Chilled Fresh Meat Processing Industry: Evolution & Intelligent Transformation

China's chilled fresh meat processing industry, which began in the 1950s, has evolved through manual, mechanized, and semi-automatic stages, and is now entering a period of deep transformation driven by AI intelligence.

Five Development Stages

Driven by consumption upgrades and market segmentation, product diversification, traceable quality, premium branding, and globalized supply chains have become key competitive differentiators for businesses.

- Emergence (1950-1978): Relied on manual cutting and simple packaging, with a weak technical foundation and limited product variety.

- Initiation (1979-1999): Reform and opening-up policies spurred initial industry scale, and chilled meat technology was introduced, although hot fresh meat remained dominant.

- Development (2000-2009): Shuanghui introduced China's first chilled meat production line, promoting cooling/aging and cold cutting processes, and establishing a preliminary cold chain system.

- Rapid Growth (2010-2019): Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) gained popularity, cold chain logistics matured, and e-commerce channels rose, leading to intensified and quality-focused development.

- Mature Transformation (2020-Present): New retail and instant consumption scenarios deepened. Intelligent precision cutting, high-speed MAP, and AI vision became new engines for industry upgrade.

Today, high-speed MAP machines can exceed 6,000 packs/hour, with line efficiency approaching 2 tons/hour. Facing market demands for "multi-category, small-batch, fast-turnover," traditional lines reliant on manual labor struggle with efficiency, cost, and standardization.

Automated Precision Cutting Breaks Efficiency & Quality Barriers

Automated precision cutting systems provide high-precision, standardized processing and seamlessly connect with high-speed MAP lines, fundamentally reshaping production through four key improvements:

- Efficiency Leap: Enables stable 24/7 operation, significantly boosting speed and output.

- Consistent Quality: Ensures uniform product weight and shape, reducing contamination risk.

- Optimized Labor: Reduces reliance on skilled butchers, lowering costs and intensity.

- Full Traceability: Real-time data collection enables end-to-end traceability.

Desigco's AI Vision & Smart Labeling Meets High-Speed Demands

As high-speed MAP and automated cutting become standard, Desigco's integrated AI Vision and Smart Labeling system offers a closed-loop solution from "identification to labeling to data management."

- AI-Powered Recognition: Deep learning algorithms instantly identify cuts and package types, enabling mixed-SKU production with zero labeling errors.

- Multi-Label Application: Accurately applies info labels, logos, quarantine stamps, and traceability codes simultaneously on various surfaces, including curved MAP packs.

- Integrated Sorting: Seamlessly connects with downstream sorting/packing, automating the entire "pack-label-sort" workflow.

- Data-Driven QC & Traceability: Records and uploads all production data to MES/ERP systems for analytics, quality tracking, and process optimization.

- Modular & Rapid Deployment: Flexible design allows quick integration into existing lines with minimal disruption.

As the industry shifts from "scale expansion" to "quality 深耕 (shēn gēng - deep cultivation)," Desigco is committed to providing stable, precise, and scalable AI vision and smart labeling solutions. We help businesses break capacity bottlenecks, strengthen quality control, and enhance brand value to confidently meet the challenges of this high-speed era.