When changing production from small manually packed bags to large wholesale bags, Danish fish company Werner Larsson Fiskeeksport invested in a Speed Batcher from Marel Food Systems. For the third year running, the company has been producing the Dutch Maatjes herring specialty at very high speeds.
The Maatjes herring can only be harvested from the last weeks of spring until the end of summer. This means that the production for the entire year must be handled fairly quickly. And with large batches coming through the production line in a relatively short period of time, it would be impossible to handle the fish manually and maintain a high level of quality at the same time.
“Without the Speed Batcher we would simply not be able to batch at the same speed, which would result in a signifi cant reduction in the quality of the fish,” explains plant manager Werner Larsson.
The profit opportunities that stem from packing of Maatjes herring has made a significant contribution to Werner Larsson’s bottom line, representing an annual turnover of approximately €5 million. The company exports its substantial production volume to Dutch supermarkets.
Mr Larsson has been very pleased with the performance of the Speed Batcher. "It is running impeccably and we are very impressed,” states Mr Larsson. The company has in fact been so pleased with the Speed Batcher that it plans to expand its use in the course of 2009. “Up until now, we have only used the Speed Batcher for the production of the Maatjes herring. This year, however, we will also use it for packing fresh mackerel into cartons,” explains the plant manager.
