HKScan’s Rauma poultry unit preparing for strong growth in demand – the investment enabling productivity improvement implemented
HKScan’s investment of some six million euros in the new slaughter process of Rauma’s poultry unit has been successfully implemented and put into operation. The investment enables the unit to significantly improve its raw material yield, productivity and operational reliability. With the investment, the company responds to the strong growth in demand for responsibly produced Kariniemen® poultry products.
In the investment, the whole first part of the production process at Rauma poultry unit in Finland has been renewed. The processing capacity of the unit’s slaughter line will increase with the investment by some 20 per cent and raw material yield by some 10 per cent. In addition, the investment will significantly reduce the consumption of utilities, such as water and district heating. This is one step towards HKScan’s target of carbon-neutral food production in line with the company’s Zero Carbon climate plan.
“The new slaughter line was installed in stages during the early part of the year. The biggest changes were completed in recent weeks. Installation work proceeded as planned despite the additional challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to careful planning and our top professionals throughout the chain, the unit’s service level remained good during the installation work. After the equipment installations, we will continue to develop the unit’s productivity and striking power,” says Jari Leija, HKScan’s EVP Business Unit Finland.
Poultry products as one of HKScan’s growth drivers
“Poultry products play a key role in driving growth in line with HKScan’s strategy. HKScan is the second largest poultry company in its Baltic Sea region home markets. In 2020, our poultry product sales increased by over 12 per cent and as a poultry product producer, we are the market leader in Finland, Estonia and Denmark. In Finland, we anticipate the demand for Kariniemen poultry products to continue strong also in the future,” says HKScan’s CEO Tero Hemmilä.
HKScan’s Rauma unit delivers almost half of the poultry products in Finland. The unit’s service level and efficiency developed almost as planned in 2020, which improved the result of HKScan's poultry business in Finland. The target level has not yet been achieved. The investment now implemented enables the further development of the unit’s productivity and efficiency.
90% of energy used on Kariniemen farms already renewable
Kariniemen farms have been investing in responsibility for years and, e.g. 90% of the energy used in the rearing halls is already renewable; solar energy or other renewable bioenergy. On the Kiiski farm, animal welfare has been developed open-mindedly; for example, cameras were installed in the rearing areas to monitor the behaviour and welfare of chickens. Cameras and artificial intelligence can be used to detect areas for improvement to further improve chicken welfare.
VTT has calculated the carbon footprint of ten Kariniemen pilot farms. The footprint is the smallest measured in Finland: an average of 2.4 kg CO2e per kilogram of animal live weight. Digital measurement methods of Kariniemen’s ecosystem partners help farmers to promote the carbon neutrality goal. In addition, HKScan is the first in the world to calculate the water footprint of Kariniemen’s poultry farm using the high-quality AWARE method. Kariniemen poultry products are a responsible choice also in terms of the water footprint.
Kariniemen chickens grow on HKScan’s contract farms in Satakunta and Southwest Finland. Thanks to our own contract farming, poultry meat used in Kariniemen products is 100% Finnish. HKScan’s key goal in its corporate responsibility work is to meet the consumer and customer demand for healthy, high-quality, responsibly produced and tasty products.
HKScan Oyj
Tero Hemmilä
CEO
Further information
- Tero Hemmilä, CEO
- HKScan Media Service Desk: email: communications@hkscan.com, tel. +358 10 570 5700
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HKScan.com, responsibility
At HKScan, we make life tastier – today and tomorrow. Our strategic target is to grow into a versatile food company. Our responsibly produced, delicious products are part of consumers’ varied food moments – both every day and on special occasions. We have some 7,000 HKScan professionals applying more than 100 years of experience to make locally produced food. For us at HKScan, responsibility means continuous improvements and concrete actions throughout the food chain. As part of our Zero Carbon programme, we are targeting a carbon-neutral food chain from farms to consumers by the end of 2040. Our home markets cover Finland, Sweden, the Baltics and Denmark. Our strong product brands include HK®, Kariniemen®, Via®, Scan®, Pärsons®, Rakvere®, Tallegg® and Rose™. Through our strategic partnerships, we are also known for Kivikylän®, Tamminen® and Boltsi brands. HKScan is a publicly listed company, and in 2020, our net sales totalled nearly EUR 1.8 billion.
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