06 May 2025

Salva-Mar, increasing market growth with automated accuracy

When it was time to modernize their fish processing, Salva-Mar looked to Marel

Salva-Mar increases automation to address challenges of portion accuracy and production efficiency. Meeting the increasing demand for fixed-weight and high-quality seafood.

In response to an increasing demand for fixed-weight portions driven by retail and food service sectors, Salva-Mar invested in Marel’s I-Cut 130 PortionCutter and Compact Grader. Increasing automation and precision in their seafood processing to enhance efficiency and reduce waste.

Salva-Mar is a global supplier of high-quality, fresh and frozen seafood, including Bonito, Mahi-Mahi, Snapper, and Corvina. Founded in the Republic of Panama in 1984, Salva-Mar has grown from a processor for the local market, to a processor and international exporter. It has maintained the core values of sustainability and social responsibility which make the Salva-Mar brand recognized world-wide.

The Panamanian fish market is based mainly around artisanal fishing, meaning Salva-Mar can offer fresher and higher-quality products compared to companies in countries that rely on large-scale, freezing vessels for capture. However, seasonality and other natural fishing variations create their own, specific challenges such as consistent fish availability and catch fluctuation that affects supply. As Salva-Mar looks to expand further into the European market, they wanted to ensure they maintained a high-quality product, which maximized market value, regardless of availability.

“Fish demand has significantly increased in recent years,” said Manuel Gutiérrez, National Manager of Bucaro Premium Sales Division, Salva-Mar, “Additionally, consumers have a greater interest in sustainably sourced and high-quality products.” Salva-Mar wanted to improve competitiveness and strengthen their relationship with customers who demand high-quality, precise, and consistent products. As they began exploring options, the answer became clear, it was time to modernize their facilities, increasing automation in their processing line.

Deciding on Marel

In 2022, Salva-Mar discovered Marel at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston, and we began working together to find the solutions to meet their specific needs. “One of the main challenges that prompted us to seek a technological solution was the accuracy of portion weights. Product size variability affected our consistency and production performance,” said Gutiérrez. “Before the new equipment, our portioning and batching were done manually, which resulted in variations in overweight and fixed-weight portions.”

Optimized accuracy in grading and portioning

Salva-Mar's traditional methods of manually portioning and grading fish generated a lot of giveaway, wasting valuable product, and resulting in inconsistency in end-products.

The I-Cut 130 PortionCutter accurately cutting fresh fish into fixed-weight and fixed-length portions. Advanced software prioritizes high value cuts and maximizes flexibility in cut patterns. For Salva-Mar this means reduced waste, and increased accuracy for consistent, high-quality end-products.

Offering over 50 grading programs, the Compact Grader is an ideal solution for processing lines that need the flexibility to grade multiple fish species and sizes. It’s infeed and dynamic weighing ensures minimal giveaway and maximum throughput, while the option to include fixed-weight and catch-weight batching makes it an easy and adaptable way to increase automation.

The installation of the I-Cut 130 and the Compact Grader helps optimize Salva-Mar's production capacity, reducing waste and increasing accuracy which allows them to meet market demands swiftly and consistently. Helping them maintain brand reputation and reduce the strains of labor scarcity.

“This solution strengthens Salva-Mar's ability to produce fish products sustainably. It’s great to see how increasing their automation really enhances their competitiveness in global markets,” said Javier Mediavilla, Account Manager at Marel.

Reliability a key to success

Before choosing Marel, Salva-Mar evaluated various options available in the market. “The determining factors in the decision were the reliability of the equipment and its cost-benefit ratio. Marel’s reputation in the fishing industry and the quality of its solutions were key aspects that influenced the purchase,” said Gutiérrez. By investing in the cutting-edge technology of these two solutions, Salva-Mar increased automation helps give them a competitive advantage in global seafood markets.

Marel looks forward to a long partnership with Salva-Mar, supporting them as they continue to transform the industry by supporting and supplying high-quality, sustainable fish to the global market.

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