Iceland''s Marel has been nominated as one of four candidates for the 2013 Aqua-Nor Innovation Award for development by the Nor-Fishing Foundation.
Its recently launched portioning and robot loading solution was developed in association with Norwegian salmon processer, Nordlaks Produkter AS, and is installed at its plant.
Kristian Eilertsen, factory manager, Nordlaks Produkter AS, said: “We reduced labour needs by 20%, increased volume through the line because the flow is continuous and stable, and there is no longer the need to double-handle product. It was a very satisfying partnership project, and the outcome was spot on."
Marel’s solution automates the process of portioning and loading fixed weight salmon portions into retail packs and enables a seamless flow of salmon portions without manual handling.
For Nordlaks, this has resulted in an increased yield, throughput and quality with less manual handling.
The Aqua-Nor prize is awarded to an innovative product, process or other activity which creates efficiency and quality in the aquaculture industry, securing plant, production and the environment.
Nor-Fishing Foundation says it’s also important the winning product improves profitability for the industry as a whole.
The winner will be announced on 13 August 2013 at the Aqua-Nor exhibition in Trondheim, Norway.
