Perdue Farms Inc., Washington

Perdue Farms Inc. Washington

As the processor of 17,000 Toms a day, Perdue Farms Inc. is an authority in grinding turkey. But when it came to reducing the average amount of meat that was being inserted into its one-pound packages, the company asked TAP for some statistical expertise.

“Our net weight ground turkey is one pound,” says Steve Zeller, plant manager for the facility, which is the company’s sole turkey producer. “Anything above that one pound is giveaway—the customer gets it for free.” The facility’s machines, however, were turning out packages as high as 1.12 pounds, significantly affecting profits.

Regina Becker, manager of Purdue’s Statistical Consulting Service, placed the data in a bell curve, which indicated that the packaged meats were averaging 1.06 pounds. Those figures prompted Perdue staff to make small machinery
adjustments. Ultimately, the facility decreased its average to 1.03, a quarter-million dollar annual savings.

“I’m a firm believer that when you’ve got the data, it’s hard to argue with,” Zeller says. “TAP gave us the numbers we needed.”