POLAND
Losos today concentrates exclusively on canned ďŹ sh products
Investments in R & D are critical In 1954 Losos was involved in fresh ďŹ sh sales, as well as the production of canned ďŹ sh and marinades. In addition, the company ran 10 retail stores, repaired ďŹ shing vessels, produced and mended ďŹ shing nets, and manufactured ice. Today, the company is purely a cannery. Adapting to a constantly changing market is demanding
T
he shift from an organisation with many different commercial interests to a highly focused company producing canned fish was based on a decision taken in 1991. This resulted in a consolidation of activities as well as a spate of investments in new machinery and equipment to modernise the production, which increased from 1,200 to 7,000 tonnes per year. In 2002 a new production facility was built in Slupsk, Poland, and today the company is one of the best-known names on the Polish market for canned fish with a daily production of over 300,000 units under its own brand as well as private labels.
The bulk of the production is based on three species, sprat, herring and mackerel, but there are also small quantities of other species. The species vary somewhat because markets are changing, and tastes are evolving and so the company is constantly experimenting with new products. When we worked exclusively on the Polish market then most products were based on sprat, herring or mackerel, says Sebastian Lau, the production manager, but now we export some of our production and we need to change the products to cater to those markets.
In addition, in Poland too tastes are changing, and we introduce new products to reflect these changes. The company therefore cans hoki, hake, salmon, and different kinds of tuna. The market is very fluid now, and a company has to adapt if it is to survive and thrive. Manufacturing a single product may have been an option at a point in time, but today it is necessary to change and accommodate the customer’s needs.
Easy open cans made of steel or aluminium Today some half of the production is sold on the Polish market and the rest exported. On the Polish
The factory churns out 300,000 cans of fish a day under its own brand as well as for private labels.
market the company sells its production under its own brands, of which there are five, but also produces under private label for a string of domestic and international supermarkets. Cans are produced in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they are all made of either steel or aluminium. Canned products have the advantages of a long shelf life and are usually an inexpensive way to a quick and healthy meal. However, much depends on the raw material; therefore, among the investments in the production facility were some dedicated to preserving the quality of the raw material. A new cold store was built to store the raw material and a freezing plant was added to freeze the raw material, if necessary. Other investments ensured that during the production too the quality of the raw material was not allowed to deteriorate. Both fresh and frozen fish is used in the production, as there are periods, such as in summer, when fresh fish is not available. Baltic herring and sprats are the two main species which the company sources from fishing vessels in Ustka with which it has agreements. The mackerel however is generally from the Atlantic. Among the products is fish which is first smoked and then canned, for example, sprats. The company used to collaborate with external smokehouses but a few years ago invested in its own smoking facility so as to be better able to monitor the quality and the taste
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