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With its new robot-controlled portioning system in place, Gadus will be able to better utilize each fillet.
Gadus Adopts Valka Portioning System for Improved Flexibility and Product Range
(ICELAND, 12/2/2020)
Gadus, a Belgium-based fish processor and Valka, a high-tech equipment developer based in Iceland have signed an agreement to implement a new cutting system at Gadus to portion salmon and whitefish fillets.
The new system from Valka will significantly enhance Gadus’ flexibility with respect to multi-species processing. With this technology, Gadus will be able to focus more on product development with their partners and offer many new portion types to the market. The companies will install and launch the system later this month.
The companies will install and launch the system later this month.
Strong retail integration and focus on new product development
Gadus, known for its top-quality fish products, has recently responded to changing market demands by embarking on a transformation process and articulating a long-term company vision. As part of that work, Gadus examined its value chain and built a solid relationship with some international food retailers. With its new portioning system, Gadus will further strengthen that bond by moving closer to shoppers and offering products they demand.
Optimizing and innovating
Always quick to adapt to market changes, Gadus is now forging ahead. With its new robot-controlled portioning system in place, the company will be able to better utilize each fillet, enabling it to offer novel product types that would be difficult or impossible to produce otherwise. The new system can cut any angled or curved pattern, optimizing the use of each fish. For example, in addition to cutting several fixed-weight retail portions from a salmon fillet, the system can simultaneously cut numerous small, cubed poke portions from the belly and tail parts, formerly a highly labor-intensive task. Previous systems could only cut parallel lines.
For salmon processing, Valka produces a variety of equipment and software customised to your needs along the line, from gutting to dispatching whole fish or trimming, cutting and packing of fillets and ready portions.
Transformational flexibility
“We are grateful for the trust Gadus has placed in Valka and our capability to develop and implement disruptive technology that will serve their objective to deliver outstanding products,” says Daniel Niddam, area sales manager at Valka. “Gadus delivers only the best products from select raw materials, and we are proud to play a part in that.”
“We are pleased with this contract with Valka and very excited to make the most of the solution Valka is delivering,” adds Philip Duyck, CEO of Gadus. “This plays a key role in our transformation plans and our ability to secure long-term contracts with our retail partners. Also, it is great to see that the teams have been working together in a very efficient way despite the Covid 19 situation . A big thank you to the Valka team for their great collaboration and effort.
Automatically remove pin bones and cut fillets to the desired portions with the Valka Cutter.
About Valka
Valkais a high-tech company based in Iceland and Norway. The company has led new innovations by pioneering automation for fish processing. After successfully implementing large turnkey systems in Iceland, Norway and Russia in the last few years Valka has become a strong system integrator for whitefish and salmon. The company employs over 100 people and has in excess of €20million in annual turnover.
Some of the patented innovations of Valka include the first and to date the most effective way of automatically removing pin bones by using X-ray and Waterjet cutting (Valka Cutter), the first automatic Robotic packing of fish portions (Aligner Packing Robot).
About Gadus nv
Gadusis a Belgian fish processing company, founded in March 1991. Since its inception, the company has focused on providing service, quality, and flexibility to the retail market. The company has a distribution channel that extends throughout the entire country.