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Forresters Chicken: From Paper-Based Processes to Real-Time Visibility with Emydex

Processing over 1.4 million packs of chicken every week and supplying all major UK retailers, Forresters Chicken operates in an environment where efficiency, quality and traceability are critical to daily operations.

With more than 50 years of history, the business had grown significantly. But as production volumes increased, so did the complexity of managing quality, performance and compliance across the factory floor.

Like many food processors, Forresters reached a point where traditional, paper-based processes could no longer support the pace and scale of the operation.

Before Emydex, all of our quality control processes were paper-based. Everything was pen and paper, reams and reams of paper, and traceability was a nightmare.”

Angus Dilliway-Parry – Owner / R&D Director

Operational Visibility Before Digital Transformation

Paper-based quality checks and manual records made it difficult for teams to gain a clear, real-time view of what was happening across production.

From a management perspective, this lack of visibility impacted decision-making and operational efficiency.

From a management point of view, it was difficult to see the full picture at any one time.”

John Acornley – Finance Director

Without instant access to reliable data, reacting quickly to issues, monitoring performance and meeting production expectations became increasingly challenging.

The Turning Point: Moving from Paper to Real-Time Data

The introduction of Emydex marked a fundamental shift in how Forresters managed production and quality. What was once fragmented and manual became digital, structured and immediately accessible.

The difference between before Emydex and after Emydex is like night and day. The access to information is phenomenal.”

John Acornley – Finance Director

Real-time access to production and quality data transformed daily operations across the business.

Embedding Data into Everyday Operations

Today, Emydex is used consistently across the factory floor and beyond. Production planners, operators and managers rely on the system daily to support informed decision-making.

The planners use it day in, day out. The factory uses it day in, day out. We have screens up giving the staff and managers the data they need.”

Nick Cooper – Operations Director

This visibility extends beyond the physical factory.

Even if you’re not in the factory, you can pull up Emydex information on your computer and see exactly what’s going on.”

Nick Cooper – Operations Director

 

Turning Insight into Continuous Improvement

With accurate, real-time data available instantly, Forresters can analyse performance, challenge inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement.

Production metrics such as packing rates, throughput and giveaways are no longer retrospective. They are visible, measurable and actionable.

This data-led approach supports ongoing improvements across efficiency, yield and performance.

We use it as a tool to improve what we’re doing, efficiencies, line rates and giveaways.”

Nick Cooper – Operations Director

Stronger Traceability, Supported by Partnership

Alongside efficiency gains, traceability has significantly improved, providing confidence across audits, compliance and day-to-day operations.

Equally important is the long-standing relationship behind the technology.

Our partnership with Emydex has been fantastic for more than a decade. They’ve been responsive, innovative and collaborative.”

John Acornley – Finance Director

The value of that partnership extends beyond the system itself, offering accessible support and a personal approach.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Reflecting on the journey, it’s clear that Emydex has become embedded in how Forresters operates.

Looking back now, you think, how did we manage without it before?”

Nick Cooper – Operations Director

Today, the business benefits from real-time visibility, improved efficiency and a stronger foundation for future growth.

It’s been a really good thing for our business. We really appreciate what Emydex does to help Forresters run efficiently every day.”

Nick Cooper – Operations Director

 

Want to see how real-time visibility and traceability can support your operation?
Learn more about Emydex’s Manufacturing Execution and Quality Management solutions or contact our team to discuss your requirements.

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Rising Tide of Food Recalls: What’s driving the Surge in Ireland and the US?

Over the past few weeks, both Ireland and the United States have seen a sharp increase in food product recalls. From Listeria and Salmonella outbreaks to undeclared allergens and metal fragments, the incidents span a wide range of categories and risks. While no single company or product line is solely responsible, the pattern is clear: food safety is under pressure.

As a provider of traceability and quality management solutions to the global food industry, Emydex is closely monitoring these developments. Here’s a breakdown of the recent recalls, followed by insight into the factors driving this rise in recalls.

Ireland: A Wave of Microbial Contamination

Ready Meals and Listeria

Over 140 ready-made meals were recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Distributed across multiple well-known Irish retailers, the outbreak has resulted in nine confirmed cases and one fatality.

Leafy Greens Under Scrutiny

Separate from the ready meal incident, several batches of spinach, rocket, and mixed leaves were pulled from shelves due to Listeria detection. These recalls highlight vulnerabilities in fresh produce supply chains.

Salmonella in Turkey Burgers

A batch of turkey burgers was recalled for potential Salmonella contamination. Though the use-by date had passed, the product was suitable for freezing, prompting warnings to check home freezers.

United States: A Broader Spectrum of Risks

Undeclared Allergens in Butter

Over 64,000 lbs of butter were recalled due to undeclared milk, a major allergen. The recall was classified as Class II, indicating moderate health risk.

Metal Fragments in Frozen Beef

A major recall was initiated for frozen ground beef due to suspected metal fragments. Other recalls involved foreign material contamination, including glass and plastic.

Salmonella in Pantry Staples

Products including dried black fungus, pistachio cacao spread, and frozen sprouted legumes were recalled after Salmonella was detected during routine inspections.

Listeria in Mushrooms and Tuna Salads

Several mushroom products and tuna salads were affected due to Listeria contamination, traced back to breadcrumbs supplied to manufacturers.

Botulism Risk in Salted Fish

Improper evisceration of dry salted fish led to a recall over potential Clostridium botulinum contamination.

Why Are Recalls Increasing?

Enhanced Detection Technologies

The rise in food product recalls is not necessarily a sign of declining food safety standards. Instead, Emydex believes it reflects enhanced surveillance and testing protocols implemented by regulatory bodies:

  • FSAI (Ireland) has intensified microbiological testing, particularly for Listeria in ready-to-eat foods, enabling earlier detection and broader precautionary recalls [1].
  • FDA (USA) has introduced stringent traceability rules under the Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA), requiring rapid access to batch-level data and critical tracking events [2].

These improvements mean that contamination is being identified faster and more accurately, allowing for swift action to protect public health.

Risks of Not Having Robust Traceability

Without a comprehensive traceability system, food producers face significant risks:

  • Delayed response timesduring contamination events increase the likelihood of consumer harm.
  • Regulatory penaltiesfor non-compliance with traceability mandates.
  • Reputational damagethat can erode customer trust and brand value.
  • Operational chaos, including costly product withdrawals and production halts.

In today’s regulatory landscape, traceability is not optional – it’s a strategic imperative.

How Emydex Helps

At Emydex, we empower food processors and manufacturers with real-time traceability, quality assurance, and recall management tools. Our systems help clients:

  • Track ingredients and finished productsby batch, supplier, and production shift.
  • Generate instant traceability reportsto isolate affected products within seconds.
  • Automate quality checksand compliance alerts
  • Respond swiftlyto recall events with complete visibility
  • Comply with regulatory requirementsfrom bodies like the FSAI and FDA.
  • Integrate seamlesslywith existing ERP and production systems.

This level of visibility and control is essential for managing recalls efficiently and minimising disruption.

Let’s Talk

If you’re looking to strengthen your food safety protocols or streamline your recall response, Emydex is here to help.

Reach out to our team or visit https://www.emydex.com/contact/to learn more.


Written by: David McMahon, CEO, Emydex Technology

 

[1] Update (2) to recall of various branded prepared meals and side dishes …

[2] FSMA Final Rule on Requirements of Additional Traceability Records Traceability

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Cattle Shortage and Processor Pressure: What the Market Is Demanding and How to Respond

Across Ireland and much of Europe, beef processors are facing increased pressure to secure livestock while maintaining efficiency in operations. With tighter supply chains and shifting dynamics, the need for reliable animal payments software has never been greater.

At the same time, cattle prices continue to climb. Some Irish processors are offering more than €8 per kilo for certain categories. Producers are no longer just suppliers. They are business partners who expect speed, flexibility and transparency in return for their loyalty.

While some plants are adapting quickly, many still face internal friction that makes it harder to keep up. And when delays affect critical relationships, the consequences can be costly.

A Shift in Power and Expectation

Recent news stories reflect this changing landscape. Reports highlight how factories are offering more flexibility to secure cattle. In some cases, a price gap of up to €200 per head is driving livestock north for slaughter. Other headlines note how marts are attracting producers with faster turnarounds and stronger prices.

This is not isolated. It is a pattern. Producers are making decisions quickly and expect the same from processors.

But when internal systems are outdated, everything slows down. Manual payment processes, delayed reconciliations and unclear supplier statements can erode trust over time. These are not just inefficiencies. They are risks. And in a supply-constrained market, every delay can mean losing a load of cattle to a competitor.

The Role of Technology in a High-Pressure Market

For processors navigating this new reality, technology needs to do more than automate. It needs to provide clarity. It needs to inspire trust. And it needs to integrate seamlessly into daily operations, especially where payments and producer relationships are concerned.

At Emydex, we work closely with some of the largest food processors around the world. That experience has shaped the way we build our systems, always focused on what matters most in practice. Our Animal Payments System is designed specifically to help plants manage livestock payments with greater efficiency and transparency.

The system supports multiple species and payment models, with flexible rule configurations and detailed supplier statements. It integrates with existing ERP and finance systems, supports both EFT and cheque payments, and ensures full audit compliance from end to end. The result is a process that runs faster and more accurately, with fewer disputes and stronger producer relationships.

Why the Right Animal Payments Software Matters

When supply is tight and prices are rising, maintaining trust with producers becomes essential. And that trust is built on reliability. Fast, accurate payments show suppliers that a processor values the relationship and is ready to do business with clarity and professionalism.

This is no longer just a finance issue. It is a strategic one.

Processors who continue relying on manual processes risk falling behind. Those who modernise their systems will be better prepared to move quickly, respond to market changes, and maintain a steady intake of quality livestock.

Emydex helps make that possible. To see how our Animal Payments System supports processors in high-pressure environments, visit our page.

To learn more, contact Emydex at any of our global market offices in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Africa or North America.

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Emydex CEO Update – Reflections on 2024 & Expansion Plans for 2025

2024 Highlights

Global Expansion and BAADER Partnership

In this Emydex CEO Update, reflecting on 2024, Emydex has continued its global expansion, driven by BAADER’s acquisition of a majority shareholding in July 2023. Headquartered in Luebeck, Germany, BAADER is a global manufacturer and supplier of food processing machinery and solutions, with 30 subsidiaries across Europe, the USA, China, South America, Africa, and Asia. BAADER employs 1,650 people in more than 100 countries worldwide. 

Emydex is collaborating with BAADER on several significant opportunities with meat processors in new Emydex markets, including Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Middle East.  

New Markets and Customer Growth

In January 2024 and 2025, Emydex exhibited on the BAADER booth at the IPPE trade show in Atlanta, USA, the world’s largest annual poultry, meat, and animal food industry event. Since then, Emydex has expanded beyond its traditional core markets of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, securing new customers such as Murray’s Chicken in New York and Sustainable Beef in Nebraska, USA. New Emydex hires have also been onboarded at BAADER’s Kansas City, Missouri, factory base. 

System Implementations in New Zealand

In New Zealand, following successful implementations of the Emydex factory floor MES system in its primary beef processing plants in Belfast, Dargaville, and Hawera, Silver Fern Farms went live with Emydex in their fourth beef primal processing plant in Te Aroha, North Island. Two more plants, Finegand and Pacific, are scheduled to go live before Summer 2025, bringing the total to six primary beef plants operating Emydex. The project’s next phase will see Emydex expand into Silver Ferns’ venison plants in New Zealand. 

Irish Projects and Partnerships

Closer to home in Ireland, where Emydex’s headquarters is based, Ireland’s largest primary Lamb processor, Irish Country Meats, went live in December 2024, with Emydex in their main plant in Camolin, Co. Wexford. 

Company Achievements

Emydex celebrated twenty years in business in April 2024, achieving the accolade of being one of Ireland’s Best Places to Work in 2025 for the first time. This recognition has led to several former Emydex employees rejoining the company after leaving for a change of scene post-COVID. 

The Emydex team of meat industry experts have also grown over the past year, with additional Meat Industry Business Analysts appointed in Ireland, Slovakia, and New Zealand. 

The Emydex Quality Management System (EQMS) continued its rollout at Dawn Meats, now operating in fourteen of its plants across Ireland and the UK. Emydex customers also adopted the Emydex Quality Management System in Australia, Canada, and the USA. 

Looking Ahead to 2025

Looking ahead, 2025 promises to be a busy year for Emydex. Eight new factory installations are scheduled to go live in Ireland, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand in the first half of the year. 

If you want to learn more – contact Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or North America offices

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Forresters Chicken Celebrates a Decade of Quality Management with Emydex

A Decade of Quality Management Excellence​

Over the past ten years, Forresters Chicken has leveraged Emydex’s Quality Management system to enhance accuracy, reduce human error, gain real-time insights into quality data, and improve traceability. This collaboration has significantly transformed Forresters Chicken’s operations, ensuring the highest standards of quality and efficiency in their processes.

Meet the Client

Established in 1972, Forresters is one of the largest suppliers of cooked, raw, and coated poultry in the United Kingdom. Based in Cheshire, the company provides retailers, food services, pub retailers, manufacturers, and catering butchers with frozen, chilled branded, and own-label chicken products. To maintain its reputation for high-quality standards, Forresters set out to enhance its quality management processes.

The Opportunity

With a growing client base and increasing production demands, Forresters required a more streamlined and robust approach to quality management. Existing manual quality checks were resource-intensive and prone to human error, especially as production volumes rose. Furthermore, limited real-time access to quality data hindered swift decision-making and posed challenges in meeting regulatory standards.

Forresters needed a comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS) that could automate quality workflows, provide real-time data, and integrate with their ERP system for seamless traceability and compliance tracking. Forresters had been operating an Emydex factory floor MES (Manufacturing Execution System) for production control, yield management and traceability reporting for many years, so it was a straightforward decision to extend our Emydex software footprint to include all of our Quality, Compliance and Food Safety Management processes.

What We Did

Working closely with Forrester’s management, our team worked with Emydex to develop and implement a customised QMS solution that aligned with Forrester’s operational goals. The implementation process was structured in two main phases:

1. Phase One – Digitalising Quality Checks
Forresters began by introducing automated digital checklists across the production floor, replacing paper logs and allowing quality checks to be completed via tablets at each workstation. Data is now collected on tablets running the Emydex Quality system in real-time, and any deviations from standards trigger instant alerts, allowing issues to be addressed immediately.

2. Phase Two – Comprehensive Quality Dashboard
In the next phase, Forresters deployed an Emydex quality system dashboard for management and supervisors, providing a centralised view of quality metrics across production. The dashboard consolidates data on batch compliance, audit trails, incident reporting, and corrective actions. Fully integrated with Forrester’s ERP system, it links directly to purchasing and inventory data, ensuring traceability from raw materials to finished products.

3. Automated Audit and Compliance Reporting
A key feature of the Emydex EQMS is its automated compliance reporting. The system generates real-time, auditable compliance reports accessible from any device, dramatically reducing the time required for internal and external audits. Issues are flagged and assigned for resolution, enhancing accountability across departments.

The Results

Since implementing the Emydex Quality Management system, Forresters has significantly improved operational efficiency and quality compliance.

Enhanced Accuracy and Reduced Human Error: Automated digital checklists have replaced manual entries, reduced errors and ensured consistency in quality checks across all lines.

Real-Time Quality Insights: Managers and supervisors can now view quality metrics instantly, enabling quick decision-making and proactive quality control.

Efficient Compliance Audits: Compliance reporting, which previously required days of preparation, is now generated instantly by Emydex, saving time and resources. Audit readiness has also improved, as records are automatically archived and easily accessible.

Improved Traceability: The QMS enables complete traceability from raw material intake to finished product distribution, facilitating stock rotation and maintaining quality at every stage.

Feedback from Key Stakeholders

Dwayne Chin, Head of Technical at Forresters, noted, “The Emydex QMS has been transformative for our business. Our team no longer spends hours sorting through paper logs; we can spot and address issues immediately. Compliance reporting that once took days is now ready in minutes, giving us more control over quality and peace of mind.”

John Acornley, Finance Director, added, “With the Emydex Quality system in place, Forresters have significantly reduced errors and improved our response times. The Emydex automated alerts keep our team informed, and the dashboard makes it easy to stay on top of production quality. It’s been a huge upgrade.”

Summary

The Emydex Quality Management System implemented at Forresters has streamlined operations and reinforced its commitment to delivering high-quality products to its clients. By enhancing workflows, improving traceability, and enabling instant access to quality data, the QMS has empowered Forresters to meet regulatory standards and confidently scale its operations.

Don’t wait! Embrace the future of quality management with Emydex’s Electronic Quality Management Software (EQMS).

If you want to learn more – contact Emydex in any of our global market offices in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or North America

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A new Dawn for Quality systems

Dawn Meats Group, one of Europe’s leading meat processing companies, sought to streamline its factory-floor Quality Management System with Emydex.

 

Meet the client

Dawn Meats Group is a family-owned business established in 1980 in Waterford, Ireland. The company has grown to become one of the largest and most important beef and sheep processing groups in the industry. The group employs over 8,000 people across twelve countries, including ten sites in Ireland and thirteen in the UK, and exports to over 50 countries worldwide.

Every year, Dawn Meats Group processes over 1 million cattle and 3.5 million sheep, generating more than €2.5 billion in turnover for the company and contributing over €1.67 billion to rural economies through 30,000 farms in Ireland and the UK.

The numbers are staggering, and so is their success.

 

The Opportunity

Dawn Meats developed its own in-house quality management system, which largely relied on manual, paper-based checks throughout its factory floors.

While this was rigorous and helped to maintain the company’s highest quality products, it was inefficient, creating delays, tons of paper, and hours of data entry. The old manual way of working involved lengthy printing, handing out, filling in, returning, checking, countersigning, and storing paper records. On top of that, files had to be physically retrieved in the event of an audit or to trend data.

For the past decade (since 2013), Emydex has been developing an Electronic Quality Management System (EQMS) capable of being used in single plants as well as across multi-plant group processors like Dawn Meats Group

Emydex’s Quality Management System is a software system that allows food processors carry out their factory and food safety quality and audit checks on tablets, reporting instantly in the back-office, replacing all paper-based quality check sheets on the factory floor.

A perfect fit for Dawn Meats Group.

“​We selected Emydex, a long-standing partner of ours, due to Emydex’s understanding of our food production facilities, their excellent software development ability and personal project management delivery,” said Julia Hewerdine, Group Food Safety & Quality Project Manager in Dawn Meats Group.

 

There were several drivers behind Dawn Meats Group’s decision to select Emydex:

 

One System

The first was Emydex gave Dawn Meats Group one single system, with Emydex’s quality module sitting alongside all other Emydex factory floor MES, Production and Warehouse Management modules on one common platform.

“We have worked with Emydex over the past decade on the production and traceability side, so we trust them”, commented John Coleman, Dawn Group Food Safety and Quality Manager.

 

Cloud or On-Premises

The EQMS system can be installed on-premises or in the cloud. Emydex doesn’t force its customers to operate their QMS out of the cloud; they can install it on-prem if necessary.

“Emydex has had a tremendous impact on our shop floor quality data collection on site, as well as safeguarding completion of checks in a scheduled and timely manner.  Its reliability and speed have ensured that workflows carried out have been given full attention, and no corners are cut.” said Alan McCormack, Dawn Meats Technical Team

 

Online and Offline Mode

Another key differentiator is that the system can work offline as well as online for all compatible mobile devices, using local databases. This means operators can switch to offline mode when capturing quality data in areas with poor or zero Wi-Fi coverage.

“Our QA’s like the systems’ ability to save checks within the factory, without needing to return the checks to folders which would previously have occurred. The system’s speed and performance has allowed for more thorough and detailed checks on the line, as well as increasing their time available to carry out additional checks, without needing to carry out tedious admin tasks.”, commented Alan McCormack, Dawn Meats Technical Team.

 

Flexibility

Finally, the system is very configurable in-house including an easy-to-use quality workflow builder tool. This function allows in-house QC personnel (non-IT people) to design and build their own Quality workflows in-house, including QC surveys, QC check-sheets and quality audits.

“I like how their QMS system is flexible, and how we can configure it to how we wanted to work – not something you get with an out-of-the-box solution. This flexibility means we can build our own workflows ourselves, not involving Emydex nor internal IT.” added John Coleman, Dawn Meats Group, Food Safety and Quality Manager.

 

Going Live

The Emydex Quality Management System has been operating in Dawn Meats Group’s Irish & UK facilities for over five years now. Having first gone live in two Irish plants in 2019, today the system is operating in Dawn Meat’s seven primal processing plants in Ireland, as well as a further seven group primal processing plants in the UK, fourteen plants so far, with further roll-outs underway, including three retail processing plants in the UK.

At this point Dawn’s group technical QC team have configured internally almost 500 separate QC workflows in Emydex including for example, Abattoir and Boning Hall pre-op checks, GMP audits, metal detector checks, glass and hard plastic, knife register, and attendance checks etc. Once built centrally, such workflows can then be used across all the group’s sites.

 

The Results

Emydex EQMS helps Dawn Meats Group streamline the QMS processes across its factories and ensure they are working to the most effective QMS system. Standardising the QMS and FSM systems across the group improves compliance and shares best practices throughout all the facilities.

“External auditors have had a positive outlook on the Emydex quality system, frequently commenting on its benefits of generating reports, assigning close-outs, and collating data at a click of a button.” said Alan McCormack, Dawn Meats Technical Team

 

Using the Document Management System included within the system, sites can share generic documents and processes and tailor the specifics to the site. This reduces time lost in writing up documents and figuring out procedures and risk assessments.

The system creates actions, alerts, notifications and alarms in real-time and automatically tells them when they are out of compliance, forcing the immediate implementation of corrective actions.

“The less obvious savings are evident too – less time and effort, fewer mistakes and corrections, reduced hold-ups, etc. I can see if people are making the required quality checks and if they are making them at exactly the right times.” John Coleman, Dawn Group Technical Manager in Ireland

 

It improves compliance and reduces issues in announced and unannounced audits, reducing risk with defective product, product recalls and customer satisfaction.

The Emydex system frees up resources to drive product quality improvements and frees up archive space and storage. It will give central management a holistic view through instant visibility of all factories in one centralised system, making KPI reporting easier and maximising safety, quality and compliance.

“The result is that resources have been freed up. Less paperwork, collection is instant, no errors, less time, no printing, archive space has been freed up, we have instant and easy retrieval of documents – everything has improved and is more accurate.” commented John Coleman, Dawn Group Technical Manager in Ireland

 

Finally, this accurate QMS data can drive operational processes and business decisions, helping continuous improvement by providing instant effect data.

“The Emydex Quality System is an innovative, adaptable software solution which fulfils the needs of Dawn Meats Group and continues to evolve through more areas of our factories, making them fit for the future.”
Julia Hewerdine, Group Food Safety & Quality Project Manager in Dawn Meats Group

 

Don’t wait! Embrace the future of quality management with electronic quality management
software.

If you want to learn more – contact Emydex in any of our global market offices in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or North America

Request a Demo