For the first time at Seafood Processing Europe (SPE) in Brussels, major processing equipment manufacturer Marel will be holding a number of specialised species sessions during the show.
For each of the three days, 3-5 May, the company will stage a daily roadshow at its stand (6227) in Hall 4 dealing with processing equipment and solutions for a different fish species ranging from pangasius to salmon.
The interactive forums will include live demonstrations and presentations, as well as the opportunity for one-on-one discussions with Marel staff.
Perhaps the most intriguing of the four sessions will be the first one which features pangasius. Although most pangasius processing in Vietnamese factories is still being carried out by hand, Marel believes that the introduction of labour saving and cost effective machines will continue, perhaps even gather pace.
However, the economic situation in Vietnam “is clearly putting some restraint on potential investment,” according to Stella Björg Kristinsdóttir, Marel’s fish industry marketing manager. “Given these conditions, our focus is on smaller investments that can have major impact in terms of reducing labour, increasing product quality and last, but not least, improving yield management.
“Therefore, the equipment we’re introducing for this industry is of a simple, standardised nature designed to achieve cost-efficient improvement in processing and optimisation of the processes.”
Stella Björg Kristinsdóttir lists types of equipment which could fulfill these criteria, as:
- Flexible packing solutions in combination with simple grading, batching and portioning applications
- Economic portioning machines
- Freezers with lower freezing times and lower running costs
- Flexible and accurate weighing and packing scales
- Innova software modules to capture data for traceability, quality assurance, or yield monitoring purposes
Marel M1100 Series weighing scales are available in several versions to suit different sized operations offering a weighing range of 1.5kg to 2000kg. The M1100 is a compact machine and can operate as a single or dual-range scale, changing in response to the load on the platform. It is designed and constructed to suit a wide diversity of weighing operations and environments.
At SPE, Marel will also demonstrate flexible packing solutions for use in combination with simple or advanced grading, batching and portioning applications.
The high-speed Marel I-Cut 10 portion cutter is designed specifically for use in basic processing, and the company claims that it will enable processors to make substantial savings in labour costs and improved yields.
The Marel Super Flow Easy Clean tunnel freezer is designed for freezing small products such as shrimp, fish fillets, fragile items, and products placed on trays. Marel claims that it will reduce overall freezing costs “by at least 15%”.
Marel’s Innovasoftware monitors and controls critical key performance indicators in real time, thus providing an overview of factors including yield, throughput and efficiency, overpacking, quality, stock levels and movements, traceability and profitability.
It supports the full spectrum of Marel processing equipment and can be adapted to operations of all types and sizes. The software can cover single applications through to the complete production cycle from reception to product dispatch.
Innova Packing Lite for the weighing and labelling of outer cases will be demonstrated.
The other species to be covered in the roadshows are tilapia, whitefish and salmon.
