CASE HISTORY
STANC
BATCHING IN THE SOUTH SEAS
New Caledonia company automates tiger prawn processing with Sortaweigh Batching systems
STANC, a company based on the beautiful South Sea island of New Caledonia, has recently installed automated batching systems at its new processing plant.
Previously, all prawn grading was done by hand but, as part of a major investment programme, STANC installed four AEW Delford Systems Sortaweigh twin-lane batching systems for its new plant at Kone.
Tiger prawns are caught during December to July when they are at their largest, typically weighing between 20 and 65g each.
All STANC’s production is sold to Japan and product quality is paramount. When the prawns are delivered to the processing plant, they are packed in ice. Following removal of the prawns, they are visually checked by operators to make sure that they are the correct colour, without dark spots and any broken antennae.
The prawns are then fed into the Sortaweigh batchers for collating into fixed weight boxes of 1.5kg to 6kg which are then deep frozen to -40°C to avoid any risk of contamination.
Careful product handling is required at all stages in the process and the Sortaweigh batching machines have been designed with special infeed and outfeed systems to avoid damage. The twin-lane batchers can operate at speeds of up to 280 pieces per minute without breaking the antennae which are particularly fragile.
Building on many years’ experience, Sortaweigh systems have been specifically developed to meet all the demands of the modern fish processing industry, offering excellent standards of performance and hygiene. They combine innovative software and mechanical engineering features to ensure fast, effective – and flexible – grading. Stainless steel construction and water protection in excess of IP66 provides easy access to all areas for wash down.
In just one year, the new fully automated Kone plant has doubled output to 8 tonnes a day and now employs some fifty people in an area of New Caledonia that traditionally has few employment opportunities outside subsistence farming.
