Case Studies

Information is POWER

Installation of the largest and most advanced processing line ever assembled in Iceland was completed at the beginning of the year at HB Grandi’s plant in Reykjavik, the largest ground fish processing plant in Iceland.

“What we wanted to do was to improve the yield and quality control in our saithe processing. Yield is where the money is today, not in massive throughput,” explains Dadi Hrolfsson, Plant Supervisor.

HB Grandi is one of the largest fishing and processing companies in Iceland and markets its ground fish and pelagic fish products worldwide. The saithe that is processed on the new 24-station Marel trimming line is destined for both wholesale and retail outlets in Europe, primarily in Germany and France.

You have to be able to trust the information

“The most significant benefit of the new line is that with Innova, it provides much better information than what we had before,” says Hrolfsson, referring to Marel’s state-of-the-art Innova production management software, which is fully integrated with the line.

“The line weighs everything that comes from each individual operator, showing very precise yield figures for primary and secondary product and trim. And the quality control is extremely good. We immediately saw a big increase in the proportion of primary products, with much less going to block and trim.”

Four QC M6000 quality control stations were installed with the new line, making the quality control process entirely electronic and offering easier access to quality control records.

“We have much more information to base our decisions on and that is exactly what we were after. You have to be able to trust the information.”

Individual monitoring: the key to success

The ability to monitor each individual operator also really made a big difference in getting the best possible performance out of each employee.

“The yield and quality have improved significantly,” says Hrolfsson. “There are employees who have worked here for years who have improved their yield in primary products since we installed the new line. Just because now we can call them over and show them in what areas they can improve.”

With monitors installed at each trimming station, the operators can now see with their own eyes where they stand in comparison to the average. “It motivates people because everybody is eager to do well,” adds Hrolfsson.

A Christmas miracle

With the plant in full operation for 50 weeks out of the year, the window of opportunity for the installation was small. So when production came to a halt for the holidays on 18 December, the Marel team immediately got underway. Apart from a few days off for Christmas and celebration of the New Year, work continued non-stop until the line was started up on 11 January.

“It went really well. The Marel team was a great group of guys and they worked very fast. The atmosphere was very positive and it was fun to see,” recalls Hrolfsson.

“All our interaction with Marel concerning the line has been exceptionally positive. This is one of the more complicated systems that Marel has installed and it’s been a success in every way. We are very pleased. And throughout the process, if any questions or issues have come up, we’ve been able to sit down with the Marel team and find a solution.”

Partners in processing
The new line replaces another 13-year old 20-station line also supplied by Marel and is just the latest chapter in a long and fruitful partnership between HB Grandi and Marel, which Hrolfsson sees as a key element in the company’s success.
 
“Our production process for saithe is large and complex. We are processing maybe 100 tons per day and producing dozens of individual products. It’s challenging but that’s also what makes it fun. It wouldn’t be possible without the close cooperation with Marel. We have two processing lines from them, an IQF freezer, four portioning machines and several graders. I don’t see any other company out there that can supply the range of equipment for us that Marel can,” says Hrolfsson in conclusion.

Training: An investment that pays

HB Grandi has placed a great deal of emphasis on training courses for employees in the past couple of years. And in preparation for working with the new line, many of HB Grandi’s staff took part in training courses offered by Marel. The goal was to motivate staff and prepare them for the changes in working procedures to ensure that the system would bring highest possible efficiency right from day 1 of the installation.

“We sent our maintenance department, QC operators, management staff and some persons from marketing department. In addition to that, Marel conducted a half-day training session for all the employees here in the plant, which was extremely beneficial,” says Hrolfsson.

The courses were held in both Icelandic and English language and lasted from 4 hours to 2 days. They included a general introduction of the new line and the Innova software system, information on how to identify errors, technical service of the line, quality control and much more.

“It really pays to have your people trained. They were much quicker to adapt to the new line and that showed very quickly in the production. There’s no question that it’s an investment that pays.”

Go to: www.hbgrandi.is

“Yield is where the money is today” - Dadi Hrolfsson