Internship Assignment: Deviations in Pork Carcasses

To meet customer requirements, parts of pork carcasses with deviations are deselected. These are temporarily stored and processed or downgraded at a different time. This costs a lot of money (estimated €500,000 per year).

There is no information about:

• what a natural share is of carcasses with certain deviations;

• whether parts of the carcasses are affected by the slaughter and processing process;

• why the number of deviations seems to fluctuate.

During this internship, you will provide insight into where, during the slaughter and processing process, carcasses acquire certain deviations that cannot be prevented by standard means. Additionally, you will investigate how we can continue to improve so that as few deviations as possible occur in the carcasses. Ultimately, we would like to work towards two things:

• a cost reduction for the deselection of carcasses and their storage, rework, and downgrading.

• the ability to process the carcasses in the line during the regular process (flow-efficiency)

At the end, you will create a report on your findings and provide concrete recommendations regarding your research assignment.

Westfort is a Dutch family business with over 1,600 colleagues. From our locations in IJsselstein, Oudewater, and Hedel, we process approximately 300,000 tons of pork annually and realize a turnover of approximately €700 million. We work exclusively with Dutch pigs and Dutch pig farmers. In doing so, we consciously choose long-term cooperation in chains, in which we work together on further improvement in the areas of animal welfare, animal health, and environmental impact.

Our main location in IJsselstein has grown since 2015 into one of the most modern meat processing locations in Europe, with an integrated freezing plant. In Oudewater, we manufacture and package consumer products for Dutch retail. In Hedel, we produce a wide assortment of meat products, with a strong specialization in organic. Europe is our home market, but Westfort products also find their way worldwide.

At Westfort, we therefore find it important that everyone is seen and heard. We attach great value to the new knowledge our colleagues bring, so that we can learn from each other. Our culture is no-nonsense, involved, and future-oriented. Here, you are not a number, but a valuable link in an organization that truly invests in its people.

• a challenging internship assignment;

• an internship allowance;

• prospects for a follow-up within Westfort if it suits both parties;

• a modern working environment;

• an informal working atmosphere within a large Dutch family business.

A student following one of the following programs:

• HBO at HAS (University of Applied Sciences for Agro, Food, and Living Environment)

• WO Veterinary Medicine

• WO Animal Sciences

• HBO Technical Business Administration

Furthermore, you are:

• Analytical and accurate

• Communicatively skilled and not afraid to ask questions