Beef Boning Unit

Scott has produced the world's first Beef Boning Unit to assist the beef boning industry. Cost/benefit studies of using the new unit have shown an increased net profit of up to $4.65 per beef carcass processed, with an estimated payback period of less than 12 months.

The Beef Boning Unit is a manual assist device developed to make boning of aitchbones and knuckles less physically demanding. The device is a mechanical arm that acts to provide the pulling force an operator requires for rail boning.

The Beef Boning Unit has been independently evaluated, with proven benefits including:

• Average yield gains of up to $3.04 per head.
• An estimated occupational health and safety return of $0.78 per head.
• An increased labour pool and the ability to retain skilled staff for longer.
• Making boning less physically demanding, with reduced fatigue.
• Ease of use.
• Being adaptable to most boning rails.
• Having a minimal footprint.
• Increasing boning efficiency in most cases.

Products under development

We are also developing a number of products, including:

• Hook Assist: The hook assist brings leading-edge robotics technology into the beef boning room. Created with the assistance of US-based bionics developer KineaDesign, the device uses force feedback technology to give a boner a meat hook that can pull with four times more force than a human. This force is finely controlled by the boner simply pulling lightly on the handle.
• E. coli Intervention: Scott and NSI are developing new ways to eliminate the risk of e-coli contamination.
• Heavy Bone Slicing: Scott and NSI are developing several new products to assist with the heavier tasks in the beef boning room. These products will offer processors competitive advantage through improved yields, safety and worker flexibility.