Silver Fern Farms Pacific Site Goes Live with Emydex Beef Processing Software

The successful implementation of Emydex software at the Pacific (Hastings) site marks another important milestone in the five-year partnership between Emydex and Silver Fern Farms (SFF). This is the sixth primary butchery site for beef processing within the SFF network to go live with Emydex’s traceability and production control systems. 

A trusted partnership in New Zealand’s red meat industry 

Silver Fern Farms is one of New Zealand’s leading red meat companies, recognised for its focus on quality, sustainability and innovation. Since 2020, Emydex has worked alongside the SFF team to deliver tailored software solutions that optimise operations, enhance visibility and support data-driven decision making across the company’s beef processing plants. 

Custom deployment for a site with unique requirements 

The go-live at Pacific followed a structured deployment approach, beginning with the transition from the legacy CRS system to Emydex. Barrel testing was conducted in advance to simulate real animal processing and ensure system readiness. 

Due to the specific layout of the Pacific site, liveweight data needed to be captured before the stunning stage. To accommodate this, Emydex designed and implemented a custom indicator terminal that replicates the standard liveweight functionality while integrating seamlessly into the existing process. 

Efficient delivery and strong collaboration 

As with previous deployments, the Pacific rollout was executed smoothly, with only minor issues quickly resolved by the combined efforts of the on-site and remote support teams. This go-live also included the rollout of SFF BI V2, the latest version of Emydex’s business intelligence platform. The updated solution enhances access to production insights and enables faster, more informed decision-making across operations. 

Positive feedback from the SFF team 

Feedback from Silver Fern Farms has been extremely positive. Matt Ballard, Chief Transformation Officer, shared: 

Great Moment! Our legacy CRS system is now retired across all our six beef only plants! Keep going team!” 

This successful go-live reinforces the strength of the partnership and the shared commitment to continuous improvement across the SFF network. 

Looking ahead 

The successful go-live at Pacific confirms the effectiveness and adaptability of the Emydex platform across Silver Fern Farms’ operations. The implementation has proven to be both efficient and beneficial for on-site teams, reinforcing the strength of the ongoing collaboration. With all six beef processing sites now live or nearing completion, the focus will soon shift to supporting Silver Fern Farms as they prepare to roll out Emydex systems across new species, including venison and lamb, in the near future.