Jansen Techniek levert witvisfileerlijn bij Adri & Zoon

Adri & Zoon

6 min

Significant growth and the switch to Icelandic cod necessitated a new, large whitefish filleting line at Adri & Zoon. Technical partner Jansen Techniek once again met the expectations of the fish wholesaler: "We have complete confidence in their expertise."

It's one of his favorite fish species: the skrei – the Norwegian cod: "Beautiful shine, firm texture, the white color inside, and of course, the wonderfully mild flavor," says Jacco van Burg, Production Manager at fish wholesaler Adri & Zoon in Yerseke. The skrei is caught off the Norwegian coast during the winter months. Van Burg: "But there's also demand for cod the rest of the year. Previously, it came from Norway, but increasingly strict quotas are in effect there. So, to guarantee our volumes, we've been switching to Iceland for a few years now. About 60 percent of our raw materials now come from Iceland – besides cod, also pollock and rosefish."

Iceland's internationally oriented fish trade is booming, but the processing and delivery methods are still in their infancy. Van Burg: "From Norway, we receive the fish weighed, sorted, and delivered headless in Styrofoam boxes. Iceland delivers the fish raw in tubes."

Fish from Iceland

For Adri & Zoon, switching to Icelandic fish meant, among other things, adding an intensive preliminary process to the production process, where the fish is weighed, sorted, and decapitated. And the process was already under pressure, given the enormous development Adri & Zoon underwent over time. Since its founding in 1983, the family business has grown from a small-scale mussel trader to a leading full-service supplier of all kinds of fish for buyers throughout the Netherlands and surrounding countries. "On busy days, we supply 350 to 400 customers. Fresh mussels, lobster from our own dike, oysters from Zeeland and France, but also various frozen fish—scampi from Bangladesh, for example—are part of our product range. We process Norwegian farmed salmon the most; on average, eight trucks are delivered here every week," says Van Burg.

Long-term collaboration

To meet growing demand and simplify and accelerate the cod processing process, the decision was made to automate the process. After purchasing a new filleting machine, Jansen Techniek was brought in. The Putten-based company offers progressive technical solutions for the entire food industry and has previously completed a small whitefish filleting line, a salmon processing line, and several smaller projects at Adri & Zoon. Van Burg: “It's so much more efficient with a partner who knows your business well and understands its challenges. So, a few years ago, we started looking for a technical partner for a long-term collaboration. During our initial research, Jansen Techniek emerged as the most suitable partner. We now know from experience that we can fully rely on their expertise and that, just like us, they take our product as a starting point.”

"We now know from experience that we can completely rely on their expertise and that they, just like us, take our product as a starting point. "

Van BurgAdri & Zoon

After the initial requirements and rough sketches were submitted in the summer of 2020, Jansen Techniek's engineers and technicians got to work in consultation with Adri & Zoon. The timeframe was challenging, explains Thomas van Rijn, sales engineer at Jansen Techniek: "The new line had to be in place before the start of the Norwegian cod season at the end of January. Another requirement from Adri & Zoon was that the fish would suffer as little as possible on the line, for example, so they wouldn't fall from heights from a machine onto a conveyor belt."

3D Models

The lack of space was also an obstacle, says Van Rijn: “I visited Yerseke several times, but we also had a lot of remote consultations. We develop everything in 3D models, which give our clients good insight and allow us to identify bottlenecks on screen.”

Fortunately, all the challenges were overcome, so the 35-meter-long line was operational by week four. Now, the fish is automatically pre-weighed and sorted on a line that Jansen Techniek previously built. On the new line, depending on the origin (Iceland or Norway), the head or collar is then removed. The fish is then automatically filleted, skinned (if desired), and packed. Van Burg: "Meanwhile, the fillet is also manually cut out and checked for worms on illuminated cutting boards. From start to finish, an average fish takes about a minute and a half. And, quite unique in this industry, all waste is removed via a vacuum extraction system connected to the line. We deliver this to a company that uses it for the production of food for human co

Ergostep

Besides hygiene, ergonomic working practices were also considered in the design. Van Burg: "On average, 22 people work on the line. They all have an ergostep at their disposal, and height-adjustable platforms surround the line." Not only have the employees benefited from the new line; the quality of the fish has also improved, and production capacity has doubled, says Van Burg: "We are incredibly satisfied."