Marel Poultry has provided a range of advanced poultry processing systems and services for global poultry processors
For many poultry processors the difficulty today is finding good labour. Filling all jobs in the plant is becoming a huge challenge. The producer might be considering moving to more automation and becoming less dependent on labour, particularly if the process is largely manual but the producer sees the need for specialist skills and are looking to increase capacity.
When there’s a shortage of skilled manual labour, investing in automation is crucial. When the processing plant grows in capacity, the processes will need to become more industrial and less dependent on labour. When the poultry processors are looking for support to tackle these issues, they will find Marel Poultry at their side, ready to supply with the appropriate systems and software, as well as the necessary customer service.
“No matter your processing capacity, you can opt for the level of automation which fits you best. At every stage in the process, various solutions are available,” said Marel Poultry.
Usually, the very first steps in automated processing involve scalding and plucking with products shackled to an overhead conveyor. Further steps to reduce the number of operators could involve the evisceration process, semi-automated giblet harvesting, product grading and cut-up.
Growing with the poultry processors
Of all the manual operations, it is most likely that the poultry processor will want to automate evisceration. It is a logical step to progress from manual knives to the Marel Poultry automatic eviscerator. This carrousel machine can grow with the poultry processor.
They will be able to add automatic transfer of the drawn pack to its own pack shackle as well as automatic giblet harvesting. Such important upgrades will be possible without having to invest in completely new machines.
All other operations in the evisceration department from vent cutting and vent opening to neck processing and final inspection can be gradually automated too.
Cut-up and deboning
The cut-up and deboning departments also need a lot of attention if they are not automated. The processors will have plenty of options for turning these processes into in-line automatic operations without losing yield or compromising product quality or presentation.
The Marel Poultry ACM-NT cut-up system is an excellent solution to cutting all the products required by the customers. Thanks to its modular configuration, the processor can choose the wing, leg and breast cutting modules that meet the standards for skilled manual cuts. By putting together a customised mix of ACM-NT cutting modules, they will even be able to satisfy cutting requirements specific to a particular region.
In the filleting department, Marel Poultry’s AMF-i intelligent breast cap deboning system offers just the right level of automation for harvesting breast fillets and tenderloins. To perform total leg deboning, the Thigh Fillet and the Drumstick Deboning Systems work closely together to produce deboned poultry leg meat fully automatically with no need for any manual input, another opportunity for the processors to make considerable labour savings.
Weighing, grading, batching, packing and labelling are also manual operations which the poultry producer can turn into automated processes.
The customers, be they supermarkets, quick service restaurants or wholesalers, demand a wide variety of end products from whole grillers to cut portions, all custom packed. If the processors are looking for ways to respect local and traditional food cultures while combining performance, food safety and sustainability, let Marel Poultry be the partner.
