HISTORY

Jack Shewring trained in agriculture and engineering, and specialised in the meat industry from the 1950s. He operated his own manufacturing company (J S Engineering Ltd) for some thirty-five years, and undertook a huge variety of contracts on a global basis. The company excelled at keeping abreast of developments in the industry, and filed several patents for ‘state of the art’ equipment designs.

Jack has undertaken projects in Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Lebanon, Estonia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, the Falkland Islands, Eire and Northern Ireland.  This work has given him experience in the slaughtering, cutting and packing of cattle, sheep, goats, horses, ostrich, game and wild game species, and ritual slaughter practices.  (This wide experience is invaluable today - a recent enquiry sought advice about the slaughter of crocodiles: a practice already within Jack's repertoire.)

For many years, Jack has undertaken work for large organisations such as:

• British Beef
• Swift Meat Co
• Weddels
• Borthwicks
• Midland Meat Packers

and has also provided design and support services to more localised and specialist operations such as:

• J A Jewitt (Meat) Ltd
• Geo. Bolam Foods Ltd
• John Penny and Sons Ltd
• H G Blake Ltd
• Shetland Livestock Marketing Corporation
• Avonvogie Enterprises, Isle of Islay
• Thompson Wholesale Meat Ltd
• Forge Farm Meat Ltd

Work has included design and construction of abattoirs and cutting/processing plants on greenfield sites through to upgrading or expansions of existing operations.  Clients include new entrants to the industry, and long-established family firms.  Many of Jack's clients have been with him for  many years, and he is very happy to respond to their needs both large and small.

Jack “retired” in the early 1990s, but has continued to actively operate as a consulting engineer to the meat industry. As all meat operations need to be constructed to meet the latest regulatory requirements, of necessity Jack’s knowledge of the industry is as current today as it was in 1954 at the time of government de-control of the slaughtering industry.

Jack must be one of the few engineers in the country who is proudly displaying a certificate of sixty years membership of the Institute of Agricultural Engineers in his working office.

Jack is assisted by his daughter, Susan Shewring-Cooper, who trained in agriculture and now is responsible for the office and general administration, and by his grandson, Jeremy Shewring.  Jeremy commenced his career with an EAGAT Training Ltd engineering apprenticeship, and then worked alongside Cruz Yardy Engineering Ltd as a welder and fabricator producing agricultural and abattoir equipment for a number of clients familiar with J Shewring Ltd.  This was followed with four years as a structural steel draughtsman working for DGT Structures Ltd on steel portal buildings and cladding, gaining a further and wider experience.

At J Shewring Ltd, Jeremy worked for four years as an engineer and draughtsman, gaining experience in all aspects of manufacture and working in both the design office, production shop and on clients' sites.

Jeremy holds HNC Construction qualifications and is a Registered Technician and a member of the Institute of Agricultural Engineers.