In just three years Acuimarca, of the Canary Islands, has become the single biggest supplier of farmed fish in Spain, and processing lines using ScanBatchers from Scanvaegt have played an important role in this.
In 2003, Acuimarca decided to begin processing fish and invested in Scanvaegt equipment, amongst others. During its first year of operation, Acuimarca processed around 900 tons of fish (sea bass, sea bream and corvina). In the second year, the company began to grow fast and reached 1,200 tons. By the third year, production had grown to 4,000 tons – which created a major problem as the company was not prepared for that much growth. Acuimarca did not have the staff, the capital for investment or the organisational capacity to run such extensive production.
However, Acuimarca received a grant of EUR 3 million from the EU to invest in a processing plant that would enable the company to produce more value-added products and work with fixed-weight tray packing. This project is well under way – and ScanBatchers from Scanvaegt play a significant role in the production set-up.
Working with industry trends
Acuimarca installed its first 16-channel ScanBatcher 7100 in 2003. This proved to be a good investment to boost production capacity for farmed fish. Two subsequent investments in ScanBatcher 4700 equipment in 2006 enabled Acuimarca to increase production even further – necessary to keep up with demand.
As General Manager Guillermo Rodríguez explains, “We see a trend in the market for more and more fillets in trays – ready for fast preparation. People demand products that do not require a lot of time – yet they still want the high quality. We work closely with these trends and will soon launch a fixed-weight tray that can be placed directly in microwave ovens.”
Investing for the future
Mr Rodríguez stresses that Scanvaegt is more like a partner than just a supplier of equipment. “We've worked closely together to find the best solution for our particular production set-up. The people at Scanvaegt have the technical and industry-specific know-how we require. With the new batchers installed in November, we have three lines from Scanvaegt integrated into our production. It's a win-win situation,” he says. The new installation comprises two ScanBatcher 4700 units for fixed-weight fillet portioning – and will open up new opportunities for exporting to countries such as the UK, which Acuimarca finds is mainly interested in tray-packed fillets.
The rapid growth of the company is also reflected in the fact that three years ago, two companies cooperated with Acuimarca – today, there are fourteen. The company has also added ten employees to its production line within the past year alone – bringing the current total number of staff to twenty-two.
Favourable conditions for aquaculture in the Canary Islands
30,000 tons of farmed fish are produced every year in Spain – and 11,000 tons of these come from the Canary Islands. In 2007, the Canary Islands are expected to produce 50% of all Spanish fish. Acuimarca sells 20% of its fish to the local Canary Islands market and 80% are exported – primarily to mainland Spain and Portugal.
According to Scanvaegt, the farmed fish from the Canary Islands is of superior quality because of a very low incidence of disease. This is mainly because of the strong sea currents around the islands, which keep the water well oxygenated, making the area ideal for aquaculture. There is always a plentiful food supply for the fish, which means they can be harvested all year round. To keep the waters pristine and the fish healthy, Acuimarca uses strict measures to control the waters outside the plants. Acuimarca is due to receive ISO 9001 and 14001 certification in 2006.
