The first high-precision computer-controlled collarbone cutter for whitefish
Our company, CURIO ltd., founded in 2007, is one of the Icelandic leading developers and manufacturers of fish processing machinery. With a team of 40 people, we design, produce, and commercialize three types of high performance fish processing machines (i.e. heading, filleting, and skinning), and a reference of knife sharpening. Currently, we sale our machinery to over 100 of the main fish processing companies worldwide.  This close contact with the fish processing industry enabled us to identify a new market niche to be exploited: Inefficient practices and lack of specialized machinery during fish processing (more specifically during collarbone cutting), which translate in the underutilization or even wastage of tons of fish meat every day. In this sense, and given our commitment with fish processing optimization, we developed 4CWhite: the first computer controlled fish processing machine designed to cut the collarbone of different de-headed whitefish species. In this way, 4CWhite will increase the loin yield up to 2% to be profitable in further processing, in comparison with current alternatives (i.e. mainly manually cutting or by in-house adapted heading machines) that represent a loin wastage up to 8%. 4CWhite’s productivity (20,000 fish/day), extended service life (>15 years), reduced labour requirements (only one operator) demonstrate that it is the best value for money solution to increase the efficiency of this step of fish processing and promote a more sustainable use of oceans resources.  Based on 4CWhite sales on demand among the major whitefish processors from Nordic and North-western European countries, we expect to sell at least 200 4CWhite units by 2022, reaching a market share around 8%. Our financial figures forecast €58 million of cumulative revenues for the period 2020 - 2022 with a total gain profit of about €11.6 million and a labour force increase of 50% (20 new operators).