FSA approved Meat Cutting Plant for Dart Fresh

Fisher Modular Construction UK Ltd
Unit 3, Warren Park,
Beeford, Driffield,
East Yorkshire,
YO25 8BD

T: 01964 529512
E: sales@fisheruk.co.uk

Launched in 1957, Dart Fresh has evolved from a family-run fruit and vegetable supplier, to be the leading regional foodservice supplier to trade in the South West. Dart Fresh has also developed a thriving e-commerce home delivery business to rival supermarket delivery, often beating their offer in delivery, service and price.

Increased demand from both trade and retail sectors led John Pritchard, Director at Dart Fresh, to install a state-of-the-art Fisher UK FSA approved meat cutting plant at the Exeter Headquarters, which now means that they can receive whole beef bodies and lamb carcasses from Dartmoor.

John Pritchard was looking at leasing an existing cutting plant, but this was off-site.  The new cutting plant allowed John to utilise wasted space at his existing premises, so his foodservice business is now all under the one roof.

The installation comprised of three individual modules, each one approx. 8 x 3.6m, which came together on site to create a single facility. Each module was built off-site in our factory environment, which gave the client no disruption during the construction phase.

In Fisher UK’s factory all the components to make up the facility were fitted in each module, such as walls and ceilings, doors, ceilings, electrics, plumbing, refrigeration, and roofing.  The modules were delivered to site on articulated lorries and our installation team had them reconnected and weatherproofed within a 24-hour period.  A PU resin finished floor was applied on site to complete the project.

Comparable to traditional methods of construction our solutions offer vastly reduced timescales, lower on-site man hours and consequently reduced health and safety risk.  The whole facility created a layout that allows an efficient flow of product and personnel which was designed by our in-house team at Fisher UK, their expert knowledge of FSA approvals gave the client confidence that approval will be granted.

Take a look at the installation here :

The cutting plant is made up of an intake lobby, main chiller, work in progress chiller, main production room, packing room, and dispatch chiller. Personnel enter through a separate area with changing room and hygiene area.

Jon Fisher, Technical Director at Fisher UK, was able to consult with the team at Dart Fresh from initial concept to an operational facility.

He says   “Working with the Dart Fresh team to develop the concept was very straightforward, they knew exactly where they wanted to get to, they had a clear vision of where the new facility could be positioned, and a very clear understanding of how they wanted to operate which made design process run very smoothly, after a short period of time and consideration over various design plans the new facility was ready to be put in to manufacture”.

The main reason for Dart Fresh opting for a Fisher UK unit was that they were looking to lower food miles involved in processing beef and lamb from Dartmoor.

The need to move quickly in time for hospitality reopening, coupled with the option to extend or move the unit, meant that down time would be minimal compared to a traditional extension or John Pritchard’s first thought of taking over an existing butchery processing company.

Another buying factor was that if necessary, the cutting plant could be repurposed as the business grows e.g. used as a test bed for new ideas or used as a development kitchen for Dart Fresh.

Director John Pritchard said  “ I first saw a venison processing facility by Fisher UK and knew this was the right solution for Dart Fresh.  I had considered my options in terms of buying a second premises, however, it suits us down to the ground to be able to process meat onsite and adds so much to the business.  The installation went very smoothly indeed, and I’m delighted with the result.  “

” The accuracy of the build off- plan was so precise, in fact, millimetre perfect.  This enabled the modules to be built off-site until it was ready to be placed in its target position on installation day.

Our Fisher UK cutting plant was craned into position on pre-scored concrete pads to achieve the required distance from ground level and satisfy planning permissions.  The best thing about this production facility is that it could be sold in the future as it would hold a resale value or could be relocated anywhere required.  There is also the option to bolt-on more components to the plant as and when required as our business grows.”

John Pritchard
Director, Dart Fresh

Fisher Modular Construction (UK) Ltd make extension and expansion affordable because our modular units are manufactured off-site, which results in much lower costs than traditional methods of construction.

A Fisher UK solution offers shorter build programmes and much less disruption to existing operations. A new building from Fisher UK can also be purchased through third party asset finance companies.

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