According to Dione Cazanti, the group's industrial director, the modernization of industrial plants has a direct impact on production capacity, process standardization, and the enhancement of product quality—decisive factors in increasing competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.
Today, different stages of the industrial process already operate with a high level of automation at the group's facilities in the state of Paraná. At the Maringá plant, for example, the automated cutting room performs complete poultry cuts, including thigh and drumstick deboning, as well as delivering half chicken breast fillets in an export-ready standard. The gains lie in production uniformity and continuous workflow.
At the Paraíso do Norte (PR) facility, the implementation of an automated room for producing tray-packed items with a specific weight of 1 kg has opened doors to a market that had not previously been explored by the company. Meanwhile, at the Paranavaí and Terra Boa units, also in Paraná, the installation of girofreezer tunnels—which individually freeze cuts according to the IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) standard—enables automatic packaging with exact weight, adding value to the product and expanding the product mix.
According to Cazanti, key operational results include reduced dependence on manual labor, increased productivity, standardized cuts, and portfolio expansion. For the director, adjustments in strategies and team training are also essential to the success of these implementations.
“When a company decides to automate its processes, it must consider the behavioral changes required of its employees, as they need to adapt to this transformation. The company must provide full support and development to its team. There is a shift in professional profiles, which become more technical and strategic rather than operational. Therefore, development plans are intensified to ensure the availability of these professionals internally, as offering opportunities to people who already work at GTF is a fundamental principle of the company’s industrial area,” emphasizes Cazanti.
Real-time data analysis is also gaining prominence. Automated systems generate instant information that guides teams in correcting deviations before they become irreversible.
For the coming years, the expectation is to expand automation to units still operating with manual processes and to invest in new lines of processed products, broadening the portfolio and adding value.
The message to meatpacking companies that still view automation and artificial intelligence as distant concepts is clear: this is a path of no return. In a scenario of labor shortages, technology ensures production continuity, greater control, access to new markets, and faster decision-making—an advantage that directly impacts business sustainability.