A new house was taken into use last November at the premises of Útgerðarfélag Akureyringa (ÚA). One year passed from when a decision was made to demolish the old barracks and construct a new building, until it was ready for use.
The new building is a very good addition to the factory here. The facility is designed to meet the strictest requirements for future processing of fish. This spacious house, has new automatic packing lines for both fresh and frozen products as well as a temperature controlled delivery hall, which contributes considerably to the handling of the products. It has taken time to adjust and learn to use all the new equipment, but the staff has been very positive and determined to make things work.« said Gestur Geirsson, Director of Land based production of Samherji.
The new house was open to the public on 20th of December, at the same time as the Samherji community grants were announced. On this occasion Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson CEO said that he was in many ways satisfied with the year that was coming to an end. »With this new building and the changes in the processing of our products, we are taking big steps in changing the future, with more options than ever before, of serving our customers with a wider range of products.«
Ùtgerðarfélag Akureyringa employs about 150 people, whose work adds a considerable value to the product. »One of the goals of these changes was to reduce the number of jobs that are physically demanding and to increase the safety and welfare of our staff. In that respect this project has been successful. With these changes, we continue to lead in fishing and processing of whitefish, not just in Iceland but in the world.«
Thorsteinn Már said that Samherji is exporting more from the production plants than ever before. »In the year 2000 when we began land based production of cod in Dalvik we received 4,500 tonnes of fish a year. We now receive about 30,000 tonnes per year in the two plants here in Eyjafjörður. Thorsteinn Már said he was especially pleased that the new building has been designed and constructed by local technology and construction companies in which the Icelandic ingenuity, together with the knowledge and experience of our own employees who have been decades in the fishing industry, were used. I believe we are equipped with the most advanced fish processing facilities for years to come.« said Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson CEO of Samherji.
