Teys Australia’s Lakes Creek beef processing plant has undergone a $30 million upgrade including the installation of new DEXA scanning technology.
Around two-thirds of the money was invested in repairing cyclone damage, while the remaining funds were spent revamping the facility’s amenities, increased flood proofing and Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry technology.
Majority of improvements at the Central Queensland abattoir were carried out over the Christmas and New Year plant closure period.
Tey Australia's corporate services general manager Tom Maguire said the processor is currently expanding its workforce due to a surge in global beef demand and an assumption domestic cattle supply will return to normal during 2019.
Tey’s Lakes Creek plant reduced production capacity by 20 per cent two years ago due to tight domestic cattle supply and global beef market factors.
Mr Magurie said production at the Tey's Lakes Creek plant will be running at full capacity by next year, but noted weather and cattle market prices would continue to influence the processors ability to achieve the planned production increase.
“There’s plenty of optimism and investment currently in our beef industry, plus the industry’s fundamentals couldn’t be brighter at present.”
Teys Australia’s Rockhampton manager Wasantha Mudannayake said the company is currently looking to employ 40 extra workers.
Tey’s Lakes Creek processing plant also plans to recruit a further 200 more skilled and unskilled workers later this year due to the anticipated production growth at the facility in 2019.
“Teys is incredibly proud to be such a strong employer in the local community and we in fact started the year with nine school leavers joining our workforce, which is fantastic for those young people,” Mr Mudannayake said.
The major meat processor currently directly and indirectly employs 4500 workers across Queensland.
Teys also plans to provide more details about its DEXA technology investment over the coming months, plus ‘scanning yield feedback’ to its cattle suppliers at Beef 2018 in May.