When House of Raeford acquired Columbia Farms in Greenville, South Carolina, they not only gained market share and production capability, but a seasoned management team that could work independently and increase sales and production.
A member of that team, David Rush, brought with him a 15-year-strong relationship with Morris and Associates that began when he installed his very first Morris Auger Chiller. That relationship would eventually lead House of Raeford to be the proud owners of the most ground-breaking development in poultry chilling since the continuous poultry chiller: A new innovation called JetBird®.
To understand how JetBird® was born, you have to understand a little about the man who teamed with Morris and Associates to develop this new technology.
In 1984, David was hired to be a shipping dock supervisor for Columbia Farms. His work ethic and determination earned him promotion after promotion, finally landing him the job of Plant Manager. As Plant Manager, David's zeal to push the envelope of production performance led him back to Morris and Associates.
David credits Morris' extraordinary service and quick response times for the success of their partnership. In all his equipment decisions, both for House of Raeford and the former Columbia Farms, he's opted to install Morris equipment without exception. Today, you'll find Morris machines in every House of Raeford facility.
Due to David's confidence in Morris, it should come as no surprise that he jumped at the opportunity when Morris asked to test its latest innovation in his plant. These tests soon lead to the new JetBird® water flow system, which results in decreased bird temperatures and lower bacteria levels in the auger chiller. David reports that with this new water flow system, "We were able to increase bird size and line speed while decreasing overall temperatures and bacteria counts in the chilling system, all while only increasing the residence time by two minutes. Everyone involved in the development of JetBird® is incredibly excited about it, fully expecting it to revolutionize the poultry industry."
"One thing that I've learned about Morris," says David, "is that if they say a system is going to do something, it does it! Whether that's for a poultry chilling system to match a certain load (bird size and line speed) or for an ice maker to make a certain tonnage of ice, it will do what it is designed for and more."
"One thing that I've learned about Morris is that if they say a system is going to do something, it does it! Whether that's for a poultry chilling system to match a certain load (bird size and line speed) or for an ice maker to make a certain tonnage of ice, it will do what it is designed for and more."
– David Rush
House of Raeford