Raising the bar in Salmon Processing: The Journey of EVi

EVi marks a new chapter in salmon primary processing. Created in close collaboration with processors, it is built to do it right and engineered to evolve. The journey of EVi has been defined by dedication, creativity, and technical excellence. With EVi now on the verge of launch and ready to transform salmon gutting, let’s take a closer look at the journey that brought us here.

1. Understanding the challenge

Developing a solution that supports salmon processors starts with understanding their day-to-day challenges. This insight comes from working closely with processors across the industry and learning directly from their experience. The industry is calling for advancements in salmon gutting that deliver greater efficiency, higher quality, and more streamlined processing - perfectly capturing the enthusiasm behind EVi. It is designed to improve uptime, efficiency, and quality today, while remaining ready to meet the needs of tomorrow.

2. Designing for Excellence

JBT Marel has a strong reputation for developing intelligent, automated solutions that help customers become industry leaders. The wealth of experience gained over the past 40 years was leveraged in the development of EVi to create a solution capable of handling the real-world variety and exceptions found in raw material. By slowing the process and introducing a compact, parallel flow, EVi meets market demands for both throughput and footprint while improving raw material utilization and gutting quality. 

EVi combines mechanical precision with advanced intelligence to ensure every fish is processed to the highest standard. Powered by AQi, a proprietary vision technology, the machine automatically measures and detects critical anatomy of each individual fish to ensure precision cutting and removal of viscera as well as inspecting gutting results, identifying any defects that require additional handling. Each fish is then routed to the correct location based on its condition, ensuring consistent quality. 

Uptime is maximized by operating within reasonable loads and incorporating lane redundancy—ensuring that even in the rare event of a breakdown, at least 50% of capacity remains available. Performance and quality are further safeguarded through a deliberate focus on “slowing down to do it right.” The design remains as open as possible, with all critical electronics housed in cabinets above the wet area. This approach enables 360° access to tools and hygiene-sensitive zones, minimizes the number of parts for easier maintenance, and supports the highest standards of food safety.

The result is a technologically advanced machine with intelligent automation and digital integration that is also reliable, hygienic, and robust, ready to perform in harsh processing environments.

When our customers invest in EVi, they are not acquiring a static machine; they are securing a system designed to advance.

3. Prototype Development in the Real World

While much can be achieved in a workshop when developing an industry ready solution, the real test comes when the machine is put to work in a functioning production line. Throughout the prototyping journey, the team worked with several partners in multiple countries to gather valuable customer feedback and ensure exposure to a wide variety of raw material sizes and conditions.

In our latest—and most demanding—tests, we are collaborating with Bakkafrost, an industry leader based in the Faroe Islands and renowned for producing premium salmon for international markets. Together, we are conducting rigorous trials, refining and optimizing EVi to ensure that both processors and the JBT Marel team can be confident it will meet and exceed expectations.

4. Proving it is Ready to Leave the Net Pen

The greatest reward for any development team is when the company testing a new machine wants to keep it. That moment came when Bakkafrost signed the first official sale of EVi at Seafood Global Barcelona in May 2025. It was confirmation that the vision resonates in the market.

EVi is now active and integrated into Bakkafrost’s production line, delivering strong results in the final stress tests before market release. This final stage is not only a polish before launch but also the start of the next chapter. EVi has been designed as a platform for future advancements that will help salmon processors remain competitive and sustainable in the years ahead. In many ways, the journey of research and innovation is only just beginning.