THE Hill group has successfully established an industrial poultry processing plant, fulfilling a long-standing goal to revolutionize Tanzania's chicken market and introduce significant changes and innovations in the industry.

Information available at Poultry News Africa, indicated that the plant processing capacity starts at 3,000 bph [50 bpm], although the line has been prepared for an upgrade to 6,000 bph [100 bpm].

At the start of the process, floor scales connected to Innova weigh incoming live birds. After electrical stunning, killing is done manually, as production is 100 percent halal.

Scalding and plucking are also done using Marel equipment. After the combined VOC vent cutter and opening machine, the automated evisceration line features a Nuova eviscerator with a separate pack line for manual harvesting.

The eviscerator runs with 8 units at a 12” pitch. Expanding to 16 units for 6,000 bph is an easy job and doesn’t require a big investment.

Hillary Shoo, Managing Director of Hill Group tells how he entered the poultry processing business, “In 2014, I met Marel for the first time, at the IPPE in Atlanta. Back then I already had the idea of building a poultry processing plant. I was comparing companies and the first thing that impressed me about Marel was their communications.”

He adds: “Marel was the only company to come up with quick replies to my questions. They put a project manager on my job, who took me through all the various stages. This was very valuable, as I was completely new to the business. For instance, I didn’t know that I also had to deal with wastewater and offal.”

The Hill Group processing plant has been operational in Dar es Salaam since July 2023. It is the successful result of the close connection between Marel’s dedicated project team and Hillary Shoo, who was personally involved in every detail throughout the entire process.

“Marel supported us in completing our building and ensuring the necessary utilities were in place, making it a turnkey project. We have been working hand in hand to make sure that machinery can be connected properly and that the building is completely ready to receive the processing line,” he said.

Adding: “The Marel team also advised us to create a different climate in the receiving area. Marel was taking us all the way, from the foundations for the building right through to laying floors and installing the steel structures.”

The population of Tanzania is over 62 million people and growing fast. As the standard of living improves, people are eating more chicken. At any social event, a wedding or whatever, there has to be chicken.

Until now, the wet market has largely dominated in Tanzania. Hillary Shoo says, “No one has been processing chicken industrially as we do. Hill Group is one of the few fully automated poultry plants in East Africa.”