Torsten Kramer

Factory Manager
Reported directly to share holders

 Start Up Business in Meat Processing
 Product Brand Names include Hot &Crispy, Mamma’s Choice, Golden Fields
 Product portfolio included Hot Dogs, Luncheon Meat, Deli Meats and a wide range of formed & breaded products
 Production after 2 years 140 mto monthly
 Annual sales 35 mil SAR
 Number of staff after 2 years 60

Principal tasks
 Coordinate and supervise the final construction work on site
 Coordinate and supervise the installation of the technical equipment, including chillers, freezers and machines
 Development and implementation of the original organizational structure of the factory
 Direct Recruitment of staff in India
 Training off staff in production, hygiene and food safety
 Implementation of certification programs like HACCP and ISO
 Product development & Production Process Development
 Strategy Development, Planning and execution of an industrial scale canned meat luncheon production

Accomplishments
 The factory was certified HACCP, ISO and received its export license by Saudi Authorities within the first 12 months of operation
 A full product line was developed within the first 3 months of operation
 Within the first 12 months a monthly production capacity of 60 mto was accomplished
 80% of the initially recruited & trained staff is still working in the factory and constitutes today the backbone of the production staff
 The Canned Meat Production line constitutes today the backbone of production, mainly with canned luncheon meat for the local as well as export market

Food Processing Plant Manager
Reported directly to the GM of Al Rawdah Farms.

Al Rawdah Farms is one of the biggest poultry producers in the UAE with a daily production of 45.000 birds.
Al Rawdah farms incorporates a slaughterhouse as well as a meat processing factory
ISO 2200, ISO 14004 and HACCP certified
Product portfolio consists of Hot Dogs, Luncheon Meat, Deli Meats and formed products
Yearly production 1.200 mto

Managed the food processing plant of Al Rawdah Farms, Dubai, UAE, with a monthly production of around 100to.
Planned and executed a cost reduction program on the existing recipes, which saved
about 2.0 mil. AED per year.
Redeveloped existing products for quality as well as yield improvement.
Increased average daily production from 1.6 mto to 4.2 mto.
Planned and implemented cooperation with Premier Foods, Riyadh, for a better utilization of the production capacities in Dubai and for cost reduction.

Voluntarily developed a concept for the Veterinary Authorities in Dubai for the production and further processing of Camel Meats, under the aspect of local food production.

Interim Production Manager
Reported directly to the Plant Manager.

Managed the production of Premier Foods, one of the major meat processors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Responsible for monthly production of around 200to.
Products ranged from deli meats, portion controlled steaks and emulsified sausages to breaded/fully cooked items.
Successfully managed a multi-national work force of about 100.
Increase in production from previous year was around 18%, increase in productivity per man-hour around 14%.
During this period the company underwent serious reconstruction as well as implementation of several new machines which were successfully integrated into the production process.

Interim Production Manager

Consulted the Pt. Soejasch Co., one of the major meat processors in Indonesia, on redeveloping halal products, reorganizing production processes and efficient labour planning.
The main task was to reduce the costs of the product by developing recipes and production processes based on less meat and increased vegetable proteins, and at the same time securing a quality that was still acceptable in the market.

Owned and managed traditional butchery under government and federal inspection with staff of 20 and annual sales of 2, 5 million€, with restaurant and catering, retail, wholesale and food service divisions, offering complete range of organic, house produced charcuterie, sausages, cut meats, canned goods, prepared foods and specialty items, produced from whole beef, pork, sheep and poultry. As part of the operation a formal 3 year apprenticeship job training in butchery and meat processing was offered to apprentices.
In-house product line included 15 different kinds of fermented sausages, a number of varieties of cured and smoked meats as well as traditional cooked meat products. Development of specialized products for farms engaged in direct marketing was one of the backbones of the business.
In summary a traditional Artisan Butchery Shop which focused on the production of highest quality meat products and on the vocational training for apprentices.
During this time I was named 2 times one of the best 100 butchery shops in Germany by the lifestyle food magazine “Feinschmecker” and was featured in the book “The pleasures of Slow Food” by US food writer Corby Kummer.
I was active member of Slow Food as an artisan food manufacturer and conducted lectures, courses and workshops for food enthusiasts on premises.
On inivitation by the Ministry of agriculture Schleswig Holstein, Germany, I lectured on the importance of regional, sustainable food production during the Green Week in Berlin.