JBS Dinmore to add more than 500 jobs at processing facility; supported by major $77 million local investment

• The southern hemisphere’s largest beef processing plant, JBS Dinmore, will create more than 500 new jobs
• Cements JBS as one of the region’s largest employers
• Invested $77 million in the plant to support increased capacity, underpinned by market demand for red meat and increased livestock availability
• New local schools program established creating career pathways and opportunities for local students and school leavers

JBS Australia (“JBS”) is pleased to announce it will create more than 500 new jobs at its Dinmore processing facility to support local employment and increased demand for Aussie beef. JBS is the largest single employer in the City of Ipswich.

The Dinmore plant will implement a ‘second shift’ that will commence in the first half of 2024. This will take the total number of people employed at the site to over 1,800. The move will support increased market demand for red meat as herd sizes and availability of livestock improves.

The JBS Dinmore facility which has been in operation since 1986, accounts for 10% of Australia’s total beef processing capacity, producing a wide range of grass and grain fed beef brands that are supplied to major national Australian supermarkets and overseas markets including Asia, North America and the Middle East.

JBS is commencing a recruitment drive to encourage locals to apply. This includes the offer of new flexible work initiatives and establishment of a new program working with Brisbane and Ipswich High Schools to provide school-based traineeships, and a pathway to employment for school leavers.

Today’s jobs announcement is supported by a recent $77 million investment that JBS has made in the plant. The investment was made across technology and capital works that support improved safety outcomes as well as increasing capacity and productivity. The $77 million investment includes:

• Expansion of the plant’s chiller capacity;
• Installation of an automated marshalling rail system, the first of its kind in the world;
• Improved configuration to handle higher processing volumes; and
• Installation of a state-of-the-art trim facility enabling JBS to deliver the highest levels of product quality, consistency, reliability and food safety for trim customers at higher levels of accuracy and capacity.

CEO of JBS Australia Brent Eastwood, said the company was proud to offer additional employment opportunities in the region:

“Today’s announcement reflects JBS’s ongoing commitment to the Dinmore and Ipswich regions. The plant currently employs 1,348 people and this will increase to more than 1800 with the implementation of a second shift.

“We encourage anyone in the local Ipswich area and surrounding communities to apply for vacant roles and join the JBS family. A core pillar of career opportunities is building pathways for our people to take on new responsibilities and progress within the company,” he said.

Current vacant roles available at the Dinmore facility range from fitters, electricians, maintenance supervisors, laboratory technicians, boners, slicers, butchers and labourers.

The second shift will commence in the first half of 2024 and allow JBS Dinmore to gradually ramp up its daily  processing capacity. It will see the Dinmore plant initially roll out morning and afternoon shifts.

As one of the largest employers in the region, JBS is committed to employing locally from Ipswich and surrounding regions however due to the ongoing labour shortage, some roles may need to be sourced through an international workforce including the PALM scheme. JBS Australia is an endorsed government sponsored employer of the Federal Government's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme.

“Our JBS Dinmore plant is a celebration of diversity and culture, our workforce represents 47 nationalities. Together, our Dinmore team works hard to contribute to Australia’s food security and deliver locally produced Aussie beef to dinner tables around the world,” said Eastwood.

Federal Member for Blair, The Hon Shayne Neumann MP said he felt a strong affinity with JBS Dinmore, having begun his working life at the plant:

“I want to congratulate JBS for its commitment to the Ipswich region and the provision of good, secure jobs,” Mr Neumann said.

“JBS has a track record of working with this community and the Federal Government to deliver a dynamic, inclusive labour market while creating employment opportunities for more people in the Ipswich region.

“In addition to an expansion in the workforce, the increased capacity at JBS will provide opportunities for greater innovation and local investment right here at Dinmore.”

State Member for Bundamba Lance McCallum MP welcomed the move saying it was great news for the local community as well as a key national industry:

“The biggest meat processing facility in the southern hemisphere is going to get even bigger, which means more local jobs,” Mr McCallum said.

“Over 500 new jobs is a huge boost to both our community and economy, and builds on JBS’s legacy of being a large, long standing local employer. They are to be congratulated for continuing to invest in Ipswich and Queensland.”

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the exciting JBS Foods Australia announcement provides more opportunities for people to live and work in Ipswich:

“We know Ipswich is booming – our population is expected to grow from 248,000 people to 535,000 people by 2046,” Mayor Harding said.

“As Mayor of this city, one of my priorities is to see Ipswich residents finding great jobs locally, rather than travelling into Brisbane for work each day.

“The second afternoon shift will mean an extra 500 people can work in Ipswich, at an iconic local organisation, and contribute to our thriving economy.”

Interested job applicants can apply via the JBS website: https://jbsipswichcareers.com.au/

Notes

To view a video of the Dinmore processing facility, please access this link.

JBS Australia has developed a reputation as the leading supplier of Australian Beef around the world.

JBS’s world-class Dinmore facility has the highest processing capacity in the country, paired with the strategic location of its cattle producers enables the production of grass-fed beef and grain-fed beef. The Dinmore facility delivers a diverse menu of quality beef brands to suit any occasion, whether it’s for a wholesaler, importer, further processor, retailer or chef.

Key beef brands produced at Dinmore include: 

•  AMH – with origins out of our Dinmore plant, AMH is Australia’s oldest and most respected beef brand; recognised globally as “the trusted name in beef”.
  With three tiers of brand providing a wide range of customers with consistent quality product – AMH (pasture raised), AMH White (grain fed beef) and AMH Black (marble score 1+, grain fed beef) - we’ve proven over the years, you can rely on AMH to deliver reliable products on time, every time.
• Royal – a quality grain fed beef brand, known famously through the domestic food service market for the perfect steak size.
• Yardstick – a quality marble score 2+, grain fed product that sets the standard by which all beef is measured.
• Pure Prime – this preeminent Australian beef brand has developed a proud reputation across the globe for those fortunate enough to secure the grain fed, marble score 3+ and 4+ beef for themselves. Pure Prime beef is uncompromising quality in every sense.
• Queenslander Beef – Queenslander Beef pays homage to the state’s centuries long commitment to being the stalwart of the Australian beef industry. This quality beef is MSA graded for consistent eating quality.

To learn more about JBS Australia’s beef, visit the home of JBS Australia’s beef brands; https://jbsaussiebeef.com.au/