In the field of fresh and frozen fish products, Dayseaday needs little introduction. For the daily production of salmon and trout, the Urk family business switched last year to a fully automated filleting line. For the de-scaling and de-gutting of the fish, Dayseaday relies on the machines and technical applications of Jansen Techniek. "Thanks to the double descaler, we can run the production line at full speed. And we have been able to make an enormous increase in efficiency and quality," states operational manager Frits Brouwer at Dayseaday.
Dayseaday has several production facilities in Urk. In one of those factories, some 30 employees work daily processing salmon - and occasionally trout - for retailers, catering and retail outlets. "We chose a new filleting line from Baader last year, which is fed by Jansen Techniek's machines. On that, we process about 25 fish per minute. When we made the switch last year, we also wanted a ready-made solution for de-scaling and de-gelling. The old skinning machine we had was no longer adequate and the solutions offered to us by agencies did not match what we were looking for," Brouwer explains.
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"We had been doing business with Jansen Techniek for some time. When we brought our issues to them, they came up with a customized solution: an improved machine and fast service that was also interesting in terms of price. An additional advantage is that Jansen Techniek is a Dutch machine builder, so they can switch quickly if there is a problem. That's very nice."
Improved hygiene
Sales engineer Corwin van den Bor of Jansen Techniek explains what the Putten company realized at Dayseaday. "From the customer, we were asked to think along in the production process to build the layout of the new filleting line. The art lies in setting up the various machines as efficiently as possible within the available space. Together with the customer and other suppliers we achieved a great result.
Dayseaday wanted to be able to process more salmon, with a higher turnover rate and thus higher yield, without compromising on quality while improving hygiene."
"At Dayseaday, we opted for a pallet elevator and de-ice bin, with behind it a de-scaling and de-icing machine on a raised platform, which matches Baader's de-scaling machine in terms of height. This platform is accessible all around for thorough cleaning," Van den Bor says. "This is also reflected in the finish of the platform and the machines, with the tubes on its side and open construction, so that no water remains on the machine. The line also has as few legs as possible, so you have fewer interfaces with the floor. In the past, this was hardly considered, but today it is an essential part of line construction. All machines and machine parts are constructed as open as possible to improve cleaning and hygiene."
"Cleaning is really important right now," Brewer knows. "That's really number one in the salmon industry. There is a lot of investment in hygiene and food safety. You don't want to encounter bacteria on your line. In that sense, this line solves several problems in one fell swoop compared to the machines we had before."
Unique and distinctive
Another unique, and distinctive, element of Jansen Techniek's line is the double de-scaler. "If you install a single de-scaling machine, which is usually the case, a filleting line runs at half speed. So we installed a double de-scaling line, with two high-pressure pumps, allowing the filleting line to run at full speed," Van den Bor clarifies. Managing director Jelle de Boer adds: "We no longer have unnecessary intermediate steps, which has improved the throughput enormously. We process a pallet with 600 kilograms of fish in six minutes (or 100 kilograms per minute). Prices are constantly under pressure, so if you run at half speed, you have to pass all that on to the customer. The efficiency gains we've made are huge."
Efficiency and hygiene are not the only two (major) advantages of this line, says Van den Bor. There has also been a quality improvement at Dayseaday because of this line. "Previously, an iron roller went over the scales. Our machine works on the basis of high pressure. There is a fine balance between getting scales off and at the same time not damaging the fillet. Also, you don't want the fish to run through the machine and not all the scales turn out to be removed when they arrive at the de-copper. So the adjustment is very close. You are sometimes dealing with 2-pound fish, and other times with 8-pound fish. The machine is built in such a way that continuous adjustment is not necessary, because the scaler is adjusted to the curve of the fish. So you mainly adjust the height of the nozzles. In practice, we even see trout being turned over the machine with the same adjustment."
Efficient setup
The line set up at Dayseaday was developed and devised by Jansen Techniek itself. "The customer provides us with the layout of the production area and then we sit down with the customer to discuss how the line should be set up to run all the machines as efficiently as possible. In Dayseaday's case, we kept the routing of the salmon (through the building) as the "ideal picture. That means without additional pivot points. Each machine has its own preferences. The de-scaler wants the fish with the head first. The same goes for the de-copper, which is behind it as well as the filleting machine. That means setting everything up so that the salmon does not have to be turned or moved. If you have to manually turn a fish 180 degrees every time, you'll be completely destroyed after an hour and a half, especially with large fish. This setup also ensures that the fish basically does not slip or fall. That way you are also assured that the damage to the fish is as small as possible."
The fact that Jansen Techniek arrived at this customized solution in consultation with Dayseaday and Baader was also one of the reasons for choosing to work with the Putten-based machine builder, according to Brouwer. "We process different types of salmon and a little bit of trout here. Land-raised salmon, for example, is a different type of fish than wild salmon, which we also process during the season. However, that fish is much more sensitive, but because of its high quality, that very salmon must be and remain very nice before being filleted." Van den Bor explains in conclusion: "Jansen Techniek is not a machine supplier that just sells machines. We like to deliver a total solution, where cooperation with third parties is not a problem. The line at Dayseaday is a good example of that. In addition, we distinguish ourselves in personal customer contact. Good cooperation from the beginning contributes to the best end result and that's what we keep going for!
"We no longer have unnecessary intermediate steps, which has greatly improved the throughput. We process a pallet of 600 kilograms of fish in six minutes (or 100 kilograms per minute). Prices are constantly under pressure, so if you're running at half speed, you have to pass it all on to the customer. The efficiency gains we've made are huge."
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Corwin van den Bor
