Harim and Marel go sky-high

Marel has been selected by the South Korean enterprise Harim Co. to be the main supplier for the modernization of the factory in the city of Iksan. The Harim Group and Marel know each other very well since most of Harim's plants are already equipped with many Marel Poultry solutions.

One of the largest

It is now the turn of the Iksan factory to be completely modernized using solutions from Marel. It will be extended to six (later even to seven) lines. Two existing lines will be overhauled and reused. Four new high-speed Marel lines will be installed, which will turn this plant into one of the largest poultry processing facilities in Asia. When the seventh line becomes operational, it will be one of the largest in the world!

Latest technologies

The four new Marel lines will make use of our latest technologies in scalding, defeathering, evisceration and chilling. Marel Nuova, the world's most efficient eviscerator with an integrated giblet harvesting line, will be at the heart of the evisceration department. All four lines will include low maintenance, self-calibrating high-speed SmartWeighers.

Twenty meters high

In Korea, little land is available for building, as 75% of the country is covered by mountains. Harim cleverly solved this problem by designing a five (!) story high building, attached to the existing plant, extending their existing 80,000 m2 (861,111 sq ft) production area to 150,000 m2 (1,614,586 sq ft). Spacious air chill tunnels, which use proven DownFlow Plus technology, will be positioned on the top floor.

A Marel overhead conveyor system distributes broilers to all departments, keeping all processes completely in-line. The system features ATC technology (Automatic Tension Control), which makes for increased reliability as well as reduced wear and tear. In Harim's Iksan plant, ATC allows a spectacular height difference of more than 20 meters (65 ft) to be bridged, necessary to reach all stories!

Software and maintenance

Of course, such an extensive poultry plant can't do without the necessary software control. Innova food processing software will ensure the overall monitoring of all equipment installed in the Marel lines at Harim.

Because of the size of the plant, preventive maintenance is an important issue to protect the four lines from unnecessary downtime. During the first years, Marel's field service engineers will pay regular visits to the Iksan plant, a wish clearly expressed by the Harim Group.

A vision of openness

Chairman Kim has a clear vision of the industry, "Harim wants to be more open about poultry processing. That is why we open our doors not only to our customers but also to students and others who are interested in poultry processing. We like to show how our high-speed lines succeed in producing good quality and healthy chicken meat with a strong focus on hygiene, food safety and good working conditions."

Guests entering the plant will have an impressive experience. After an introduction movie about Harim in the company cinema, the film screen will lift to give access to the Harim museum and information center. A 500 meters (1,640 ft) long visitors' corridor shows the production process and provides a complete overview of the Marel poultry processing lines.

Marel is proud to be the main partner in this prestigious project, bringing poultry processing literally to new heights!

About Harim

Founded in 1986, Harim is a group of companies that specialize in food, especially in protein food processing. The Harim Group splits into eight areas of activity including chicken, duck, pork, beef, feed, distribution, grain transportation and animal health care. All these production, processing and distribution businesses are closely incorporated or related to each other. The Harim Group possesses food factories in South Korea, other Asian countries and the US.

The company has four poultry integrators in Korea (Harim, Orpum, Hangang CM Joowon) and one in USA (Allenharim in Seaford, Delaware). Harim Poultry is headquartered in Iksan, North Jeolla province, and processes nearly 120 million chickens annually, supplied by 600 nearby poultry farms. It employs 1,900 workers and operates multiple plants in Iksan and Jeongeup.

Napoleon's hat

Harim always strives to achieve the highest quality, respecting the most stringent food safety requirements. Bearing in mind its vision of "Global first productivity", it is logical for Harim to enter into the global market. In 2015 Chairman Kim hit the world news when he purchased Napoleon’s hat at a Paris auction. He also surprised the world by buying Pan Ocean, one of the world’s largest shipping companies with about 90 ships. Within one year Chairman Kim turned the insolvent Korean shipping company into a profitable enterprise, also transporting the majority of the feed imported by Harim.

harimgroup.com