Icelandic Meat processor Norðlenska installs Marel deboning flowline
Norðlenska is the first Icelandic processor to install state-of-the-art deboning flowlines at its plants.
Norðlenska ehf, one of Iceland's largest meat processing operations with plants in Akureyri, Húsavík and Reykjavík, installed the first deboning line in Iceland at their Húsavík plant in August. The new flowline promises to revolutionize meat processing at the company.
Norðlenska contracted with Marel last April to purchase two deboning flowlines for its plants in Akureyri and Húsavík. Both lines feature full traceability, from breeder to buyer. These two systems will greatly increase throughput, yield and utilisation. While Norðlenska is the first Icelandic company to purchase such systems, Marel has already installed them in Europe.
“When we made our decision to install a high-tech meat processing flowline, we naturally looked to Marel,” said Sigmundur Einar Ófeigsson, general manager of processing at Norðlenska. “It’s the world’s leading company in this field. In addition to meeting international quality standards, the system ensures top raw-material utilisation and throughput.”
“Traceability is a factor of increasing importance in Iceland, and the rest of the world,” said Jón Helgi Björnsson, general manager of Norðlenska’s slaughterhouses in Húsavík and Akureyri. “This was a key reason for our decision to go with Marel. To my mind, if we’re not on the front-line providing quality products that fulfil changing market needs, we’ll lose our competitive edge.”
“In addition to meeting our quality standard, as well as improving yield, utilisation and throughput, we will be able to closely monitor these aspects of operations, something that to date has only been done in a limited way. The flowline does all this automatically, as well as allowing us to monitor individual operators and make necessary adjustments immediately,” said Sigmundur.
Sigmundur added that the entire system was an enormous step forward regarding all facets of deboning and processing meat when compared with the old methods. “Cooperation with Marel on this project has been topnotch. And we now see other possibilities to develop and rationalise operations even further,” said Sigmundur.
“This has been a very exciting process. It will undoubtedly put meat processing in Iceland on a much higher plane, and the traceability feature is going to have a big impact on operations,” said Jón Helgi. “We foresee gaining a real edge on international competition with this new technology.”