On-site Planning
Installation & Commissioning
Automated & Energy Efficient
Client Name: S****A Alimentos S.A.
Country: Federative Republic of Brazil
Region: Paraná State – Brazil's largest poultry production and export base
Core Products: Frozen chicken breast slices, chicken tenderloin fillets, ready-to-eat poultry products, chicken slices for foodservice
Equipment Configuration: Hadof custom high-speed chicken slicing line (including low-temperature constant-temperature feeding system, precision thickness slicing unit, automatic spreading, and metal detection module)
Commissioning Date: Q4 2021
Brazil is the world's largest chicken exporter, and Paraná State is home to many world-class poultry processors. S****A, a key poultry supplier in the region, had long exported frozen chicken portions to Europe and the Middle East. With the rapid global growth in demand for prepared meals and ready-to-eat meat products, the company decided to invest in a value-added chicken processing line, shifting from raw material exports to higher-value products. However, the technical challenges of chicken slicing proved far greater than expected.
Key challenges in chicken slicing:
Strict low-temperature requirements: To maintain freshness and inhibit bacterial growth, slicing must be done at 0-4°C. Traditional equipment tends to experience freezing, sticking, and feeding issues at low temperatures.
Variable meat texture: Different batches of chicken (due to thawing conditions and portion differences) vary in softness and hardness, making manual slicing inconsistent and affecting cooking and export standards.
Stringent hygiene standards: Poultry products require extremely high microbial control. Traditional slicing machines have numerous dead corners and are difficult to clean, failing to meet international certifications such as BRC and IFS.
Conflict between capacity and quality: Manual slicing is not only inefficient but also results in significant thickness variation, leading to high customer complaint rates and hindering brand image and market share.
The Hadof team tailored a fully automatic low-temperature slicing line for S****A based on poultry processing characteristics:
1. Constant-Temperature Feeding & Adaptive Pressure System
The feeding area is equipped with a circulation cooling unit to maintain raw material temperature between 0-4°C. Adaptive pressure rollers automatically adjust pressure according to chicken block thickness, ensuring flatness and stability during slicing. The line can handle whole chicken breasts or split tenderloins.
2. High-Precision Low-Temperature Slicing Unit
Blades are made of low-temperature-resistant stainless steel. A servo-driven rotary disc allows thickness adjustment from 2mm to 20mm, with deviation controlled within ±0.3mm. Cutting speed and feed rate are dynamically matched via PLC to suit different raw material hardness, ensuring smooth slices without tearing. The slicing area is enclosed to prevent cold loss.
3. Online Vision Grading & Automatic Spreading
Sliced products are inspected by high-speed vision cameras that automatically identify thickness and shape, rejecting irregular pieces. Qualified slices are automatically spread according to preset weight and arrangement, directly connecting to the freezing tunnel or vacuum packaging machine for seamless raw-to-packaging processing.
4. Hygienic Design & Quick Cleaning
The entire line features a fully enclosed 304 stainless steel structure with rounded contact surfaces, eliminating dead corners. CIP in-place cleaning and high-pressure water washing are supported, reducing cleaning time by 70% and meeting the highest poultry processing hygiene standards. Key components are quick-release for easy inspection and maintenance.
Client Testimonial: From Raw Material Supplier to Enhanced Brand Value
Since full production began in 2022, S****A has achieved remarkable results:
Capacity & Efficiency
Daily throughput: Increased from less than 8 tons with manual slicing to 30 tons per shift, reaching up to 50 tons per day, making it a major chicken value-added processing hub in southern Brazil.
Labor optimization: Slicing workforce reduced from 70 to 8 skilled technicians, cutting labor costs by 85% and resolving labor shortages and high turnover issues.
Quality & Market
Product qualification rate: Slice thickness consistency reached over 99%, waste rate controlled below 2%, product appearance significantly improved, and customer complaints dropped by 90%.
Market expansion: Achieved BRC and IFS highest-level certifications, enabling entry into European major supermarket chains (e.g., Carrefour, Auchan) with ready-to-eat products. High-value-added product exports now account for 35% of total revenue, up from 5%.
Overall Benefits
Raw material utilization: Precision slicing and automatic sorting increased overall utilization from 86% to 96%, saving over $500,000 in raw material costs annually.
Energy optimization: The line uses high-efficiency variable-frequency motors and intelligent standby modes, reducing energy consumption per unit output by 20% compared to traditional stand-alone equipment, earning a green manufacturing award from Brazil's Ministry of Industry.
"Hadof's chicken slicing line truly enabled us to transition from selling raw materials to selling value-added products. Now, every slice enters European supermarket shelves with perfect thickness and shape, reflecting our brand value. This was a strategic investment."
—— S****A Alimentos S.A., Operations Director Mr. Oliveira
