Salmon farmer celebrates milestone.
Processing at the Port Hardy processing plant passed 800 kg of processing per man hour for the first time – which the company says is an an industry benchmark – according to the company’s latest newsletter.
“I’m very proud of the entire workforce at the plant” said Processing Director Stephen Hall. “There is a great sense of teamwork with everyone working towards the same goal. I have no complaints at all,” he added. Hall attributed the achievement of this benchmark to “a low staff turnover leading to a great level of experience on the floor, and a great maintenance team ensuring high levels of reliability.”
The use of the high capacity S-bins, which are used to transport the fish to its new value-added plant in Surrey, Vancouver, helped. The year-old Surry plant processes approximately 12,000 tonnes of salmon annually for customers in Western Canada and North West USA.
“The S-bins have helped unblock a pinch-point on the processing floor. Not only are they a more efficient option for transport, but they are helping to reduce congestion on the floor too.”
In 2016 the Port Hardy plant was deemed the company’s most economically efficient plant worldwide.
Built in 1994, the facility (originally called Alpha Processing) was purposely built to process salmon year-round and soon became Port Hardy’s largest private employer. A fire destroyed the building in February 2003, but was soon rebuilt and put back in business.
