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Marel has concluded a contract with Chinese processor Pacific Andes to design, build and install a new processing system for use at the company’s plant in Qingdao.

Built to a completely new Marel design and due for delivery by the end of this year, the line includes facilities for defrosting, cooling, grading and trimming.

Specifically designed to meet local requirements, the state-of-the-art system is built to best design standards.

Providing quality control insurance and full product traceability throughout processing, it will provide Pacific Andes with the flexibility to compete with the best in the markets of Europe and the US. The project is led by Marel, which has teamed up with equipment manufacturers 3X Technology and Skaginn during its implementation.

“This installation marks the launch in China of a brand new Marel flowline specifically designed for the fully automated production, in high-volume processing facilities, of species such as Alaska Pollock and farmed whitefish like pangasius and tilapia,” explains Marel senior consultant Kristmann Kristmannsson.

“The potential benefits for Pacific Andes include increased output, reduced production costs, faster throughput, and improved temperature control, which reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, as well as better conditions for the company’s workers,” he adds.

“Marel has been systematically building up a strong team in China in recent years, with the emphasis largely on whitefish in the north and farmed species such as tilapia in the south.

“This contract represents a major milestone in these efforts, and we’re delighted to be involved in this exciting project with a company such as Pacific Andes, one of the world’s largest seafood processors,” he concludes.

A traditionally labour-intensive activity, with plants typically employing 4,000 to 12,000 workers, the Chinese fisheries sector faces increasing competition for labour in what is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The Qingdao installation represents the first stage in a drive for full automation in China’s largest whitefish production plant, and Pacific Andes has already announced plans to upgrade other plants with similar Marel solutions, should the line prove a success.

The photograph below shows Pacific Andes executive chairman Joo Kwee Ng (centre), joined by Marel senior consultant Kristmann Kristmannsson (fourth from right) and Henry Hsieh, head of the Marel Fish Industry Centre, China (third from right), at the signing ceremony.