{"id":50046,"date":"2026-01-13T15:40:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T15:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emydex.com\/ceo-reflections-2025\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T14:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:08:28","slug":"ceo-reflections-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emydex.com\/nz\/ceo-reflections-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"CEO Reflections 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nAs we reflect on a defining year for Emydex, this article highlights key achievements and the strategic direction shaping 2026.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

A Year of Growth, Innovation, and Industry Leadership<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

As we close the chapter on 2025\u00a0and step into a new year,\u00a0below\u00a0are my reflections\u00a0on what has been an extraordinary year for Emydex Technology.\u00a0A\u00a0year marked by significant achievements across our customers, projects, people, and partnerships\u00a0–\u00a0each reinforcing our commitment to innovation and excellence in the global food processing industry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Celebrating Our Successes in 2025<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Industry Standard Project: Setting the Benchmark<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

A recurring theme throughout the year has been\u00a0a\u00a0major new product development initiative, our\u00a0<\/span>Industry Standard\u00a0Systems\u00a0<\/span><\/b>project, now in its fourth year. Known internally as Project Vexillum (the Latin word for \u2018standard\u2019), this project initially focused on Beef<\/strong> and Lamb<\/strong> but will expand in 2026 to include other species, such as <\/span>Pork,\u00a0Poultry<\/span><\/b>\u00a0as well\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Value-Added<\/span><\/b>\u00a0products. Our goal is clear: to establish a\u00a0unified, best-in-class standard that drives consistency, compliance, and innovation across the industry. This project reflects our long-term vision to lead the digital transformation of food processing worldwide.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first customer rollouts of\u00a0our\u00a0new\u00a0Industry standard systems\u00a0occurred in 2025, with\u00a0<\/span>Irish County Meats<\/span><\/b> going live with Emydex\u2019s new\u00a0<\/span>Lamb\u00a0Industry Standard<\/span><\/b>\u00a0system\u00a0in their\u00a0flagship\u00a0Camolin plant in Co. Wexford in Ireland, followed\u00a0soon\u00a0after\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span>Sustainable Beef<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0US\u00a0going live with\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>Beef<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Industry Standard<\/span><\/b> system in May 2025. This new greenfield, state-of-the-art plant in North Platte, Nebraska, employs over 850 local people. It is currently processing 1,200 head of cattle per day, with plans to increase throughput to 1,500 at full capacity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer Partnerships and Global Expansion<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

2025 saw Emydex deepen relationships with\u00a0leading processors worldwide, from red meat to poultry and beyond. Our collaboration with\u00a0<\/span>BAADER<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0continued to flourish, enabling us to\u00a0deliver integrated digital solutions across multiple species and markets. Together, we expanded into new territories and celebrated milestones such as supporting\u00a0<\/span>Murray\u2019s Chicken<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>New York<\/span><\/b>.\u00a0These partnerships underscore our ability to combine cutting-edge technology with industry expertise to deliver measurable\u00a0value for our customers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the UK, we delivered significant advancements to some of our key UK customers. Forresters Chicken <\/strong><\/a>continued operating our Emydex Quality Management System, supporting their existing Emydex MES modules for packing and labelling. Corvedale Fresh<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(previously\u00a0Euro Quality Lambs<\/span><\/b>)\u00a0received regulatory enhancements,\u00a0including AHDB deadweight sheep price reporting, building on its established lamb kill-line system.\u00a0<\/span>Dawn Meats<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0UK (trading as Dunbia)\u00a0expanded their roll-out of Emydex\u00a0Quality Management\u00a0across\u00a0multiple UK plants, with agile development delivering site-specific and group-wide improvements to strengthen compliance and quality processes.\u00a0In\u00a0<\/span>Scotland<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0Emydex is working with\u00a0<\/span>Vivers Scotlamb<\/span><\/b>\u00a0to roll out\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>Lamb\u00a0Industry\u00a0Standard<\/span><\/b>\u00a0MES system across Kill Line, Packing, and Warehousing. The project includes a custom Lamb Grading form to streamline\u00a0operations and reduce costs, with commercial terms agreed to enable implementation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0<\/span>Africa<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0Emydex\u00a0supported\u00a0<\/span>Meatco<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Namibia<\/span><\/b>\u00a0with the commissioning of two new slaughter and carcass loadout plants north of the veterinary fence, following the successful Rundu site go-live in August.\u00a0For\u00a0<\/span>Botswana Meat Commission<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(BMC)\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Botswana<\/span><\/b>, Emydex continues to provide enterprise-level processing solutions, reinforcing its role as the technology partner for the region\u2019s largest beef processor.\u00a0Both\u00a0projects highlight Emydex\u2019s focus on scalable systems and operational efficiency to meet throughput and licensing requirements across Southern Africa.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0<\/span>Australia<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0Emydex\u00a0was\u00a0successfully implemented\u00a0into leading Lamb processor,\u00a0<\/span>WAMMCO\u2019s<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0production facility\u00a0in\u00a0Katanning\u00a0(WA)\u00a0with\u00a0Goulburn (NSW)\u00a0due to go live in January,\u00a0delivering advanced capabilities in livestock processing, production management, and integrated financial operations. This transformation strengthens efficiency, traceability, and compliance throughout the organisation. The next phase will see\u00a0both plants\u00a0achieve full go-live, alongside the introduction of\u00a0additional\u00a0modules such as\u00a0<\/span>Warehouse Management<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and export\u00a0<\/span>Sales Order Processing<\/span><\/b>, including the newly developed\u00a0Meat Messaging\u00a0addon, ensuring continued innovation and operational excellence.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2025 also saw the appointment of\u00a0<\/span>Shane Hayes<\/span><\/b>\u00a0as\u00a0<\/span>General Manager<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0for the region, as he\u00a0relocated\u00a0back to his native home in Adelaide with his family. I joined Shane for a\u00a0two-week\u00a0road trip across Australia and New Zealand in November,\u00a0attending customer and prospect meetings in Western Australia, Queensland, NSW, South Australia,\u00a0as well as both North and South Islands in New Zealand.\u00a0<\/span>GM Australasia appointment<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0<\/span>New Zealand<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0we completed the implementation of\u00a0Emydex\u2019s\u00a0Manufacturing Execution System across all six\u00a0<\/span>Silver Fern Farms<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0beef plants in New Zealand. This milestone delivers improved traceability, consistent processes, and enhanced reporting across the network. The\u00a0current\u00a0focus\u00a0is on\u00a0<\/span>Venison<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Lamb<\/span><\/b>, continuing progress towards a fully integrated operational environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Major Projects and Product Innovation<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

We made significant strides in product development, particularly with two flagship\u00a0product development\u00a0initiatives:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n