US seafood processor expands in China

Massachusetts-based Eastern Fisheries, has announced that it has expanded its global operations with the opening of a second processing plant in Zhuanghe, China.

The company's facility is set to increase its sole and flounder production and will be managed by Dalian Far Eastern Shores Seafood, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern Fisheries. The processing plant offers custom flatfish filleting, block and IQF and vacuum-pack capabilities.

Both of Eastern's China plants process wild Alaska flatfish species, including yellowfin sole, rock sole, flathead sole and Alaska plaice.

"There have certainly been challenges associated with creating real infrastructure in a foreign country, both in bridging cultural differences and implementing the necessary information flow between the factories and our US operations," said Joseph Furtado, Eastern's executive vice president.

Furtado noted, "But it's those very challenges that we've overcome and that we now feel provide the foundation for our vertically integrated approach. Ultimately, our goal is to offer measurable value to our customers through cost consolidation and operational efficiencies."