Meat processing plants need cold storage and freezing equipment at four process points: raw material pretreatment, in-process holding, finished product storage, and cold chain support. Some units are required in every plant, while others depend on the product type. Hansheng Automation can machine replacement parts for this equipment, including door hardware, rack fittings, conveyor components, and custom fixtures, to customer drawings.
Common Equipment for Raw Material Pretreatment
Holding Chilled Room Before Slaughter
All livestock and poultry slaughter plants need a holding chilled room. It maintains 0 to 4 C for animals held before slaughter. This buffers production fluctuations and prevents carcass temperature from rising during long waits. Configuration follows GB 12694-2016, the hygiene code for meat processing plants.
Carcass Pre-Cooling Equipment
Fixed-point slaughter plants must have carcass pre-cooling equipment. This includes spray-type, static-holding, and vacuum pre-coolers. After slaughter, the equipment rapidly lowers the carcass core temperature to 0 to 4 C to suppress microbial growth.
Process Equipment by Product Type
Quick Freezing Equipment
Plants producing frozen meat, prepared meat products, or ready-to-cook dishes need quick freezing equipment. Tunnel freezers are the most common in domestic plants. They use forced circulating air at -35 to -40 C to bring the product core below -18 C, and they suit continuous batch production. Plate freezers use metal plates in direct contact with uniform-thickness packaged products such as steak and tenderloin. Freezing is fast and energy consumption per unit is lower. Spiral freezers save floor space and fit continuous automated lines. They suit small to medium batch, multi-category freezing. When replacement belts, plates, or conveyor parts are needed, we can machine them to drawing.
In-Process Holding Equipment
All meat processing plants need in-process holding equipment. Low-temperature work tables maintain 0 to 4 C for temporary holding during cutting, weighing, and packaging. This avoids cross-contamination and temperature rise. Mobile turnover refrigerated boxes handle semi-finished product transfer between process steps. Capacity is usually 0.5 to 5 m³, matching different line sizes.
Common Finished Product Storage Equipment
Chilled Storage (High-Temperature Room)
Plants producing chilled fresh meat need a chilled storage room. It holds a constant 0 to 4 C for short-term storage of fresh meat sold cold. The room should have automatic humidification to prevent the meat from drying out.
Frozen Storage (Low-Temperature Room)
Plants producing frozen meat products need a frozen storage room. It maintains a stable -18 C or below for long-term storage of frozen meat and prepared meat products. The room uses polyurethane insulation panels and comes with automatic temperature control, dehumidification, and temperature and humidity alarm devices.
Dual-Purpose Cold Room
A dual-purpose cold room handles both chilled and frozen functions. It suits small and medium plants that produce both chilled fresh meat and frozen meat products from the same site.
Common Cold Chain Support Equipment
Refrigerated Transport Units
Any plant selling finished product externally needs refrigerated transport units, including refrigerated truck bodies and cold chain containers. They maintain -18 C or below for frozen meat, or 0 to 4 C for chilled fresh meat, from the plant to distributors and retail outlets.
Full-Process Temperature Monitoring
Most compliant meat plants need a full-process temperature monitoring system. Following GB/T 28577-2012, the cold chain logistics classification and basic requirements, it includes real-time temperature and humidity collection, data upload, and alarm functions for full-chain temperature traceability.
Cold Room Defrosting Equipment
Any plant with a cold room needs defrosting equipment, including electric, hot ammonia, and air defrost units. These remove frost from evaporator surfaces on a regular schedule to maintain heat exchange efficiency. Ammonia refrigeration system maintenance must be performed by personnel holding the special operation certificate for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment operation.
Maintenance and Replacement Parts
Regular maintenance should cover door seals, evaporator coils, defrost systems, monitoring sensors, and transport unit door hardware. Worn seals and dirty coils raise energy consumption and cause temperature swings. When replacement parts are needed, Hansheng Automation can machine non-standard components such as door hardware, rack fittings, and conveyor parts to drawing.
Our precision custom machining capability is not limited to meat processing cold chain equipment. Hansheng Automation also produces parts for filling machinery, food processing equipment, and tobacco packaging machinery, along with precision components for yachts and RC cars. From single parts to small batch runs, we machine to customer drawings and deliver parts for assembly.
