The intestine technician's daily work and methods

As an intestine technician you follow the intestine through several steps: sorting cleaning after-treatment preservation and packing. The work often takes place in a small work team with machinery at high pace.

§Sorting

One of the first steps is sorting the casings. Because natural casing is a natural product size and quality vary and sorting ensures that each casing is used for the right purpose. Good sorting requires a trained eye.

§Cleaning

Cleaning itself is the heart of the trade. You learn to clean the intestines both manually and with machines so they are completely clean. It is crucial that the cleaning is thorough because the intestines will be used in food.

Manual and mechanical

Some work is done by hand, some with machines. Machines make it possible to work at high pace, while manual work ensures quality where the machine doesn't reach. Being able to do both is part of the trade.

§Preservation and packing

When the casings are cleaned, they must be preserved so they can be stored and packed for different sausages or for industry. Preservation and packing are what allow the product to continue through the production chain.

§Pace and piecework

Many gut technicians work on piece rates which means the wage depends on how many guts you clean and process. It requires the ability to work both fast and accurately without quality suffering.

“In the gut technician trade, pace and care are not contradictions. The skilled ones are fast, precisely because they have quality under control.”