The Four Packaging Machines That Fish Processors Need to Know About In 2023

This article contains paid-for content created in collaboration with Gordian Strapping.

The aquaculture industry generated over £1.3billion in revenue in 2022, with Scottish salmon farming accounting for approx. 93%.

It’s a sector that is centred around high-output machinery, with an array of advanced systems used across the entire supply chain. This ranges between preparation, processing, preservation and packaging.

The three key factors that aquaculture managers must consider when selecting packaging machines and material are:

1. Hygiene – When working with food produce, strict hygiene standards are paramount so packaging must adhere to all hygiene tests as well as preserve the fish for longer shelf-life.
2. Speed – You’re only as good as your output, and fish packers are continually looking to increase their throughput with quicker line speeds.
3. Reliability – To build exponential success, a stable packaging system needs to be maintained and reliable equipment is required. As technology and innovation advance, avoidance of machinery breakdown remains a key factor for fish processors.

Safeguarding the products during transportation is just as important as the protection in the fish processing plant, and the boxes need to reach their destination in the same condition that they left, which is why a lot of aquaculture plants turn to strapping and stretch wrapping machines.

We spoke to Gordian Strapping, who provide some of the highest quality strapping and wrapping machines on the market, built specifically for the fish farming industry. Their strapping and wrapping machines are available in stainless steel materials with anticorrosive internal parts, ideal for moisture rich and water heavy environments.

As a stand-alone option, the StraPack SQ-800SUS (1) is an automatic strapping machine that has a cycle speed of 54 straps per minute and is vastly popular for its premium performance.

The StraPack RQ-7000MV18 (2) is a high-speed automated machine, achieving around 50 straps per minute, whilst the Tandem version (3) gives the added benefit of a double strap configuration to increase output further.

When it comes to stretch wrapping, the PKG Saving MPS (4) has three film carriage options including mechanical break, electromagnetic break and, for film maximisation, power pre-stretch. All enables film to be applied at a constant and easily adjustable tension.