Dyson delivers on a hygenic, sustainable and fast hand drying solution in Silver Fern Farms food processing plant of Te Aroha.

Founded in 1948, Silver Fern Farms Limited is New Zealand’s leading procurer, processor, marketer and exporter of premium quality red meat. The company is owned in equal partnership by Silver Fern Farms Co-op Ltd, a cooperative of 16,000 New Zealand sheep, cattle and deer farmers and Shanghai Maling Aquarius Ltd. With 14 plants across the country and 7,000 employees in the peak of the season, they produce 30% of all New Zealand lamb, beef and venison. 

Silver Fern Farms is committed to create positive change for the environment, the people and the economic success of New Zealand.

Their approach is embedded into their “Sustainable Chain of Care” program. Environmental Sustainability is one of the key pillars of Silver Fern Farms’ Sustainable chain of care, with the ambition to lower their environmental footprint, reducing water & energy use.

“Silver Fern Farms’ sustainable chain of care is fundamental to the way we produce 100% Made of New Zealand grass-fed red meat. We are committed to operating responsibly and efficiently, so we can lower our environmental footprint using fit for purpose, industry-leading technology.”

- Mark Leslie, Chief Operating Officer, Silver Fern Farms.

The Problem:

Silver Fern Farms was previously using single-use paper towels, but wanted to find a more sustainable, cost-effective, fast and hygienic hand drying solution. This was something employees were calling for too.

So, they reached out to Dyson in early 2020 to discuss the best technology to meet their requirements and used as a standard hand drying system across all their processing plants nationwide.

In food production environments, ensuring consumer safety is paramount. Maintaining hygienic facilities is essential to avoid food contamination.

Our Solution:

The Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry hand dryer dries hands in just
14 seconds using HEPA-filtered air, capturing 99.95% of particles the size of bacteria (0. 3 microns) from the washroom air reducing the risk of damp hands spreading bacteria and viruses. The multi-function design also helps to save space in the washroom and reduces the problem of water dripping on the floor. Instead of users moving from a handwashing area to a separate hand drying station, the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry washes and dries hands at the sink. And thanks to infrared sensors, it operates without user touch.

The Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry hand dryer has been certified for use in food preparation environments by leading food safety organisation HACCP International.

Additionally, Dyson hand dryers are used in environments where hygiene is paramount, such as in hospitals as well as food premises.

The Benefits:

“Early in 2020 we engaged with Dyson to discuss the solutions available for a hygienic and fast hand drying at our processing plants with a view to replacing our current solution. To keep our sustainability journey moving forward, we trialled the Dyson Wash+Dry units at our Te Aroha site where, alongside Dyson, we could monitor the initiative and its effec- tiveness in reducing paper towel waste.

“The trial was an outstanding success, not only did the trial show cost savings and waste and water consumption reduction, there was zero reduction in traffic flow for our people. As a customer-led global marketing business we are committed to producing quality products and the hygiene outcomes from our trial were also outstanding. Our sites now have approval for the Dyson Wash+Dry units to be rolled out to our 12 other sites around New Zealand.”

- Mark Leslie, Chief Operating Officer, Silver Fern Farms

“When we replaced taps with Dyson Wash+Dry, water usage reduced from 6L per wash to around 1L per wash. This represents both an initial water use reduction but also a reduction in the volume of water that needs to be treated and discharged post use.

“A unit installed into one of our cold chain areas reduced single-use paper towel consumption from 230 single-use paper towels per day to zero, delivering both environmental and commercial benefit.”

- Riordon Dickson Procurement Category Manager, Silver Fern Farms

“The Dyson Wash+Dry units were easy to install into the existing washing sink sys- tem, with minimal adjustments required to our existing system. They have a great design, and waste is easily and efficiently washed down the sink.

“Straight away our employees were on board and giving us positive feedback. The trial shows our people sustainability in action, with an obvious reduction in waste and water use, as well as fast, hygienic cleaning for our people moving through the service area.”

- Alan Carr Engineering Manager, Te Aroha/Waitoa