Emirates National Food, also known as Al Rawdah, is the largest poultry producer and processor in the United Arab Emirates. The company recently decided to replace its existing automated evisceration equipment with solutions from Marel. “We were looking for systems that would give us higher yield, top quality products and utmost reliability,” says Nasreldeen Elnour, Plant Manager of ENF.
“In the UAE, ENF is the biggest poultry producer and manufacturer. We process 8,000 birds per hour [133 bpm], which is about 45.000 a day. “
Nasreldeen Elnour continues, “The poultry market in the Emirates is really good. We have many opportunities and actually, we could do more than we do right now. The future looks bright for our company. Up to now, the Emirates have been importing a lot of poultry products from all over the world. There is, however, a chance to have them produced locally. The imported products may be cheap, yet people are attracted to local products for reasons of reliability, freshness and trust. The Emirates have an open market, so this movement reflects real consumer behavior, not in any way controlled by the government. At ENF we produce for the local market. We also export our products, mainly to Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon. Our end products are extremely varied, fresh and frozen and value-added products as well. The ratio between whole products and cut-up is about 70:30%.”
ENF’s plant manager talks about how the cooperation with Marel began. “Some 8 years ago, we weren’t really happy with the processing line we then had. We were looking for better solutions. That’s how we came to Marel. At that time, we decided to install Marel’s AMF breast cap filleting system first. In 2019, we decided on the thorough modernization of our evisceration department. This was commissioned by Marel the very same year. I’m very happy with the progress we’re making together. As market leader in the UAE, we can benefit from Marel’s equipment and knowledge. With our big renovation project behind us, it is good to see that everyone in your company is driven to achieve the goals set.”
ENF replaced its entire evisceration department, starting with the VC-16RS Vent Cutter and the VO-20RS Opening Machine, followed by the Nuova eviscerator. Almost all operations including giblet harvesting have been automated. Giblet harvesting is done in the PGI Intestine/Gall Bladder Remover, PLH-16 Liver Harvester, PEC Gizzard Harvester and HLS Heart/Lung Separator. Virtually no manual intervention is needed in this part of the plant. After evisceration, automation continues with Marel’s Neck Cracker and FIM Final Inspection Machine. Nasreldeen Elnour comments, “We expect evisceration to be much more reliable now with higher yields and top quality product.”
Since we integrated Innova, we have a much better grip on our line and our products.
Nasreldeen Elnour
Plant Manager Emirates National Food / Al Rawdah
As Plant Manager, Nasreldeen Elnour is very happy with implementation of the Innova software platform, making the plant more data-driven. “Control of the process was very important to us. Since we integrated Innova, we now have a much better grip on our line and our products.” ENF also recently installed a Marel TargetBatcher to reduce giveaway to an absolute minimum when packing fixed-weight styled trays. It’s a laborsaving solution used for fresh and frozen cut-up poultry products, for breast fillets as well for other parts.
Emirates National Food, also known as Al Rawdah, is part of Emirates Rawabi Group and was established in 1994. The company is currently the largest producer of naturally fed fresh chickens and high quality processed meat products in the UAE and has a market share of 35%. ENF is a fully integrated company with feed mills, hatchery, breeding farms, processing plant and further processing facility. Located 40 kilometers from Dubai, Al Rawdah features modern production facilities in line with international standards. The company has a robust distribution network to supply to supermarkets, retail outlets, restaurants and catering businesses. In total, Al Rawdah makes more than 164 different types of product, all halal. Emirates National Food is continuously making investments in technology, food processing infrastructure and environmentally friendly measures to save water and energy. The company wants to be the premium UAE poultry producer placing the emphasis on national food security, animal welfare and environmental sustainability.
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