With a new deboning system in line, established Icelandic pork producer Ali is ready to meet competition head on.

Less production costs, increased competitive advantage and increased throughput and yield. These are things that all food producers want to see in their plant and Ali is no exception. With a new Marel Meat Processing Flowline installed in January 2005 Ali is on the way to becoming the leading meat production company in its field. Ali produces a range of pork products, from loins and chops to sausages and lunch meat.
 

The full system at Ali consists of inveighing stations, deboning and trimming flowline, and weighing and grading units. The company also implemented the MPS Processing Software for production tracking and quality inspection. The system delivers a complete overview over the entire production with detailed reports on yield, throughput, quality, and performance.

Order handling is a part of the system Marel installed. It enables the company to control the production and produce according to orders. The system assigns the type and amount of raw material to be produced making it easy to control the production and adjust it according to order status.

According to Björgvin Bjarnason, Managing Director of Ali, the new system was chosen in part because of the possibilities to monitor the production and provide detailed management information. "Real time production information on all aspects of the process is very important for the company," says Mr. Bjarnason. "The Marel system provides the information we need as well as the procedures we want to implement."

The new system was contracted in 2004 with the aims of increasing exactly these key business factors. After installing the system, the company has seen the desired returns, even earlier than anticipated. "The system at Ali is the third line installed in Iceland and we can see the trend towards more automation and advanced processing increase in Iceland," says Guðjón Stefánsson, Marel's sales representative in Iceland. "With the implementation if high-tech meat processing flowlines and turn-key systems, the industry has take a step towards increased throughput, quality, and yield."
 
 "The new Marel line enables us to bring the deboning and trimming operation into the 21st century," says Mr. Bjarnason. "We have reorganised the Ali pork processing facility with the aim of increasing yield and throughput while at the same time maintaining the quality we are known for. The deboning line completely changes the way we do our business. Now we have the sectioned carcasses in line, fed directly into weighing and then on to the preparation area where an operator halves them and feeds them to the deboners."

Each operator has his own workspace equipped with an ergonomically designed worktable and bins for products and trimmings. Each part is weighed and scanned into the system and then fed to the deboners who receive information on each incoming piece on their station terminal.

The instruction terminal shows what products are to be fabricated from the incoming piece and guides the operator thought he process. After deboning, the operator delivers the products to different products chutes on the line that carries them into grading or designated packing stations. 

"The flowline is ergonomically designed and the improvement in worker conditions has meant a great deal to our operation," says Mr. Bjarnason. "Increased automation and better utilisation of the raw material is a major benefit that we intend to make the most of. Improving the bottom line is always a goal and with the Marel system we expect to see a substantial improvement."

"Our deboners now receive instant feedback on their display monitors, and cannot imagine being without it. The individual stations are ergonomically designed and the terminals give each deboner a much better overview of what is required of them. This improves both their focus and working conditions," says Davíð Gestsson, assistant production manager.

The MPS production system is an integral part of the entire line allowing the management to monitor the process from start to finish. Not only does it give real time information on individual performances on the line but also a full production overview including incoming weight, yield, throughput, cut off and distribution of product into different categories. "It has really made a difference in how I control the operation," says Mr. Gestsson "Now I can monitor the process with real time data on hand and know exactly how each operator is doing. Traceability is built into the system making our operation more secure while maintaining the quality of our products."

"The new system is part of our standardisation and has allowed us to maintain a continuous production flow with standard work procedures that enhance the overall quality and performance of the operation," says Mr. Bjarnason. "We are now running a streamlined operation that is flexible and efficient. And in a rapidly changing market we are in a position to move forward into the future with confidence, knowing that we can not only meet the customer's needs but also exceed their expectations."