the Board. “When Peter founded Greenlea in the early 1990’s it was quite a tough time to be opening a meat plant. Other plants at that time were failing and back then the Hamilton plant was processing 160 animals each day which quickly grew to 220 per shift within three years .” Then in 1997, the opportunity to expand presented in the form of purchasing the company’s Morrinsville site. “Significant investment occurred at the Morrinsville site growing processing numbers from 110 per shift to 220 each shift,” Aaron explains. This commitment to continually reinvest into the company in the form of improving and modernising plant has created the capacity it enjoys today – processing upward of 600 animals per day on each site. Greenlea Meats sustainable growth pathway was fixed when a long term plan was established in 2005 , heralding a second phase of significant growth in 2008, including commissioning of a fully-automated blast tunnel in Hamilton, the first of its kind in the world. Design & Detailing Structural, Architectural &Misc. Steelwork Stainless & Aluminium Fabrication Laser Cutting Waterjet Cutting CNC Press Brake folding CNCMachining TEL. 07 884 8232 EMAIL: enquiries@cullen.co.nz ‘Your Engineering Solution Specialists’
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