JBT Marel and before that Stork PMT has always been known for its world leading, innovative evisceration systems. It is now 50 years since Stork PMT launched its ground-breaking P40 evisceration system, the first to mechanize what until that time had been an entirely manual operation. Today, that heritage lives on in the Nuova-i—once again a true trendsetter.
In the 70’s, Stork PMT was already building an enviable reputation as a supplier of cutting-edge evisceration technology with the PK and P series. A high point was reached with the P40 rotating oval machine.
What made the Stork P40 unique in those days was that it was one of the very first mechanical eviscerators. Until then, manual evisceration had involved a lot of labor with the attendant risks of inconsistency and contamination. With 40 units, 48 on the P48, all operations took place along one long side of the an oval carousel. The overhead conveyor passed the machine in a straight line with no curves. The P40 could eviscerate up to 4000 bph, introducing processors for the first time to mechanical evisceration. The process was much more hygienic, gave higher yields and ensured a consistent level of quality across large volumes of birds. It offered revolutionary efficiency at a time when the poultry industry was just beginning to modernize. For many processors, the P40 was their first step away from manual processing toward an integrated, industrial line, which made it a real breakthrough in its time.
Today, P40’s heritage is still visible in the Nuova-i.
As time went by, the number of eviscerating units became less and capacities increased. In the late eighties, a P-series eviscerator with 24 units could process 8,000 birds an hour, an unheard-of performance at a time when the fastest lines then processed 6,000 bph. In 1993, the arrival of Nu-Tech meant another giant leap. For the first time ever, the viscera pack was completely separated from the carcass and hung to a separate line. Even if giblet harvesting were still done manually, liver yields were up. By having each pack suspended from its own pack shackle, giblets became a product in their own right rather than a by-product. Veterinary inspection was supported by having the viscera pack line run perfectly synchronized with the product line. Nu-Tech systems, which became an everyday sight in most major markets, ran at line speeds of up to 8,000 bph.
In 2004, Nuova made its first appearance. Automatic giblet harvesting was also changed in that hearts and livers were no longer harvested together. The advent of Nuova increased processing capacities still further. Today’s evisceration systems handle 15,000 bph with 24 units, almost four times the capacity handled by the P40 with its 40 units.
The latest Nuova generation is the JBT Marel Nuova-i. This eviscerator has acquired a degree of intelligence and can be said to have entered the digital era. The system can be set using a touchscreen at the machine itself to handle a wide variety of product weights. Moving from one flock to another is therefore seamless and does not rely on operator skills for good results. Nuova-i transfers compact and uniform viscera packs to a separate line. Trailing intestines, a potential source of cross-contamination, are now a thing of the past. The machine software allows for a continual check on machine health and performance per evisceration unit. A connected system, using integrated JBT Marel SmartBase software, allows for central control room access and will often take the place of a visit from a JBT Marel engineer. Issues can now be sorted out remotely as well.
JBT Marel has come a long way in automatic evisceration in the last fifty years. Line capacities have increased almost fourfold and giblets are harvested automatically in many plants. Product and giblet hygiene has been transformed, while labor has been reduced to supervision. The next 50 years will no doubt see a further increase in line speeds and labor productivity, and the use of visionary technology. JBT Marel will continue to innovate, further building on its position as the frontrunner in evisceration techniques.
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