AMF-i - the best fit for Bolivian and Colombian poultry processors

With this in mind, Avícola El Carmen in Bolivia, and Operadora Avícola Colombia SAS (OPAV) in Colombia, decided to invest in Marel’s AMF-i filleting system. Both companies opted for this high-tech solution to automate their chicken breast deboning lines.

The Latin American market

Colombian processors are taking steps such as deboning breast meat and increasing the cut-up percentage to 50%. Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru are next, gradually moving away from the live and whole bird markets and changing the way they process.

A wide weight range

Both Avícola El Carmen and Operadora Avícola Colombia SAS chose Marel’s AMF-i breast deboning solution because of its efficiency, flexibility and quality in chicken processing. With state-of-the-art technology, the system is capable of handling a wide variety of chicken breast cap sizes, ensuring high throughput and consistent quality. “One way in which the Andean market is different is that processors in the region are starting to debone. For most processors, unlike larger capacity plants in Europe or Brazil, it is just not possible to supply sufficient quantities of breast caps within a specific weight range. European or Brazilian plants can send different weights to different deboning systems. For Andean processors with their uncalibrated breasts, this results in wide weight variations,“ says Michel Ochoa, Marel Industry Sales Manager. “AMF-i is typically a system that is designed to handle such variations in breast cap weights. You can simply send all your breast caps to one system and don’t need multiple AMF-i systems to complete the entire deboning process. One single AMF-i will do the job, so it is an ideal solution for these circumstances. That’s what really makes the difference in comparison with the competition.“

Fully prepared

The AMF-i system has an intelligent measuring unit that automatically detects changes in the incoming product dimensions, enabling adaptive filleting. This enables a fast, hygienic and efficient process, meeting customer demands for fresh, high-quality products. “Using Marel’s AMF-i systems, Avícola El Carmen and Operadora Avícola Colombia SAS are now fully prepared to meet the growing demand from the poultry market in the Andina region. Their production processes will benefit considerably from higher efficiency and better quality,” concludes Michel Ochoa. Although for both processors AMF-i is the perfect solution, their markets are quite different. To underline this, Colombia has 50 million inhabitants, whereas Bolivia has only 11 million. In Colombia, most of the deboned breast meat is used for QSR chains. There are plenty of channels to sell fillets, strips and nuggets. In Bolivia, the deboned meat market is in its infancy, taking the first steps. Fillets are getting more popular and supermarkets and QSR chains are at the breaking point of really pushing their sales of deboned poultry meat.

About Avícola El Carmen

Avícola El Carmen is a privately owned family business with more than 20 years of experience in poultry processing. With about 150 employees, it is the second-largest processor in Bolivia, supplying retailers throughout the country. In 2014, the company invested in the automation of the evisceration process. In 2017, Avícola El Carmen upgraded the grading and distribution process to increase yield, productivity and quality of the final product. In 2023, the processing plant once again invested in automation, this time by installing the Marel AMF-i system.

avicolacarmen.com

About Operadora Avícola Colombia

Operadora Avícola Colombia SAS is part of the BIOS Group, one of the largest poultry processors in Colombia. It was created in 2011 out of the integration of well-known companies such as Friko, Pimpollo and Super Pollo Paisa. With three processing plants in Bucaramanga, Caldas (Antioquia) and Pereira and a plant for processed meat in Copacabana, the company is able to offer a wide variety of products to its customers. Operadora Avícola Colombia currently has about 35 of its own points of sale.

opav.com