RC | Red Dragon Farms CEO Robert Lo Drives Quality in his Firm | Many businesses have found success because of their focus on quality. Dr. Robert H. Lo, who founded RDF Feed, Livestock & Foods, Inc. and serves as its Chief Executive Officer, is a leader who prioritizes quality and guides both customers and staff. His company was able to realize its aim of being a “Quality authority” thanks to the investments made in quality business processes and personnel.
In 1988, Dr. Lo established RDF initially as a chicken contract manufacturer. In 2005, Fresh Options Meatshop opened its doors in a supermarket in the Angeles City area. Dr. Lo overcame a number of challenges and developed RDF into a vertically integrated agri-food enterprise. RDF now owns and operates a feed mill, swine and poultry farms, slaughterhouse, meat cutting, and processing operations, restaurants, and butcher shops. Dr. Lo asserts that “We control every part of our operations.” In the course of 34 years, we have never wavered from our dedication to the mission of providing customers with fresh meats of the highest possible quality and culinary goods with added value.
Quality starts at the feed mill
RDF’s farming operations have been expanding, which has led the firm to understand that there is a rising demand for greater corn storage capacity. Corn makes up between 50 and 60 percent of the diets of pigs and chickens whose primary purpose is to be slaughtered for their meat. It is possible to extract from it not only energy but also other essential elements including iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamin A as well.
After having been under construction for close to two years, the RDF’s corn silos have completed their last rounds of testing in the month of February. They can be utilized at this point. Each silo has a storage capacity of 4,000 tons, with the ability to load up to 100 tons per hour and, accordingly, drain out 40 tons per hour of its contents. The following is a list of the most important qualities and benefits that come along with the corn silos that were only recently built:
- Compared to a flat warehouse, silos allow better storage that helps maintain corn quality in its optimal condition (i.e., they keep the grains safe over a period of time). Also, the silos have monitoring sensors for moisture, humidity, temperature, and corn level. An example is a carbon dioxide sensor that can detect mycotoxins, the most common are aflatoxins, which are known to cause death in animals.
- With a greater capacity for buffer storage requirements, the financial impact of fluctuating prices of corn before and after harvest is reduced.
- The silos are equipped with software that provides info on historical fill levels and an easy view of all grain movements in and out of each bin, thus, inventory management is a lot easier.
Farms are GAHP- certified.
The acronym GAHP stands for “Good Animal Husbandry Practices,” which is what the full meaning of the abbreviation is. At regular intervals of two years, the company will submit an application to the Bureau of Animal Industry for GAHP accreditation. RDF farms have demonstrated that they have acted ethically toward animals and that they have met the fundamental requirements for ensuring that food is safe at every stage of the production process by achieving GAHP certification. This certification is awarded to farms that meet both of these criteria. Not only does the GAHP certification guarantee that sufficient precautions are taken to protect the health and safety of the company’s employees, but it also guarantees that the company’s production procedures do not put the surrounding community in any unnecessary danger or cause any harm to the natural environment.
Slaughterhouse and meat-cutting plant undergo FSSC
Food Safety System Certification is what FSSC stands for. RDF is demonstrating its dedication to maintaining a high level of food safety for its clients and the general public by applying for this accreditation. It is hoped that the certification will be available very shortly.
Fresh, safe and clean meats at retail shops
In order to ensure that meats are free from harmful bacteria and are suitable for eating by humans, there are precise requirements for how meat products should be transported and maintained. The cold chain at RDF ensures that fresh meats and processed meat products are delivered to all company-owned butcher shops, restaurants, and other institutional accounts in a manner that prevents the formation of bacteria by maintaining the appropriate refrigeration temperatures. A First-In and First-Out system is developed in all retail outlets to monitor the age of products so that only the freshest meats are sold to clients of Fresh Options. This ensures that customers receive the best possible experience when purchasing meat from Fresh Options. By storing the various types of meat in their own individual upright chillers, it is possible to avoid the spread of bacteria. Customers are protected from any potential health risks that may arise as a result of inappropriate handling of meats through the implementation of quality assurance and store workers who have received adequate training on food safety, current Good Manufacturing practices, and personal hygiene.
Employees are the lifeblood of the company.
The chief executive officer of RDF is of the opinion that the company’s employees are its greatest asset, and for this reason, it is essential that they participate in the entire quality program that the business maintains. As a consequence of this, Dr. Lo has been very supportive of the professional growth and development of his staff so that they can be given the autonomy to make their own choices. And in order to cultivate a greater number of high-caliber champions within his team, he not only sends his managers to universities for additional education but also mandates that they participate in workshops and seminars in order to expand their horizons and sharpen their abilities. To name an example, two of Dr. Lo’s business unit heads have successfully completed and passed the ISO 9001:2015 Auditor/Lead Auditor Training Course (Quality Management Systems) that was provided by the Governing Board of the Institutional Register of Certified Auditors. (IRCA). Their names are Dr. Joy Michelle A. Literato and Dr. Camille Francesca T. Hernandez, and they hold the titles of Manager of Strategic and Operations Planning and Manager of Technical Services and Quality Assurance respectively.
In addition to that, Dr. Lo employs consultants to serve as mentors for his team and to foster an excellence-oriented culture throughout the firm.
And to ensure that all employees will live and breathe RDF’s mission and vision, Dr. Lo shares that they have formulated a company Pledge of Quality. It signifies the commitment of every employee to persevere and work hard, to produce high-quality products, delight customers, and work together to improve the quality of life.
