Fatland Automates Beef Production Planning with RELEX

Norwegian meat producer to automate complex livestock and cut schedule planning, improving operational efficiency, reducing waste, and strengthening service levels

Fatland Gruppen AS, Norway’s largest privately owned meat company, has selected RELEX Solutions to redefine beef production planning at Fatland Jæren, the company’s largest slaughterhouse and meat processing facility. With RELEX production planning and livestock planning capabilities, Fatland aims to replace manual processes with AI-driven planning designed for the complex demands of meat production.

Founded in 1892, Fatland Gruppen is a fourth-generation family-owned business with four production sites in Norway. The company processes cattle, pig, and sheep/lamb products for major Norwegian retailers, including NorgesGruppen and COOP, as well as foodservice customers nationwide. Fatland Jæren handles beef slaughter and cutting for supply across the group and retail customers, making it one of the company’s most operationally intensive sites.

Meat production planning presents significant challenges. A single beef carcass produces multiple cuts with different yields, shelf lives, and fulfillment requirements. Fatland previously relied on fragmented manual tools and spreadsheet-based processes that limited visibility and made replanning difficult when livestock supply or quality changed.

With RELEX, Fatland will implement two integrated planning horizons: a 14-day operational plan and a two-to-three-day short-term plan. The deployment includes production planning with expiry and ageing management, alongside capabilities for cut schedule planning, carcass balancing, and surplus and shortage optimization. Fatland aims to streamline planning, reduce waste and expiry risk, improve visibility into production capacity and overtime needs, and strengthen service levels for retail and foodservice customers. RELEX will help teams react more quickly when livestock supply or quality deviates from plan.

“We needed a planning solution partner that truly understands the realities of meat production,” said Hallgeir Haave, CIO at Fatland Gruppen AS. “Managing livestock supply, cut yields, shelf life, and customer requirements demands far more flexibility and visibility than traditional ERP systems can provide. RELEX demonstrated strong expertise in meat industry operations and gives us a stronger foundation for faster decision-making and more efficient daily planning. This will also contribute to more stable deliveries to retail partners and better utilization of raw materials across the value chain.”

“Fatland’s operations are a strong example of how meat production teams must make fast operational decisions every day, often with changing inputs and limited room for error,” said Stefano Scandelli, SVP Manufacturing at RELEX Solutions. “Protein manufacturers operate in highly time-sensitive environments where balancing yield, freshness, capacity, and fulfillment is critical to maintaining efficient operations and consistent service levels.”