It is a centre of high technology applied to the meat industry.
The purpose of it all is to ensure that the dressed carcasses are quartered and the products placed in their respective compartments within minutes, thus maintaining the cold chain and microbiological quality.
• Reception and identification. On entering, each dressed carcass passes through the first of the 13 ID points or Points of Identification and Control of the System. This system allows the absolute control and traceability of every dressed carcass and the products that are obtained, by means of their identification by microchips.
• First cut. The first cut is applied to the dressed carcasses automatically: Incarlopsa is one of the first companies in the world to have a computerised cutting system faster, more efficient and hygienic than any existing up to now.
• Trimming of the centre of the loin. In the next step, two machines called “Loin Trimmers” carry out the trimming of the loin automatically by weighing the thickness of the lean meat and fat of each piece.
• Obtaining the products. Different products such as bacon, fillet steaks, paleta (shoulder), chuck steaks or ham are obtained, classified and controlled further along the production line.
• Deboning room. The products which require it are placed automatically in the deboning room, where they are prepared and placed in trays to be identified at one of the ID points, where they will be sent to their final destination.
• Cooling and trimming of the ham. Once the hams have cooled in the chambers for a period of between 36 and 48 hours at a temperature of approximately 0ºC they are then trimmed. At this point the hams are hung in the plant, where the label on the hanger containing all the information needed to continue the traceability process is read again.
• Classification. The hams are classified and sorted according to weight and characteristics for dispatch to the drying plant.
• The intelligent chamber. After coming from the quartering, deboning and trimming rooms, the products end up in the so called “Intelligent Chamber”, this chamber, totally robotised and with a capacity for 4,000 trays, is based on the FIFO (First In – First Out) system, meaning the first to go in is the first to come out.
• Storage. Finally, the trays leave the lung chamber for dispatch by air where the products are stored until the confirmation of a pallet is requested.
• Dispatch. Said pallets are made up in automatic palletisers which, properly labelled, are dispatched, observing controls and maintaining the appropriate temperature at all times. This way Incarlopsa controls the entire process to the destination points.
Results of the integrated quality policy, at Incarlopsa controls are also developed on everybody and everything involved in the process, in order to guarantee food safety, such as control and analysis of water, microbiological quality, temperature control, cleaning control, systems control, analysis of critical points,… etc.
The day’s work has ended, a task no less arduous and important begins; cleaning and disinfection of the plants is the foundation for starting a new activity. Through this process we guarantee the hygiene and food safety needed to process new quantities of raw materials the next day.