Masterboi: Optimizing meat processing operations with safety, efficiency, and sustainable growth
Challenging the limits of flavor while feeding the world
Masterboi Ltda., one of Brazil’s leading meat processors, has evolved from a regional company to an organization that processes and distributes food products nationally and internationally. To meet the need for greater governance, integration, traceability, and scalability, the company began a digital transformation journey using an SAP Cloud ERP solution.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Agribusiness | Recife, Brazil | >4,200 employees |
time reduction for monthly financial close.
increase in the number of trucks unloaded per day.
Occurrences of missed product deliveries since deploying SAP Cloud ERP.
Vice President, Masterboi Ltda.
Achieving a vision for growth
Masterboi was founded by siblings Guilhermina and Nelson Bezerra in 2000 as a regional animal protein processor. Over time, the company expanded its capabilities to include distribution, refrigerated storage, and logistics. Today, Masterboi has three industrial slaughterhouses, six wholesale and retail stores, two processing and distribution centers, and one carrier.
The company’s main product is beef, but it also markets fish, lamb, chicken, sausages, vegetables, and dairy products. With more than 800 products in the mix, Masterboi exports goods to South America, Asia, and various countries in the Middle East.
Exceptional quality, value-added service, and a commitment to sustainability have driven growth over the last 25 years. “We integrate tradition and innovation with excellence,” says Guilhermina Bezerra, vice president of Masterboi. “By strategically managing people, processes, and technology, we have been able to expand our operations to meet customer needs.”
The company realized that growth alone was not enough to achieve its vision of success. Masterboi needed to improve product governance, integration, traceability, and scalability. The company decided to implement SAP Cloud ERP as the foundation of its digital transformation.
Vice President, Masterboi Ltda.
Building a foundation for digital transformation
The implementation team began deploying SAP Cloud ERP in 2019. The solution went live in March 2020 at five stores, one distribution center, and the transportation operation. Subsequently, it was deployed in the meat processing plants. Today, the solution is present across the company’s business and IT landscape.
During implementation, Masterboi maintained its operations normally, with the exception of the process of registering products for resale, which was paused for 30 days.
One of the biggest challenges was managing change. As many employees had never participated in implementing an SAP solution, the company invested in managing expectations, training, and learning opportunities.
Since the original deployment, Masterboi has added new technologies such as the SAP Document and Reporting Compliance solution and the Cloud Integration capability in SAP Integration Suite. The company also performs regular updates of SAP Cloud ERP.
CEO, Masterboi Ltda.
Increasing efficiency, sustainability, and customer satisfaction
The new digital technology has brought several benefits. More-efficient processes reduced the monthly financial close time by 71%.
Logistics productivity has increased, making shipping processes more agile. Before SAP Cloud ERP, the company unloaded about six trucks a day, with no time set for completing the task. Now it unloads about 12 trucks daily, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with greater control and traceability.
“In addition, our nightly logistics processes have improved,” says Nelson Bezerra, CEO of Masterboi. “We start loading at 9:00 p.m. and we end between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., moving an average of 200 tons per night. Before, this process ended around 11:00 a.m.”
Receiving processes became safer with blind conference capabilities, which require that receivers count and document the products they store, helping ensure reliability. Management tasks, such as reporting, are now performed with dashboards and tablets, eliminating the use of paper. This change reduces environmental impact, increases productivity, and facilitates audits.
Order accuracy also improved, thanks to more accurate, managed inventory. Previously, some products were not delivered due to a lack of stock visibility. Now, employees can find products more easily and make sure they’re included in the correct submissions. Improved governance and traceability contribute to more-complete end-to-end processes and accuracy.
Looking ahead, Masterboi leaders are interested in exploring how SAP Business AI solutions can support innovation, especially in decision-making and intelligent automation.
“Processes, people, and system—that’s the secret,” says Guilhermina Bezerra. “The success of our deployment of SAP Cloud ERP is not just technology. It’s also visionary leadership, team engagement, and choice of the right partner.”
CEO, Masterboi Ltda.