June 8, 2007

Ukraine's Mironovsky contracts Pas Reform for state-of-the-art hatchery automation

Press release

Ukraine's leading integrated poultry producer, Mironovsky Hliboprodukt, has contracted Dutch hatchery technology company Pas Reform to supply new equipment and training for a major expansion project over the next two years.

Pas Reform will supply 102 SmartSet setters and 144 SmartHatch hatchers for the ambitious project, targeting production of over 175 million day-old chicks a year, and taking Mironovsky Hliboprodukt's output to 227,000 tonnes of chilled poultry products (including whole birds, cutups, giblets and other meat products) per annum by 2008.

In addition to installation of the hatchery equipment, Pas Reform is also Mironovsky's chosen supplier for a total, state-of-the-art hatchery automation system - creating what will be one of the largest hatcheries of its kind in Europe.

The Mironovsky hatchery automation project consists of: 

• Three separate lines for automated hatching egg handling, to place eggs automatically on setter trays
   
• Semi-automated candling and transfer operation, in collaboration with Embrex to facilitate the possible incorporation of inovoject operations in the future
   
• Automated chick take off, culminating in chick counting lines for total throughput of 90,000 doc/h
   
• A hatcher basket tipper, macerator and vacuum system for waste disposal
   
• Automated washing lines (with pre-wash) for hatcher baskets, setter trays and chick boxes
   
• Stackers and destackers for chick boxes, hatcher baskets and setter trays
   
• Automatic vaccination carrousels, with vaccination equipment

"Working with a multi-disciplinary team has been essential for this project, to achieve the required scalability not only to meet today's needs, but also those of the future," said project leader Jan Peter Eil.

Pas Reform has the skills and expertise to mobilise an integrated team of embryologists, hatchery management and production specialists and fully qualified engineers. "By this integrated approach, our project team delivers a balanced solution that enables maximum hands-off operation, geared entirely to producing the highest output of quality, day-old chicks," added Jan.

Working in collaboration with Mironovsky, Pas Reform has used the newest release of One Space Designer, a 3D modelling package that has revolutionised the conceptual drawing stages of hatchery planning and design.

"Poultry consumption is growing rapidly in Ukraine, and we envisage a situation in the next five years, whereby the poultry sector here will satisfy not only our domestic needs, but it will also begin exporting to neighbouring markets," said Mr Kosyuk, President of Mironovsky.

Kosyuk added that in light of these developments, Mironovsky plans to drive its production facilities to meet world standards.