Eq m p i u s m r teT l t en n i s ea a g s gi g n i in m o m m u t en By Joel Crews jcrews@sosland.com he tools of the trade used in many of today's meat and poultry processing plants get more specialized and complex each year. Equipment engineers never stop looking for the next efficiency opportunity and as processing machinery has become more precise and sophisticated, purchase prices have gone on a steady incline. New processing and packaging equipment can easily cost six figures. Especially when the economy is limping, purchases can't always be planned for years in advance and processors are showing interest in financing options. Equipment auctions, used equipment sales, zero-percent financing terms and operating or capital leases have become viable options for processors committed to growing without going into debt indefinitely. In an industry as competitive as meat and poultry processing, 34 MEAT&POULTRY www.MEATPOULTRY.com OCTOBER 2004http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com