At present, numerous slaughtering equipment manufacturers are distributed nationwide across China. Their manufactured processing equipment covers multiple sectors including slaughtering, meat cutting, meat production and prepared food processing. Nevertheless, the domestic slaughtering equipment industry features very low market concentration and lacks modern development models overall.

To raise the technical standards of slaughtering equipment for pigs, poultry and other livestock in China, narrow the gap with leading global standards, accelerate the localization of meat processing equipment and satisfy domestic market demand, Chinese slaughtering equipment manufacturers must step up their efforts.

Slaughtering equipment enterprises ought to research and develop innovative slaughtering technologies to facilitate new product development. For instance, companies can explore novel electric stunning approaches, develop spray scalding techniques and optimize dehairing methods and parameters. Washing and wet pre-cooling technologies can also be adopted. For slaughterhouse by-products including heads, hooves and internal organs, businesses should develop innovative comprehensive utilization processes instead of merely turning these materials into protein feed.

Manufacturers of slaughtering equipment shall strengthen intellectual property (IP) protection awareness and actively file patent applications to sustain long-term growth momentum. Irregularities in China’s IP market mean that independently developed products cannot receive adequate legal protection. Many enterprises devote substantial capital, materials and manpower to new product development, yet their innovations are soon counterfeited once launched on the market. When newly developed slaughtering machinery gets copied rapidly after release, companies become reluctant to fund technological innovation.

Enterprises manufacturing sheep slaughtering equipment need to boost investment in scientific research and R&D. In line with the 12th Five-Year Plan for the Food Industry, the state supports R&D for major key technologies and core equipment. It encourages the development and commercialization of products featuring independent intellectual property rights. Enterprises should strive for national policy and financial support to accelerate the industrialization of technical achievements.

Sheep slaughtering equipment manufacturers should actively introduce advanced overseas technologies and conduct thorough digestion, absorption and re-innovation. China has imported a large volume of foreign slaughtering production lines in recent years. Companies need to study these imported units, analyze their working principles, and carry out localized innovation based on the development status of China’s machinery sector and domestic pig breeding characteristics, so as to develop equipment with independent intellectual property rights.

Slaughtering equipment enterprises need to fully recognize the overall technical level of domestic meat processing machinery. They should prioritize equipment quality, target the high-end market, and speed up the upgrading and innovation of meat processing machinery. Notably, Shandong Province took the lead in implementing humane slaughter standards in 2016.

Furthermore, technological advancement within China’s supporting component manufacturing and raw & auxiliary material supply sectors will fuel progress in domestic slaughtering equipment and bridge the technical gap with European and American counterparts. Key areas for improvement include boosting component precision, upgrading stainless steel heat treatment technology, designing more compact motors, and lowering costs for control components.