Magni Veturliðason, CEO of Skaginn 3X AS Norway, speaks with Sigrún Erna Geirsdóttir from Fishing The News about the company's centerpiece technology, SUB-CHILLING™, planned for the Brussels Seafood Expo, rescheduled for later in 2020.
Skaginn 3X opened a branch for sales and services in Norway in 2018. The operation has been a success and will be expanded in April. The office’s next big project is the Seafood Expo in Brussels, where their patented chilling technology SUB-CHILLING™ will be a main focus.
“Since we opened the branch two years ago it has been such a success that we’ve decided to expand in April,” says Magni Veturliðason, who runs the sales and service branch in Bodö, Norway. The current team has put a lot of effort into the company’s presence in the Norwegian market, where there is a great deal of opportunity. Skaginn 3X had, of course, had products on the Norwegian market, but when they felt an increase in demand, they decided to meet it with better local presence.
“Our products are, of course, perfect for the Norwegian market which processes salmon, demersal fish and pelagic fish, with salmon playing a major role,” says Veturliðason. Much of the effort goes into maintaining a good relationship with current and prospective clients, and promoting the fish processing solutions that Skaginn 3X offers. “Our salmon processing systems are already established and SUB-CHILLING™ is set to make a serious impact in the field of fresh product shelf life extension. Fresh products that have undergone our SUB-CHILLING™ process show lower bacterial counts and longer shelf lives. We are very excited about showcasing it this year at the Brussels seafood show.”
Skaginn 3X will present a range of solutions, including its SUB-CHILLING™ technology, at the Brussels Expo scheduled later this year. “We always have something new going on. Last year we put a lot of effort into marketing the ValuePump™, a new, larger type of pump for whole fish, but then we’re of course always trying to boost that which we introduced in the previous year,” says Veturliðason. “The most exciting and new part now, of course, has to do with technical solutions which we’ve been developing; solutions having to do with the chilling of fish. The Norwegians have been very excited about this, especially the salmon industry, which is a lot bigger than that of demersal fish. The salmon industry is on the rise in Norway and there are new slaughterhouses, while many are currently expanding their operation.”
Skaginn 3X is currently offering chilling solutions that are unique in the market. The SUB-CHILLING™ system uses a method that decreases or eliminates the need for using ice in containers; something which increases shelf life and maintains product quality for much longer than processors have seen before. The Icelandic market has grown quite familiar with the system and now there is a powerful marketing effort afoot in Norway.
“Since our system presents an utterly new way of thinking it takes time to market the product to processors,“ explains Veturliðason. “We have already sold this to three slaughterhouses and others are coming onboard. People have begun to realize the implications of this solution, whether economically, qualitatively or environmentally. It is so important to adequately chill the fish. We are excited about the reception this will have at the Brussels Expo.”
The way that the SUB-CHILLING™ system works is that the fish is chilled to the temperature of -1.2°C which is a temperature well above the freezing point of the fish, without the use of ice. In the case of a great quantity of fish, skipping the ice makes a great deal of difference. “If we look at Norway, we see that the Norwegians export about 300.000 tons of ice each year with their salmon. We can reduce this significantly using our method.”, explains Veturliðason. “If we then shift our attention to, for instance, Asia or America, the ice weighs 30,000 tons which translates to a lot of flights. Cargo flights are very expensive, the cost of transporting a kilo to Asia ranges from NOK 12 to 15 so when we do the math it becomes quite clear that the savings are enormous when people re able to avoid transporting the ice.”
The quality of the fish as a fresh product will be maintained for longer because it’s colder than under usual circumstances. “Our tests and that of Matís, the Icelandic Fisheries Laboratories, have shown that we can extend the time before the quality starts to drop by 4 to 8 days. This has not been officially verified in Norway yet,” says Veturliðason. “If markets store the fish in optimal conditions, they can stock the fish for longer, which significantly counteracts food waste. Now that people have begun thinking more along environmentalist lines it is also a great advantage that our solution greatly reduces the carbon footprint of transporting fish when the ice is not included. The system is therefore a better option than traditional chilling from the standpoint of both quality and the environment.”
Besides the great possibilities enabled by the SUB-CHILLING™ system in Norway, Veturliðason also has great expectations for the thawing systems of Skaginn 3X. “It is important to process fish correctly when freezing on-board and then thawing it for processing on land. Our thawing systems do that quite well and we have sold quite a few of them in Iceland and abroad. A good thawing process is a key factor in maintaining the quality of the frozen product. Our thawing applications thaw the fish at low temperatures and keep it cold while it equalizes. We deliver better material yield and higher quality with our equipment.” Thus, opportunity awaits in Norway. The aim for Veturliðason and his team at the Norwegian branch office now is to reach more customers, increase the turnover and subsequently add employees in order to service their market even better.
Contact information:
Magni Veturliðason
CEO Skaginn 3X AS, Norway
Mobile: (+)47 9066 6426
magni@skaginn3x.no
www.skaginn3x.no
Chat with me in MS Teams!
