This November marks 10 years since a fire caused by an electrical fault burnt Western Meat Packers Group’s O’Connor, Western Australia, factory to the ground.
Today, WMPG is a successful fully integrated domestic and export operation, with an abattoir and farm at Margaret River, farm at Brunswick, state-of-the-art boning and packing facility at Osborne Park, specialist hi-tech packing facility at Bibra Lake, Perth Skin and Hides at Coogee and offices in China, Thailand and South Korea.
In 2009, WMPG’s then headquarters and boning room at O’Connor was burnt to the ground.
Although owner Rod Russell could have walked away from the business, he chose not to and continued to employ his equally dedicated workforce, despite dropping to 100 cattle a week and having to access temporary boning facilities, before later gearing up to full capacity at the company’s current Osborne Park premises.
“A bit like Phoenix, we rose from the ashes, emerging stronger, smarter, bigger and better from what could have been a catastrophe for us, our customers and our staff,” Mr Russell said.
WMPG has since invested millions of dollars into upgrading machinery and technology at its Osborne Park beef and lamb facility, where 150 people are now employed. About 450 people work across the Group’s operations.
