MEAT+POULTRY - November 2024 - 24

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK SURVEY
MORE
INJECT
BRINE
Try it at our
Innovation
Center
ftiinc.org/innovation
Henneken Brand
HPI 450 Brine Injector
Individually retracting
needles get more brine
into your meat.
Improve the accuracy and consistency of your injection with
our line of Henneken Brine Injectors. The individually
retracting needles ensure you get more brine into your meat
even when the needles hit a bone - giving you more weight,
better flavor, and ultimately, more profit. See why processors
across the world are upgrading to a Henneken Brine Injector.
Learn more about our Henneken Brine
Injectors at iinc.org/injectors
also forced 45% of respondents to require existing
employees to work more hours in an effort to meet
their production demands. Other impacts included
adjusting job requirements for candidates (according
to 35% of respondents) and disrupting the timeliness of
production (28%). When asked: " How is your company
addressing the industry skills shortage, " the top two
responses from processors were to offer higher wages
(70% of respondents) and increase automation (52%).
INVESTING WITH INTENTION
While the labor issue looms, processors continue
planning for the future, which includes capital
investments. With 83% of respondents planning for
increased or steady spending in 2024 versus the
previous year, the proportion earmarking dollars
for equipment investments in 2025 included 81% of
respondents planning increased or steady spending.
This was just slightly lower than 84% of processors
whose spending was steady or increased in 2024
versus the prior year.
The top three categories of capital spending
planned for 2025, according to the survey, were
maintenance and spare parts (55% of respondents);
equipment improvements/automation (52%); and
upgrades to existing facilities (38%).
In terms of what processors plan to accomplish
with their capital spending, the most important goals
according to survey respondents included: improving
product quality and consistency (78% ranked as
important or extremely important); improving
food safety accuracy (68%); improving processing
capability/flexibility (66%); and increasing capacity for
existing products (58%).
HEADWINDS
FTIINC.ORG/INJECTORS
309.588.4803
24 MEAT+POULTRY | 11.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
The survey also provided a snapshot of challenges
facing processors in the next 12-18 months. When
asked to `rank` those areas of their businesses that
posed the most significant challenge, recruiting and
retaining workers was the leading issue among 44%
of respondents with labor costs a close second, at
42%. Another HR-related issue, rising health care and
insurance costs, at 40%, rounded out the top three. Not
surprisingly, the next level of topics posing significant
challenges for about one-quarter of respondents
included: strength of the domestic economy; need for
more automation; logistics costs; trade concerns; and
regulatory concerns. Among a list of 16 potential areas
of concern, those topics that respondents ranked as
least challenging included food safety and changing
consumer preferences (44% of respondents did not
consider either to be a challenge).
http://www.ftiinc.org/innovation http://www.iinc.org/injectors http://ftiinc.org http://www.FTIINC.ORG/INJECTORS
MEAT+POULTRY - November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MEAT+POULTRY - November 2024
