Member Article

British agricultural business gives Riverside the seal of approval

Cranswick Gourmet Bacon – a leading and innovative British supplier of premium meat – has invested in an RWM400 galvanised baler from Riverside Waste Machinery, to deal with its cardboard and plastic waste more effectively.

Established in the 1970’s, Cranswick plc began life as a quality pig feed manufacturer, but – through shrewd investment, organic growth and continuous product development and innovation – the company has become one of the country’s largest producers of pigs.

Due to handling packaging at its factory in Leeds, the food manufacturer soon needed to upgrade its existing waste baler to ensure a more robust recycling solution for the eco-conscious brand.

And, due to the nature of the packaging – which contains salt residue from the pork products – a rust-free option was deemed necessary, to prevent corrosion of the machinery.

Martin Gilchrist, health and safety manager at Cranswick Gourmet Bacon said: “We were happy with our existing Riverside baler, but unfortunately, as a result of the aggressive materials baled, the machine had slowly begun to rust.”

Jonathan Oldfield, managing director of Riverside Waste Machinery therefore recommended a galvanised solution. He commented: “Here at Riverside, we always listen to the demands of our customers, and will devise a solution, wherever possible, to overcome their operational challenges.

“A protective zinc coating was added to the RWM400 baler, to prevent any rust issues and ensure that the machine will operate in the Cranswick factory long into the future.”

The galvanised equipment is now in situ, handling one tonne of cardboard and half a tonne of plastic, per week – producing three 450kg mill-sized bales. The baled materials are then stored in the factory and collected by a local recycling company on a weekly basis.

Martin continued: “Our satisfaction with Riverside meant we were happy to look to them once again for a solution – and we are very satisfied with the new outcome! We have been provided with another reliable baler, bespoke to our needs, and have received nothing but a professional service throughout, from Jonathan and the Riverside team.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .