Scott – JBS Automated rib cutting - detector upgrade

Summary

​As a follow on from the successful developments in the Lamb Leap boning Automation Technology, MLA initiated discussions with the broader Red Meat Industry in 2016 to develop the foundation for a transformational Beef Boning Automation strategy program.
To advance this initiative MLA program managers have visited and presented the strategy to 15 individual beef processing companies on site as well as holding a workshop in collaboration with AMPC in December in Brisbane with attendees from Teys, JBS, ACC, and others. The overall feedback from industry was that the timing is now right to take the learning from Lamb automation and progress beef boning automation.
Taking a similar approach to the LEAP for lamb initiative MLA has developed a novel beef boning process layout (LEAP for Beef) that leverages the lamb automation modules.  
In 2016, Scott Technology and MLA successfully completed the first two beef modules - a DEXA enabled automated beef rib scribing solution.  This is the first of circa 10 modules that will comprise the automated beef boning room. The modules will be driven from a mixture of both Dual Energy X-Ray (DEXA) and evolving Rapiscan and 4DDI CT systems.  These will provide additional supply chain benefits and efficiencies to the host processor and their producer suppliers.
The intention is to derive a technology platform to enable a collection of further LEAP 4 beef sub-projects such as Rack processing (short rib cutting, brisket cutting, chine cutting and fat trimming to specification), Meat Quality measurement (tenderness & IMF), Auto Vacuum Bag Loading, Auto Pick & Pack plus other OCM developments.
The beef boning automation program once developed will represent the only fully automated and integrated beef system available worldwide. These systems will pioneer large scale, high throughput and sophisticated automation solutions required to maximise cutting accuracy and yield, as well as serving as a platform for object carcase measurement and traceability.