We have to occupy ourselves with people, not just machines
15 Oct 2025
Eben van Tonder of ‘Origins Global Meats’ discusses the dynamics of the African meat industry and explains why robust machinery and practicable solutions are key.
What does your company ‘Origins Global Meats’ offer?
We work on behalf of African companies, developing functional solutions ranging from machinery and recipes to factory design. If a company wants to set up a meat factory, we can help. We assist with site selection, plan the emulsification and processing lines, set up the plant, and help find personnel for commissioning throughout Africa. In short, we are there every step of the way and help businesses become profitable. Often, a machine arrives and nobody knows how to operate it. We are the experts who take care of everything. The largest project I have worked on since 2018 is with the SPAR group in Nigeria. We have supported them throughout the entire process.
“African customers want robust machines with direct drives that are easy to repair, maintain, assemble, and clean. They want machines that are as simple as possible, with affordable spare parts that are readily available.”
To what extent do international manufacturers’ products already meet the needs and requirements of the African market?
Sadly, I have to say there is very little understanding. African customers do not want complex PLC controls; they want robust machines with direct drives that are easy to repair, maintain, assemble, and clean. They want machines that are as simple as possible, with affordable spare parts that are readily available. Only machines that tick these boxes are successful in Africa.
It is important to understand that Africa is a very diverse continent. South Africa, for example, is a very mature, demanding market comparable to European standards. There, people no longer need to be taught the basics of running a smokehouse.
When it comes to support, there is another thing to consider, and this is no joke: a three-to-four-day visit from a European manufacturer can cost up to €10,000. So I ask myself: which European customer would buy a machine if every minor repair meant €10,000 in travel costs?
The demand for products such as mortadella and ham is growing rapidly, and a sausage industry is emerging in Africa. Picture: Rich Townsend
What is the significance of meat products in the African market?
Africa is a continent of meat eaters – meat is the most important foodstuff there. The continent needs affordable protein above all else. Meat is the cheapest and highest-quality source of protein thanks to its price advantage. If you want to feed Africa, you can’t do it without meat. There is a lot of attention for this market and the continent is currently developing its own sausage industry. This is also increasing demand for by-products such as mortadella, ham, and bologna. Chicken is clearly the most popular meat, followed by beef and pork. Growth is enormous – downright gigantic. Any industry or technology focused on the meat sector can benefit from this development. There is nowhere else in the world with such momentum.
“Many young people would like to enter the meat industry, but training opportunities in Africa are limited.”
What are the employment prospects for technology-oriented food manufacturers in African countries?
In industry, the distinction between unskilled and skilled labour is largely irrelevant; the training pathways are simply different to those in Europe. Even expert workers are not directly comparable because the framework conditions are different. Looking at even seemingly simple things like cleaning methods makes clear that the approaches are different. Standards and assumptions that apply in Europe often differ in Africa. Therefore, a video alone is not enough to provide training. Looking at work from a cultural perspective makes it clear that priorities are set differently, and this leads to different results.
There are currently many young people who would like to enter the meat industry, but training opportunities in Africa are limited. And of course there are training centres in Europe that could teach young Africans how to make sausages and similar products, but the question remains: who is in a position to impart this knowledge? I know of very few training initiatives in Africa.
In markets where labour is cheap, many processes are still carried out by hand, which can be problematic, particularly when it comes to food. What steps can be taken to promote automation, digitalisation, and intuitive usability on the African continent?
The first step is to understand that mechanisation starts with organising work. To illustrate this, I like to cite the example of a packaging plant in Cincinnati in the 1850s. Initially, only a board, a table, and a knife were used, and it took just 35 seconds to debone a pig. This was thanks to the efficient organisation of the unskilled Irish workers. When I read about this in a specialist article, I thought it was electrifying. The next day, when I arrived at work, I immediately put these principles into practice. Within the next week, I had doubled the company’s production output without hiring a single new employee. So it’s primarily about a shift in thinking. Only then come the machines.
Picture: Smederevac
Is it enough that people and machines are ready for operation, or must the entire plant be equipped accordingly?
The entire plant. First, we organise the workforce and the machines they use. The factory – the people, the machines, the organisational structure, the production line and the integration of the departments – it must all be viewed as a complete unit. It must be viewed as an integrated whole. Not as a loose collection of individual parts. I would do many things differently in the Nigeria project today. There is a tendency to start taking action too early. For example, I should have installed only a few machines at first and said: “Now, let’s get to a point where we use these machines at capacity”. Then, I would have observed and said “Now, let’s remove all the obstacles preventing us from utilising these machines to their full potential”.
By ‘machine utilisation’, I mean the production of certain products and their volume. I see that 90 per cent of the machines in this factory are not being used at all. It’s not that we don’t have highly sophisticated machines in Africa, it’s that we can’t use them.
“The problem is spare parts – they are simply too expensive.”
Why is that?
The problem is spare parts – they are simply too expensive. If you then need a technician from Europe, you immediately start to question whether it’s even worth it. The courier fee for a part from Germany alone is 250 euro. Therefore, ten parts for ten different machines can quickly cost 2,500 euro.
The extreme humidity, dust and corrosion in Africa's tropical regions pose enormous challenges for machine design. Picture: Ruffraido
Are there any climatic factors?
For example, the IP65 protective cover that comes with the machines is completely inadequate for the 90 per cent humidity that is present all the time in Lagos. The machines wear out just standing there. On top of the humidity, there is also dust in places like Nigeria – desert dust that comes from the Sahara once a year and gets into everything. Even if we finally receive the part after a month or two, the machine may still not work because the adjacent part has corroded in the meantime, and we’re back to square one. It’s a constant struggle, and the reason for this lies in the design of the machine.
The machines have to be incredibly robust – quite unlike those in Europe...
If a machine contains a lot of electronics, it is only really suitable for European conditions. Electronics, control systems – these highly sophisticated things are fantastic. However, they are highly sensitive and can malfunction or stop working altogether in humid conditions or amid high dust levels. In some parts of Nigeria, for example, you have to wear gloves when you open a door because static electricity gives you a shock every time you touch something metallic.
Picture: Hispanolistic
Which production steps, for example in the manufacture of meat products, pose the greatest challenges for unskilled workers?
The most difficult task working with the machine will certainly be the further processing stage. In fact, I would say that all further processing is challenging – after all, in Europe you become a butcher through an apprenticeship. Consider the differences in cutting beef and deboning alone to obtain optimal cuts. For the retail trade, further differences arise because bone content must be minimised. We try to sell as much meat as possible. No matter the qualifications. Our training courses must also be tailored so we get optimal results.
Manufacturers worldwide offer intuitive usability. However, the impact varies in developed and less developed markets.
Let me return to the issue of differences. The way mechanical machines are used in Africa is often different from how they are used in Europe – and something that you consider as being ‘intuitive’ here you can’t just expect to be the same way there. If you ask a worker about their method, they will simply say, ‘Because that’s how I do it.’ And sometimes, workers have the attitude that problems will just resolve themselves over time.
One manufacturer has developed a machine that is simply impossible to assemble incorrectly. Even inexperienced users can only assemble it in one way, and nothing breaks if they try to do it any other way. It’s machines like this that we need to promote.
Michael Hopp
Author at Foodtech Now! editorial office, who wants to show through his stories that tradition and innovation belong together.
