Damate Turkey Processing Plant, Penza

In May 2019, the Damate Group opened one of the largest turkey processing plants in Europe.

Located in the Nizhnelomovsky district of Penza, Russia, the plant was developed with an investment of approximately RUB11bn ($170m). The project was financed by the Russian Agricultural Bank and generated around 2,000 jobs.

The plant has a production capacity of 155,000t in slaughter weight a year by 2020 with a total estimated investment of RUB50bn ($773m).

Damate is also building two plants for deep processing of turkey meat and production of kosher and halal products.

Damate turkey processing plant details

The production plant spans over an area of 43,000m². Rendering equipment by Mavitec has been installed to process turkey by-products at a rate of 20,000 birds a day to yield poultry meat meal, feather meal and blood meal.

The plant reduces the time required to process chickens from cutting to delivery to eight hours. It is capable of packing up to 37 products simultaneously, which reduces the time for transport ordering and loading, ensuring faster delivery of products.

The movement of the employees and workers at the plant is controlled by electronic access systems to create a hygienic production environment.

The site is also equipped with intelligent video analytics systems for quality control and reducing the time required to undergo sanitary procedures. A high-pressure centralised washing system has been installed to ensure weekly cleaning and disinfection are achieved.

Production process at Damate turkey processing plant

The processing plant is divided into a receiving zone and a clean zone. The receiving area houses a live bird receiving section, a slaughtering space and an evisceration area, while the clean zone includes chilling, cutting and packing lines, as well as a logistics centre.

The plant uses air-chilling equipment to keep the carcasses cool, instead of water baths and chemicals.

The building comprises 51 production lines with a capacity of 6,000 chickens an hour. It also employs conveyors with a combined length of 11.5km.

The final products can be stored for up to 20 days in a chilled form allowing for more time for local delivery and exporting.

Damate turkey processing plant construction

The construction of the Damate turkey processing plant required 520 people and 34 units of construction equipment.

Concrete structures of 21.5m³ were erected for the construction complex, while metal structures with weighing more than 3,000t were utilised.

Marketing commentary on Damate

Damate Group is an agricultural holding company involved in turkey and lamb processing, as well as dairy farming and milk production.

Based in Russia, the company has production facilities in the Penza and Tyumen regions, alongside the Stavropol territory.

Damate is the leading producer of turkey meat in Russia. Around 88,000t of turkey meat was produced in the area in 2018. The company’s turkey production reached 26,900t in Q1 2019, an increase of 47% compared to the same period in 2018.

Damate began exporting turkey products in 2015 and received certification to export products to countries in the EU, the Eurasian Economic Union, Asia and Africa.

The company owns a dairy complex with 4,600 cattle in Tyumen region, which is the largest dairy complex in Siberia. It produced 25,600t of crop products and managed 46,000ha of land in 2018.

Damate became the largest employer in the agricultural sector of Penza by creating 1,250 new jobs in 2018. It currently employs 5,000 people in turkey production and dairy processing plants.