De Heus and JBT Marel join forces in Vietnam

De Heus has previously participated in projects in Vietnam through joint ventures with local partners. This time, the company is establishing a greenfield plant entirely under its own name and will take full ownership of a poultry processing facility in Vietnam. Capitalizing on its extensive experience in the region, the company is confident in taking this significant step. With JBT Marel as a trusted partner for equipment supply, this strategic move promises mutual benefits for all parties involved. 

Reference status

The project will be realized in the Tây Ninh district, in the south of Vietnam, a 75-minute drive from Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese team to run the factory will receive training from De Heus in the Netherlands to equip them with the highest level of processing knowledge. This will ensure the factory will operate at peak performance and deserve the ‘reference’ status, with excellent efficiency and maintenance. Arno Streng, experienced as CTO in poultry processing for De Heus, will initially lead the factory.

Prepared for the future

The initial capacity of the greenfield factory will be 6,000 bph [100bpm], with an expansion to 12,000 [200 bpm] bph already foreseen. This is clearly visible in the spacious building, which leaves room for various types of extension. The evisceration department is especially well-prepared for the future. From the JBT Marel Vent Cutter and Opening Machine to the Nuova-i eviscerator, from the NIC neck inspection machine to the FIM final inspection machine and other backend operations, everything is already prepared for 12,000 bph [200 bpm]. No machine needs to be replaced when it’s time for an upgrade. De Heus deliberately opted for this smart investment to ensure that the second phase will be simpler and more cost-effective.

The same goes for the comprehensive Feet Processing System. It’s understandable why De Heus is looking to install such a system, which includes scalding, peeling and chilling technologies for feet. In Vietnam, chicken feet are high-value items, with the price per kilogram often exceeding the price of breast meat in Europe.

Best of both worlds in chilling

In Tây Ninh, De Heus will chill products according to the latest technology. The combined water-air chilling process is fully inline, first with immersion chillers with products staying in the overhead conveyor, followed by ventilated cold air chilling. Water has a much more aggressive energy transition from warm to cold than air. This first-stage immersion chilling is very effective and quickly cools the products from 40°C to about 32°C [104°F - 90°F]. The air chilling tunnel then takes over. It’s the best of both worlds because there’s a little water pickup, about 1%, while maintaining the appearance of an air-chilled product.

The Vietnamese market accepts some water pickup in the product, while the factory saves space for not having to build a bigger tunnel for full air chilling.

Secondary process

After chilling, whole products are discharged based on weight and remaining products are rehung onto two J-shackle lines. Operators manually cut and debone the products in the shackles. This process remains manual until De Heus determines which cuts are needed for their QSR customers. Fast food chains like Popeyes and Jollibee each requires specific cuts. The secondary process must adapt accordingly.

Beyond customer-supplier

“The way we work together on this project truly feels like a partnership, one that goes beyond the typical customer-supplier relationship,” says Nick Adams, JBT Marel Director Poultry APAC Sales. “We are partners working together to make this processing plant a success. Through Marel’s long-standing consultancy role, we’ve built trust into our relationship. Our involvement doesn’t end with the sale of a machine. It extends to providing support, training, and ongoing growth. It is our job to enable our customers to be successful in their market. For JBT Marel, success is only complete when that goal is realized and the customer says, ‘We managed to achieve this together. That is fantastic'.” 

company website: deheus.com