Austrian Alpine Grass and Westphalian Technology

CUSTOMER REPORT

Ideal Conditions for First-Class Products at Fleischerei Horngacher GmbH

Hochfilzen. The name is music to the ears of many fans of the Alps, as a popular vacation resort in the Pillersee Valley and the venue of the extremely popular Biathlon World Cup. For the Horngacher family business, Hochfilzen is even more than that – namely the place where their high-quality premium meat products are created. The family-owned company boldly decided to expand in 2020, as the previous facilities consisting of a butcher’s shop and a slaughterhouse had reached their limits. Since then, Schr?ter’s innovativetechnology has also been on board.

Many well-known companies’ success stories began in basements. The same is true of the family-owned company Fleischerei Horngacher GmbH. Back in 1997, Gerti and Wolfgang Horngacher started their own butcher’s shop in the basement of their family home in Fieberbrunn, Austria, and success followed quickly thereafter. Just one year later, they acquired the local slaughterhouse.

Ethical Animal Husbandry, Regional Sourcing

Right from the start in 1997, the founders’ top priority was that their meat products be regional and of exceptionally high quality. Factory farming and long transport routes to the slaughterhouse were just as unthinkable as livestock that had been treated with antibiotics or fed genetically modified feed blends. “Anyone that lives in an environment blessed with feed that is as good as we do should also feed their animals with just that: fresh alpine grass and mountain herbs. That was important to us then, and it’s still important to us today,” explains Stefan Horngacher, son of the founding couple and current general manager. This is why the Horngachers expanded their operations to include their own pig arm. The company’s mission statement “It’s not enough to know where it comes from, it’s also important to know how it was raised” applies to both the company’s own animals and those purchased from around the region.

Searching for an Innovative Technology Partner

The Horngacher family has remained true to these principles to this day, which has allowed the family to expand its range of products and high quality standards. In 2003, sons Stefan and Jürgen joined the company. The workforce grew steadily, and before long they were making plans to expand and move the company’s headquarters from Fieberbrunn to the neighboring town of Hochfilzen. The plans began to take shape. They found a location for the new building – at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, certainly one of the highest meat processing operations in the Alps. Horngacher began looking for an experienced technology partner:

"The fact that Schr?ter is also a family-owned business is nice, but it wasn’t the deciding factor. Schr?ter is one of the leading players in the industry, known for outstanding service and customized solutions. That’s what counted for us."

STEFAN HORNGACHER - General manager of Fleischerei Horngacher GmbH

Precisely these industrial systems, which cover the entire range of meat processing operations and were specially manufactured according to Horngacher’s unique requirements, are now located at the new site in Hochfilzen.

Horngacher’s range of equipment now includes three #THERMICjet? hot-smoke cooking systems that are also equipped with a cold-smoking function. In addition, five #SMOKjet? smoke generators have also found a home in the new production hall. And four #CLIMAjet? systems round out the ensemble of new units. These systems feature different air handling systems for processes along the entire production chain – from defrosting and climatic smoking to aging and maturing. All of the units are equipped with a Siemens PLC controller and connected to the centrally installed InTouch process management software.

“The portfolio of equipment we installed has provided Horngacher with high-quality industrial systems that are individually tailored to their needs and capacities,” explains Frank Mack, Sales Director at Schr?ter Technologie.

“We were able to fulfill their desire to combine state-of-the-art technology with traditional meat processing expertise in this beautiful alpine region to their complete satisfaction.” As a result, the award-winning manufacturer of meat products known far beyond Austria’s borders is now in the best possible position to continue producing its high-quality goods.

Source: Meeting Point No. 61 (MP61)