Annual report 2017
Innova is our revolutionary food processing software that provides full production control and traceability, giving a complete overview of the product’s journey through processing from reception to dispatch.
To date, we have around 1,800 Innova installations worldwide, with the result that many of the largest food processing companies in the world already use this leading-edge software. Innova can be implemented as an all-inclusive production system, adapted for specific production units and even connected to third party equipment.
Utilizing the latest technology and cloud analytics, Innova is the future of intelligent production control. It enables plants to manage, monitor and improve the entire production process, allowing producers to spot inefficiencies on the factory floor by presenting the information needed to maximize throughput, quality and yield.
Food producers need to be able to keep pace with ever-increasing industry and regulatory demands for animal welfare, traceability and quality control. Innova provides efficient, high-performing software solutions that enable them to do just that.
INNOVA FROM MAREL; IT’S A BEST-IN-CLASS SOLUTION FOR FISH PROCESSING
BRENT KEELTY, PLANT MANAGER AT MT COOK ALPINE SALMON
Innova can be applied to every processing step, providing a complete overview of the product’s journey through processing from reception to dispatch. It controls and monitors the animal reception and registration, the production flow and the deboning, packing and dispatching processes.
Having Innova manage the entire operation creates a direct line between the slaughtered animal and the customer, giving unique advantages.
THE MAIN BENEFIT OF INNOVA IS THAT WE CAN NOW FULLY MANAGE PRODUCT TRACEABILITY WITH ONE SYSTEM.
Stefan Kylén,
Production Manager, Skövde Slakteri
Innova not only provides full production control and traceability, it also helps improve the entire order processing, making it more streamlined and easy to manage. Innova can optimize workflows, enable cost effective inventory control and efficient order management. The system includes purchase orders, production orders, inventory orders and sales orders.
Innova Food Processing Software is set up to work with the third party equipment, systems and solutions that are independent of Marel equipment. That way, our customers can install a single software system to oversee production and integrate with their existing systems.
The label designer in Innova is a very powerful tool. All the traceability information on the product is collected through processing and available on the final product label.The flexible system means you can easily design the labels to fit the information and the final product package.
The Mt Cook Alpine Salmon processing facility at Timaru in New Zealand opened in late 2013 and processes very high-grade salmon. The dynamic company is a fully integrated operation with its own supply chain and exports most of its salmon to discerning markets around the world.
With a strong focus on the high quality of its end products, it is important to Mt Cook Alpine Salmon that they own and control all the steps from farm through to sales. Innova Food Processing Software has supported this from the start, providing traceability from farm to pack and ensuring that critical information is always on hand in real time.
In modern salmon processing, high-tech equipment and food processing software is an absolute necessity. “We looked at various systems and approaches for managing our production,” says Brent Keelty, plant manager at Mt Cook Alpine Salmon. “We’re glad we decided to go with Innova from Marel; it’s a best-in-class solution for fish processing.”
Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon use Innova for receiving fish from farms to the factory and into production. They use Innova for order control and different stages of inventory management, as well as for weighing, labeling and packing of finished goods all the way through to the dispatch processes. This translates to order management, yield control and performance analysis across the plant. The overall gains in efficiency are valuable and, in particular, being able to produce to order adds a lot of value:
“Innova helps us maintain optimum inventories and produce exactly to the orders,” says Keelty. “As a result, we minimize over- and under-production and our products are always consistent and reliable.”
Keelty explains that the value of having the automated production system was quickly apparent. “It’s a robust system and provides us real-time production management and a powerful tool for maintaining traceability from our salmon farms to dispatch orders,” says Keelty. “We can monitor production performance in real time and make any changes on the go. It helps us improve throughput and reduce giveaway, and it gives us live production control.”
Despite the complexity and scope of some of the challenges it solves, Innova Food Processing Software is designed to be as user-friendly as possible. “Our operators like it because the system is easy to use and it’s consistent,” Keelty agrees. “We also use it for trend analysis in our production through live reports and dashboards, we can easily do aged analysis, reporting on various areas including sales, harvest volumes, production tonnages and fish size.”