I've worked with and seen that kind of machine just once. I was working my day off (outside of my main job), and was at a Pack & Save. They had one. We used it a few dozen times throughout the day. They had well trimmed whole rumps and cross ribs, real cheap. We sliced them for customers with that machine. They told me the machine easily replaces one person.
I think they stole the idea for this machine from the automatic meat slicing machines that we use to use in high volume deli's. However, that being said I saw similar machines at a Arby's sub-contractor plant, and also used for slicing the "fake" Philly minute steaks.
Presently they have all kind of automated slicing and dicing machines. I was given a demo on a dice beef machine and I veto it because even though you saved labor on cutting and dicing, you need to hire the equivalent of one man to maintain it and clean it. The strip slicer was pretty neat too however same situation. Now don't get me wrong they may be a good thing in a smaller specialized businesses but when operating a beef plant that kills at 200 to 225 an hour and fabricates at 250 per hour they not very practical.
