A $50 million investment in the future of Western Australia’s livestock sector has been officially opened by major WA livestock processor V&V Walsh.
The Company’s new state-of-the-art cold store, which can chill and freeze up to 65,000 cartons of beef, mutton and lamb at a time, was officially opened by WA Agriculture Minister Hon Jackie Jarvis at the Company’s abattoir in Bunbury, in front of 100 staff, suppliers and business partners.
The cold store building is [three] stories high covers [insert figure] squares metres. A key component of the cold store is the 26,000-carton automated sortation system, which provides enhanced accuracy and efficiency for both order picking and associated documentation.
It has the ability to plate and blast freeze 9,000 cartons per day.
Craig Mostyn Group CEO Wayne Crofts said Craig Mostyn’s investment in the cold store for V&V Walsh would provide significant benefits to V&V Walsh, its suppliers and its customers.
“This is a $50 million vote of confidence from Craig Mostyn Group and V&V Walsh in the future of Western Australia’s cattle, sheep and lamb industry,” he said.
“The new facility will increase the capacity of the V&V Walsh operations; enhance its ability to meet the ‘just in time’ demands for modern global supply chains; and will help improve efficiency and product quality. That provides significant benefits to V&V Walsh, the farmers who supply us with sheep and cattle, and our customers.”
Development of the cold store received a $700,000 grant from the State Government’s Value Add Investment Grant Program.
V&V Walsh employs 650 men and women at its Bunbury abattoir, which services all major supermarkets and a range of export markets.
Mr Crofts acknowledges the staff and external contractors who had contributed to bringing the cold store online.
“I want to thank all of the contractors involved with the design and construction of this impressive facility as well as V&V Walsh and CMG staff for their work integrating the cold store into our operations while also providing great quality beef, lamb and mutton to consumers in Australia and around the world.”
V&V Walsh produces 45 million kilograms of lamb, beef and mutton annually from 1 million sheep and 60,000 cattle.