Marel’s new RoboBatcher Box is the world’s leading intelligent robotic solution for fish packing

Fish packing perfected

Automation has never been more important in the fish processing industry. Since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, fish processors have been faced with challenges such as employee health and safety, shifting market demands, and maintaining production flow. The RoboBatcher Box’s intelligent automation means that operators can expect minimal giveaway, improved food safety, significantly decreased labor costs, and eliminated human error or sickness that may be detrimental to a production line.

The RoboBatcher Box uses a unique combination of state-of-the-art batching software and innovative robotic technology to pack fixed weight boxes so close to the target that giveaway is minimal. The unique packing technology manages the flow of boxes, streamlining processing and optimizing throughput and efficiency like never before.

Transforming the way fish is packed

With unparalleled speed and accuracy, the RobotBatcher Box automatically styles and packs up to 24 boxes simultaneously, with up to 12 various predefined jobs, into polystyrene and cardboard boxes for retail, catering, and further processors. “The RoboBatcher Box is a result of listening to the market and utilizing our many years of experience in robotics to create a well-balanced solution based on advanced and intelligent software,” says Global Product Manager of Robotics, Søren Raahauge. “We are meeting our customer's needs by focusing on fixed weight batching and more innovative mechanical design, and we welcome our new application to our existing RoboBatcher solutions.”

In the fish packing industry, the new RoboBatcher Box is unmatched. Mr. Raahauge goes on to explain, “The RoboBatcher Box system improves the fish producers' business with a more intelligent inline approach, gentle product handling, and a greater product utilization rate, significantly impacting the end product. We are not just reducing operational costs and maximizing yield—we are improving the quality of the products and creating a system that will positively impact the operators' working environment because access to labor is becoming a more significant challenge. We are sure that the future lies in automation.”

Keeping the plant running very smoothly

Icelandic fish processor Vísir installed the RoboBatcher Box in November 2019 and has experienced tremendous results in their fish production. ‘“The system is now such that no human hand touches the product after it enters the robot, and as a consequence, each packed box is much closer to the desired weight,” Ómar Enoksson, Production Manager at Vísir, explains. 

Unrivaled automation

Once the fish fillet is weighed and scanned, it enters the RoboBatcher Box. Knowing the fish’s precise measurements, the RoboBatcher’s robotic arms pick up the product and gently place it into one of the boxes, packing according to catch-weight or fixed-weight requirements and a predefined styling pattern. Its extraordinary grippers are designed for gentle product handling, ensuring even the most fragile fish isn’t damaged during packing. The fully automated dispatch process ensures that once a box reaches the set target weight, it is immediately conveyed out for final packing and swiftly replaced by a new box to pack. The packing process is completed without any human contact by automated solutions that include a foil applicator, checkweigher, labeler, IceDoser, and lid applicator, securing the end product’s hygiene and safety.

To learn more about the RoboBatcher Box, visit our pages for the whitefish and salmon industries.