66 | PRODUCTION Silver Fern Farms Waitane Teamwork behind top site award Richard Loader Bronwyn Cairns: “We have got through it with smiles, laughter, teamwork and the right culture.” “The awards reflect everyone’s commitment, ownership and energy over 2021. We have an amazing culture on site and a resilient and resourceful workforce.” to page 68 Proud to support Silver Fern Farms www.gallawaycookallan.co.nz Bronwyn Cairns, Site Manager at Silver Fern Farms (SSF) Waitane says she could not be prouder of her team for achieving success at the company’s annual awards. Each year, Silver Fern Farms holds awards for its 14 processing sites across the country, with categories covering sustainability, health and safety, customer and quality, productivity, people and its continuous business improvement programme Streamline, as well as best site. The Waitane site won the health, safety and wellness, Streamline continuous business improvement, and best sheep plant awards, and was the overall winner for best site. “The reason we won those awards is quite simply teamwork,” says Bronwyn. “The awards reflect everyone’s commitment, ownership and energy over 2021. We have an amazing culture on site and a resilient and resourceful workforce.” Despite high absenteeism over the last few months from Omicron the Waitane team dug deep into their reserves knowing what had to be done, while taking the opportunity to learn how to work more efficiently. “We have got through it with smiles, laughter, teamwork and the right culture. Streamline gives us the tools and platform to drive continuous improvement. The team adjust to market and supply challenges while ensuring the company maxim of ‘production done safely to a high standard’ is being met.” Bronwyn adds that the awards provide her team with recognition for all the hard work they have put in, and gives them pride in the brand, which they can share with their families. “Everybody on site is proud to be part of the company vision which is to add value to produce the world’s most successful and sustainable grass-fed red meat. They can show their families that as a team they are part of a brand that is recognised around the globe as being a respected meat processing company.” Located just south of Gore, SSF’s Waitane plant has been operating for 32 years and was originally known as Waitane Meats Ltd, which was a consortium of local farmers who wanted an abattoir. In 1994 the plant was bought by PPCS, which later became Silver Fern Farms. Today the plant processes over 360,000 stock units each year, sourced from farms all over Southland and South Otago. “We process for approximately eleven months of the year,” says Bronwyn. “ “We start the season in July and process calves for three months and then continue through to June on mutton and lambs. All our product is exported throughout the world and we produce enough meat to fill on average 900 overseas containers per year.”
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