Kekén Grand Opening

On May 17, Grupo Kuo of Mexico hosted the grand opening of their second hog processing plant in the town of Sahe, just outside of Merida, under the name Kekén. Construction began on the facility in January 2017, with an estimated startup date of July 2018. Being the larger of the two, this plant will operate at a capacity of 500 hogs per hour. This plant has been of great pride for Frontmatec, as we have provided equipment on the harvest floor, cut floor, and packaging room.

The production line starts with our state of the art CO2 stunner, which ensures safe stunning of a group of hogs with high animal welfare, high hygiene levels and safety for stunning operators. Within the lines, you can find other equipment proving high yields, as well as a tray system on the cutting and deboning floor with radio frequency identification (RFID), with the final destination being assigned by 3 operators, depending on the product. The tray system operates with cutting edge software technology from Frontmatec, which reads RFID tags in trays. This allows management of full track and trace of product flow. The tray handling system is controlled by a PLC system, which also provides on-line information through an optional SCADA system on the functionality. This allows for minimal manual handling of products, improved product flow, increased traceability, and overall effectiveness improvements where all data is available in real-time form.

As for the overall plant, Fernando Senderos Mestre, chairman of the board of directors of Grupo Kuo stated, “These facilities are characterized by high technology, innovation and functionality, while generating more than 3,000 direct jobs, which will add to the more than 6,000 already generated by the business.”

The grand opening began with a tour of the plant, ending in the dispatch area, where the event was held. Throughout the tour at five different stations, you could find TV’s displaying some of our products in operation, to provide further knowledge to the attendees. There were many in attendance, including the Secretary of Economic Development and the Governor, both for the State of Yucatan, along with executives from Grupo Kuo, vendors, media and guests. During the event, you could find hostesses dressed in a mestiza costume, which is traditional Mexican attire, greeting guests and ensuring the event was a success. Among the room was an array of appetizers and beverages, and a model scaled display of the plant.

Kekén is the main exporter of pork from Mexico, serving the markets of the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.