The SMART Sorter, a game-changer in the shrimp industry, has redefined shrimp sorting. With close to 100 installations in multiple shrimp processing countries, this system has evolved and become more competent. It now boasts enhanced features, improved throughput, and a variety of new take-out options, making it the top choice for shrimp processing. Through our experience at Laitram Machinery, we've discovered that the smart Sorter can generate more revenue and savings for the customers than we initially anticipated. This machine is a true investment in your business. In a recent test, we compared the SMART Sorter to a traditional Dimensional Roller Grader. The improvement in uniformity was no surprise, as we’ve seen this benefit since our first SMART installations at customer facilities.
NO MATTER YOUR SORTING STRATEGIES, GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION, OR END PRODUCTS YOU OFFER, THE SMART SORTER PROVIDES MULTIPLE PATHS TO INCREASE PROFITS.
However, what continues to impress us is the variety of strategies and opportunities for customers to enhance profitability by upgrading to SMART Systems.
WHY ALMOST 100+ SMART SORTER-GRADE SHRIMP GLOBALLY? What does a $0.06, $0.07, $0.08, $0.09… or $0.12+ increase per kg mean for your business?
Grading has become a routine step in the processing workflow. This inertia has prevented many from seeing the potential for improving operations and increasing profits through better grading practices. In reality, profits per pound can be enhanced by focusing on several key areas: increasing volumes of larger sizes, minimizing wasted time in operations caused by "imperfect" lots, refining grading strategies based on customer specifications or contracts, optimizing further processing for value-added products, and leveraging valuable data insights.
The SMART Sorter offers multiple configurations depending on the Shrimp Processor Need.
1. SHRIMP UPGRADE. STOP GIVING AWAY BIG SHRIMP.
The principle is simple: the larger the shrimp, the more valuable. In Roller Graders, shrimp “slide” from the smallest opening to the largest opening; therefore, the chances of a shrimp falling into a smaller opening than its right size are bigger than the chances of a shrimp falling into a bigger opening than its right size. It is not easy to see in a classic box or bag of ~2 kg, but when thousands of lbs are graded, it is easy to understand how much money is lost by giving away shrimp that should have been sold for higher prices.
Roller Graders categorize large value-priced shrimp as lower-priced—the difference in price between different sizes of shrimp increases as the shrimp get bigger. Make the most of each shrimp by optimizing your grading strategy to clearly define average counts and adjust size limits with the best uniformity available in the market.
2. OPTIMIZE GRADING FOR A PRIMARY PRODUCT
Grading is not a standard activity, and with current markets, processors need to be flexible and accommodate a variety of products for different markets. One customer might need a long-term contract in which you want to put as much product as possible in one size as long as the uniformity and average count allow. Monitoring and controlling with roller graders is very hard, if not impossible. Another customer and market might need a value-added product with tight specs resulting from grading an HLSO precisely for the yields of the final product. Lots with high dispersion don’t need to be regraded several times in the SMART sorter, and lots with molten shrimp are graded faster, saving thousands of dollars in time and labor while minimizing by-products that incur added costs.
The SMART sorter enables processors to obtain more shrimp that follow the spec from a contract in one size, complying with uniformity and average count. We’ve measured with the customers up to 10% more product compared to a roller grader that might not put some shrimp in that specific product, creating more time to comply with the volume for the contract and more by-products in other sizes not with specifications. The benefits of this are significant: reduced regrading (labor), simplified inventory controls, fewer by-products, decreased products in the freezer or outsourced to cold storage.
3. GRADE FOR VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS
Value-added products have higher margins and are critical to shrimp processors' businesses. Three key variables can significantly impact the profitability of producing value-added products:
Initial Grading of the Product: What type of shrimp will be graded to obtain the final value-added product: HOSO (Head On Shell On) ,HLSO (Head Less Shell On), or PUD (Peeled UnDeveined)? Some processors need to grade HOSO to process value-added products, while others can dehead and then grade HLSO. There are even processors that grade PUD. The ability to precisely grade any product—not just in standard sizes but in sizes specific to the needs of the final value-added product—can lead to significant savings in labor costs, reduced processing time, and fewer claims.
Yields During Processing: What yields will occur during various processing steps such as peeling, partially peeling, deveining, hydration, cooking, and breading? Grading products uniformly for different value-added products is often a mistake, as it can lead to intensive labor and time required for corrections to ensure uniformity and average sizes. To ensure the value-added product complies with the right specifications. Understanding the different yields a value-added product requires and the ability to grade the initial range of sizes needed can greatly improve profitability.
SMART Sorter Shrimp Grading Vietnam.
An example from our experience with the SMART Sorter in Vietnam demonstrates its exceptional performance. SMART Customers can now grade 14-gram shrimp with the precision required by highly demanding Japanese buyers. Remarkably, the SMART Sorter achieves the accuracy of a checkweigher scale while maintaining the high throughput of a roller grader.
Processing Method: How will the product be processed—by hand or using machines? While processing technologies are improving, the quality of the raw material grading can significantly affect the overall operation.
The sorter brings visibility and insights into your business in real-time, Shrimp-by-shrimp, lot-by-lot. It eliminates imprecision in harvesting/buying vs. selling. The SMART Sorter shows what is being graded and the crops, fishing, and purchases to allow customers to buy better. The system helps customers to keep better track of suppliers or ponds.
Processing methods and technologies are improving; however, the quality of the graded raw materials can significantly impact operations. With the SMART Sorter, shrimp processors can enhance their profitability meaningfully and provenly.
For more information or in-house testing with your product, contact us at lm.sales@laitram.com laitrammachinery.com