Poultry Processing Industry eTool
Poultry Processing Industry » Plant Positions Glossary
NOTE: This comprehensive glossary of plant positions was contributed by the Office of Food Industry Programs of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Because of different processing requirements and increasing automation, not all of the positions listed will be found in a given facility. We have attempted to cover in this Poultry Processing Industry eTool, only those positions that in our experience may be found in most plants.
- Back-up Killer:
- Checks for chickens missed by the auto-killer and manually kills them.
- Back-up Pac Man:
- Pulls gizzards missed by automated machine on production line.
- Bagger:
- Places product into plastic bags.
- Bone Popper:
- Disjoints thigh bones.
- Box Labeler:
- Produces labels for boxes containing finished product and places on box.
- Box Maker:
- Constructs self-locking boxes for holding finished product.
- Breast Bin:
- Places breasts into bin for deboning; takes product out of bin for placement back on production line.
- Breast Cutter:
- Debones breast portions.
- Breast Machine Operator:
- Loads front-halves into automatic machine for cutting.
- Breast Puller/Inspector:
- Pulls and inspects breast filets for bone, cartilage.
- Cartilage Remover:
- Checks deboned product for cartilage and removes same.
- Checker (shipping):
- Checks finished product against manifest/order.
- Chiller Belt Operator:
- Operates the movement of the production line for chickens rehung after exiting the chiller.
- Chiller Hanger:
- Rehangs chickens onto production line after exiting the chiller.
- Clean Up:
- Sanitizes production line, production areas, and equipment.
- Cleaning Rack:
- Sanitizes small equipment.
- Clipper:
- Places metal clip on poly-bagged finished product to seal bags.
- Coat Service:
- Launders coats used by plant personnel.
- Cone Loader:
- Places product onto cones for deboning.
- Cooler:
- Maintains refrigerated equipment used to store product at specific temperatures.
- Cropper:
- Removes the crop by hand when missed by automated machinery.
- Cut Up:
- Fabricates whole chicken into bone-in parts.
- Deboner:
- Removes bones from product.
- Drawhand:
- Pulls viscera by hand when missed by automated machinery, before inspection.
- Drumstick Cutter:
- Separates the leg and thigh portions.
- Dump Operator:
- Transfers birds from cages onto conveyor belt for movement to livehang.
- Dumps Meat:
- Places product from totes and other bulk temporary storage onto specific production lines.
- Egg Person:
- Removes eggs from spent hens undergoing processing.
- Fat Cutter:
- Removes fat pads from trimmed product.
- Fat Puller:
- Removes fat from product by hand.
- Fat Remover:
- Removes fat from product by hand.
- Fat Scraper:
- Removes fat from product by hand.
- Feeding Jumbo Pack:
- Places traypacked product on line to be wrapped with protective plastic wrap.
- Feeding Spiral:
- Places product onto line to be frozen in spiral freezer.
- Feeding Weldotron:
- Places product onto line to be put into traypacks.
- Feet Insp/Grade:
- Inspects, then grades feet portions.
- Feet Packer:
- Places inspected/graded feet into boxes.
- Film Changer:
- Reloads stretchwrap plastic for Weldotron.
- Finger Cutter:
- Cuts breast/filet portion into strips for "chicken fingers".
- Flank Cutter:
- Removes fat from the flank of the breast portion.
- Floor Sweeper:
- Keeps plant floor clean.
- Fork Lift Operator:
- Operates fork lift machinery.
- Gizzard Inspect:
- Inspects gizzards.
- Gizzard Peeler:
- Manually peels gizzards missed by automated machine on production line.
- Gizzard Puller:
- Pulls gizzards missed by automated machine on production line.
- Grading:
- Inspects product for defects and sorts accordingly.
- Hangback Rack:
- Hangs product for USDA inspection.
- Hanger:
- Hangs product onto shackle line.
- Heart/Liver Trimmer:
- Separates and trims the heart and liver from the eviscerated package.
- House Inspector:
- Inspects product on evisceration line for defects prior to placement on the chiller line.
- Ice Machine Operator:
- Maintains the machinery that produces ice.
- Ice Room Operator:
- Maintains the proper production of ice for the plant.
- Inspector USDA inspector:
- Monitors, oversees production operation for operations regulations.
- Inventory Control:
- Accounts for product pack materials needed for daily operations.
- Jack Operator:
- Transports product and materials in-house using a floor jack.
- Knife Line:
- Debones down-graded product by hand.
- Knife Sharpener:
- Keeps all cutting instruments sharpened.
- Knuckle Cutter:
- Debones the joint at the end of the drumstick.
- Lead Person:
- Hourly assistant to the Department Supervisor; able to perform all jobs in the department.
- Leg Cutter:
- Separates the leg from the thigh portions.
- Lid Closer:
- Places covers on boxes of finished product.
- Lifting Racks:
- Places traypack racks on carts to be transferred to coolers.
- Line Relief:
- Replaces production line workers temporarily.
- Line Service:
- Replaces production line workers temporarily.
- Line Workers:
- Performs tasks specific to the production line.
- Line Feeder:
- Places product onto the production line.
- Live Hanger:
- Hangs live birds by their feet onto shackle line.
- Liver Cutter:
- Removes liver from evisceration package.
- Liver Puller:
- Automated equipment to separate liver from evisceration package.
- Loader Operator:
- Operates the forklift to place live birds at the live hang area.
- Lung Gunner:
- Cleans lung from carcass cavity using a vacuum gun.
- Machine Operator:
- Oversees the operation of specific machinery.
- Main Scale:
- Checks weight, specifications, labeling on boxes of finished product coming off the production line.
- Master Scale:
- Checks weight, specifications, labeling on boxes of finished product coming off the production line.
- Meat Puller:
- Shreds meat from bone on cooked product.
- Mill Operator:
- Operates a feed mill.
- Mill Operator, Assist.:
- Assists in the operation of a feed mill.
- Move and Chain Truck:
- Moves the truck holding live birds from the cooling area, to the scale, unbucks the chains separating the truck from the trailer.
- Net Weight Checker:
- Checks the weight on traypacks and boxed finished product.
- Offal:
- Washes offal screens, moves offal trailers in a specific area.
- Open and Cut:
- Vents cloaka (sic) for evisceration.
- Opener:
- Vents cloaka (sic) for evisceration.
- Oyster Cutter:
- Removes the piece of meat between the thigh and the back of chicken.
- Packer:
- Places finished product into bags/boxes.
- Paw Operator:
- Removes feet (only) from shank.
- Picking Room Operator:
- Maintains the machinery used to scald birds and pick feathers.
- Pickup Chickens:
- Picks up live birds that escaped during cage dumping operation in the live hang area.
- Pinning:
- Removes feathers missed by the picking machine.
- Polybagger:
- Places clips to close bags of finished product.
- Presenter:
- See Drawhand: Readies eviscerated package for USDA inspection.
- Presenter Trainee:
- See Drawhand: Readies eviscerated package for USDA inspection.
- Product Sorter:
- Separates product according to grade and type.
- Production:
- Processing plant workers.
- QC/QA:
- Responsible for overseeing quality control and quality assurance of product.
- Rack Off:
- Transfers traypack product from freezer to weigh/price/label area.
- Recorder:
- Monitors information about plant production.
- Refrigeration:
- Maintains machinery used for cooling product.
- Rehanger:
- Transfers product from the picking line to the evisceration line.
- Reprecessor:
- Fixes product on production line before continuing on production line.
- Rolling Barrels:
- Transports condemnation barrels.
- Salvage:
- Removes salvageable parts from defective product identified during inspection.
- Saw:
- Operates saw to manually halve or quarter chicken.
- Saw KFC:
- Operates saw to cut product into 8 pieces commonly used by Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- Saw Wing:
- Operates saw to cut wing into 3 pieces.
- Scale and Bagger:
- Weighs and places product into plastic bags.
- Scale Operator:
- Weighs product prior to packing.
- Scapula Meat:
- Remover removes meat from the back side of breast product.
- Scorer:
- Marks areas on whole product for deboning.
- Shipping:
- Transfers finished, packages product onto trucks for delivery.
- Skin Inspector:
- Inspects skin to make sure no usable meat remains.
- Skin Puller:
- Removes usable meat from skin.
- Spiral Feeder:
- Feeds product into a spiral feeder.
- Stacker:
- Transfers boxes of finished product onto pallets.
- Strip Cutter:
- Separates tenderloins from breast.
- Stuffer:
- Places giblets into wrap pack, then wrap pack into cavity.
- Thigh Breaker:
- Disjoints thighs for deboning.
- Thigh Cutter:
- Scores and cuts the thigh bone joint.
- Thigh Deboner:
- Removes the bones from thigh meat.
- Thigh Inspector:
- Inspects boneless thigh meat for bone fragments, blood clots, etc..
- Tow Motor Operator:
- Pallet jack operator.
- Transfer:
- Moves product from one line to another.
- Tray Pack:
- Places product parts on trays to be over wrapped and weighed.
- Trimmer:
- Removes defects from product with knife or scissors.
- Truck Driver:
- Drives the trucks delivering product.
- Unloading Vehicle:
- Unloads product and/or materials for use in the processing plant.
- USDA Helper:
- Plant employee works with USDA Inspector on eviscerating line to remove and/or trim defective product.
- Vent Cutter:
- Opens the back end of bird to remove evisceration.
- Viscera Puller Drawhand:
- Eviscerates product by hand when missed by automated machinery, before inspection.
- Wash Out:
- Uses an offline antimicrobial treatment to clean product before placing product on line.
- Weighs Trucks:
- Transfers a loaded truck to the scales for weighing; after unloading birds, weighs truck again to determine weight of birds.
- Wing Cutter:
- Separates wing portion from whole bird or front half.
- Wing Disjointer:
- Separates the wing into 3 sections
- Wing Hanger:
- Transfers wing portions to the Wing Disjointer.
- Wing Scorer:
- Transfers wing portions to the Wing Disjointer.
- Wing Tip Clipper:
- Separates wing tip portion from whole bird or front half.
- Wing Tip Cutter:
- Separates wing tip portion from whole bird or front half.
- Wing Weigher:
- Weighs and labels boxes of finished product
- Yield Checker:
- Monitors the loss of meat from deboning operations.