Marel leads as fish processors enter a new era

This year’s event has come at a time when seafood processing is turning the page to a new more automated reality. The Marel stand contributed in no small part to the atmosphere and can be summed up by its theme at the expo: smarter processing.

But these aren’t just buzz words for Marel, with the company’s stand in Brussels showcasing how automation, robotization and data management can best prepare seafood processors for today’s hi-tech processing reality.

Greater automation is key 

“The main driver for higher levels of automation is the reduction in manpower available, particularly in Europe and North America,” explains Sigurdur Ólason, managing director of Marel Fish, in Marel’s 2018 ‘Insight Fish’ newsletter, launched this week. “But it’s the technology and innovation that delivers practical solutions to this challenge.”

Given this, it’s no surprise that the automated robot packing demonstrations at Marel’s stand really stole the show. Visitors were quick to recognize the opportunity this offers to further automate their processing. Plus watching the robot arms pick and place the fish with such speed and precision is simply mesmerizing!

Innovative solutions in both salmon and whitefish will set new industry standards within the next couple of years, with watershed installations already underway.

A recent example of increased automation in the salmon industry is the installation of China’s first fully automatic processing line. And as the cod industry looks to innovate and optimize the value chain, pinbone removal has been automated both on land and on sea, with the first FleXicut automatic pinbone removal and portioning systems now installed on freezing trawlers as part of a complete modernization of onboard processing.

Marel’s most recent contribution to the revolution of cod processing is the addition of a new pre-trim solution and packing robots to the second generation FleXicut system. This means that pre-trim can be the last place the fish is touched by human hands.

Cutting-edge technology has been in focus at Marel from the day the company was founded, so it’s no surprise that the core of Industry 4.0 and Big Data is already a part of Marel’s DNA.

The power of software

Advances in software contribute greatly to automation in food processing, and factories are becoming smarter as software becomes an even bigger part of the production process.

Data is increasingly valuable in today’s hi-tech processing environment, and the ability to track and analyze data is key to fish processors being competitive. Using the data generated by machines in real-time is key to gaining full production control.

There has always been a strong focus at Marel on making products that raise quality, yield and throughput, and there is an ever-growing focus on helping fish processors achieve these results with greater automation. Innova Food Processing Software now controls and monitors the whole journey of fish from the sea to the supermarket, and gives fish processors peace of mind that they are equipped to deal with future challenges.

“Interconnected software solutions now control and monitor the whole journey of fish from the sea to the supermarket,” Sigurdur says. “As we enter the next industrial revolution, Big Data and deep learning are becoming an integral part of state-of-the-art, hi-tech production systems.”

Data management 

With the global community’s demand for traceability to the source, data management is an increasingly important part of food production. Marel ensures its customers can keep track of all this data and makes it easier for businesses to report on their produce. Seafood processors are taking part in the fourth industrial revolution by incorporating this technology and embracing the automation process in order to ensure they are future-ready.

A snapshot of how dozens of manufacturers at the expo are responding to the recent hi-tech needs of seafood processors