Marel opens demo center in Shanghai

Opening the demo center in Shanghai is part of Marel’s strategy to expand and strengthen Marel’s business in China and the region. It will help Marel achieve key business objectives and promote our brand as a technology partner to transform the way food is processed.

The opening ceremony took place 8 November, with 120 guests including key partners, customers, Chinese and foreign government dignitaries as well as leading business and trade media.

The event kicked off with keynote speeches from honored guests including a Member of the Party of Shanghai Minhang District Government, Chairman of Shanghai Food Safety Federation, Ambassador of Iceland to China, the Consul General of the Netherlands in Shanghai and members of Marel’s leadership team.

In his speech, Denver Lu, the Regional Managing Director of Marel China, talked about Marel’s ambitions to deepen its roots in China, grow alongside our domestic customers and advance the transformation of China’s food processing industry in line with global standards and best practices.

Shaun Tuo, Manager of Shanghai Progress Point, then introduced the Shanghai Demo Centre, detailing the purpose, features and relevance of the facility in driving Marel’s growth in China. The demo center will strengthen Marel’s ability to support the protein processing industries in China and the region; and to provide hands-on experience of the machinery and software by hosting training, demonstrations, showhows and other events.

The presentations were followed by an inauguration ceremony before the event culminated in a panel discussion about challenges and trends in the China food processing industry, and how government, food manufacturers and solutions providers like Marel need to work together to welcome the next era of food processing. The panel included business leaders from Danish Crown, Inner Mongolia Kerchin Cattle Industry Co., the Shanghai Food Safety Federation and Denver Lu.

Moderated by Tiger Cong, Marel China RFS Director, the session explored challenges brought on by COVID19, changing consumer tastes and preferences, increasing demand for food safety and traceability as well as the increasing need for full collaboration across the supply chain to future-proof the industry.

The event ended with a tour of the Demo Center, where guests could experience Marel’s state-of-the-art equipment, technology and solutions, including the I-Cut 130 Portion Cutter and I-Slice 135MA.

The new 1600 m² facility features state-of-the-art infrastructure and a collaborative work environment, with open spaces and common areas to promote teamwork and a real sense of community for employees based in Shanghai. It is an engaging platform for our customers to interact with front line sales and service, and discover how they can use Marel’s equipment and software solutions to become more efficient, sustainable and profitable.

In the current climate of travel restrictions and social distancing, factory visits and trade shows have become a rarity, and our demo center facilities around the world have become even more vital for live, online and extended reality (XR) demonstrations of our equipment and software in a controlled factory environment.

With a growing population of 1.4 billion and the world’s largest animal protein and processing market, China continues to be a strategic opportunity for Marel. The launch of Marel’s Shanghai Progress Point helps set us in good stead to continue driving strong growth in this important market.