Tyson Foods lays the foundation for sustainable ambitions

Bolidt News

Tyson Foods

For the global meat giant Tyson Foods, having a good relationship with the local community is important. That’s why the company’s production plant in Oosterwolde is happy to contribute to social projects, which it does regularly. What’s more, Tyson has ambitious plans in the field of sustainability. The foundation for this was recently laid – literally – with a wear-resistant Bolidt floor.

Tyson Foods is the second largest processor and marketer of chicken, pork, and beef worldwide. In Oosterwolde, in the province of Friesland, the company makes ready-to-use chicken products like chicken nuggets and cordon bleu for the catering and retail sector. Due to increasing demand, Tyson Foods recently expanded its annual production capacity in Oosterwolde by 38,000 tonnes, twice the current production capacity. That means more employment right off the bat. From the current staff of 200, the company expects to grow to 350 employees in the coming years.

What’s special about the Frisian site of the meat giant is its strong bond with the region. Tyson Foods not only creates jobs, but also creates work for local businesses like logistics companies. Tyson also works with regional educational institutions and knowledge centres and invests in people with poor job prospects.
In addition, the group regularly contributes to the community through various social projects, such as supporting a local Ronald McDonald house.

Having a good relationship with the local community and society as a whole is important to the Frisian branch of the multinational, as is sustainability. Tyson Foods has the ambition to become one of the most sustainable companies in its industry in Europe. The multinational states that it wants to be at the forefront of the energy transition and so, over the coming years, will be setting up its production and logistics processes to run as efficiently and sustainably as possible. The company says it will allocate €50 million to facilitate this.

Perfect balance
In Oosterwolde, Tyson recently laid a perfect foundation to realise this ambition: the company opted (once more) for a Bolidt floor. The existing watertight, wear-resistant Bolidtop® floor had served the company for the last 30 years, truly proving its worth. For the production plant, including the extension, Tyson chose the Bolidtop^® 700 system to cover a total of 7,000 m². Over the decades, Bolidt’s R&D department has further developed this floor system and now it aligns even better with all Tyson’s requirements: it’s durable and wear-resistant, and it’s heavy duty when it comes to handling heavy equipment and chemicals.

The new Bolidtop^® 700 floor also meets Tyson’s requirements in the field of quality, health and safety (of employees and of food) – the key pillars of the company’s business operations. The synthetic floor system is seamless and pore tight, meaning extremely hygienic. The wear resistance prevents cracks from forming, which in turn prevents the growth of bacteria. For optimum hygiene, the skirting has also been produced by Bolidt. Thanks to the seamless design, bacteria have zero chance of getting a toehold here too. The new floor is also easy to clean on a daily basis, another important feature for the food company. And the non-slip surface ensures the safety of employees. On to the next 30 years.

Architect: Bessels architecten & ingenieurs