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$2.5m 'facelift' for Greenhams - Tasmanian Country

A $2.5 MILLION renovation of meat processor Greenhams' Smtihton factory has been completed, with jobs for factory workers expected to rise from 150 to 170. The renovations started in June. They were part-funded by a grant from the North-West and Northern Tasmania Innovation and Investment Fund.

Greenhams manager Peter Greenham said the original factory had the capacity to kill 400 cattle. "The old chillers have been knocked out and the capacity upgraded to 550 carcasses, but that doesn't mean we are killing at capacity," Mr Greenham said. "we are aiming for up to 450 animals." The boning room was shut down while old equipment was pulled out. Mr Greenham said modern streamline equipment had been installed, replacing the more physical practices of the past. "We've gone from manual handling and very labour intensive with lots of lifting to a lot smoother practice with conveyor belts." he said.

Mr Greenham said staff took a while to get used to the new-look boning and slicing room. "The first couple of weeks were a little bit rocky," he said. "Small things that we hadn't thought of in the construction cropped up, but it's all working well now." Production has increased over the past week and numbers should be up to 420 within a month.  Greenhams are quietly confident they will achieve and keep the numbers. "We've got a lot of farmers supporting us," Mr Greenham said.