More than 35 years of history of bulk cargo, box by box of salmon, has just ended in Chile after Mowi implemented a palletized shipping system. According to the company, the project, a pioneer in the South American country, represents “a step towards a new era of logistics, much more efficient, faster and safer”. To achieve this, the salmon company has worked collaboratively with LATAM Cargo, CargoNet, Intermodal, and Chile’s National Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC). The first shipment with the new system left Santiago airport for Miami in the United States.
A milestone achieved thanks to public-private collaboration
If there is one thing that all the companies and institutions involved in this salmon palletized cargo project agree on, it is that this is a historic event achieved thanks to joint work. “The milestone we are experiencing today at the Santiago airport is an achievement that responds to a joint effort between public and private actors. Mowi had been carrying out this same experience some years ago in Ezeiza, Argentina, with undeniable results of improvement and efficiency and we were eager to replicate it in our country”, said Sebastián Valdivieso, Deputy Manager of Logistics and Comex of Mowi Chile. “We are very happy to have achieved this for the benefit of the quality and safety of the product that reaches the table of our customers around the world”.
From LATAM Cargo, one of the key partners in the project, they agree. “At LATAM Cargo we are constantly looking for solutions that allow us to make our processes more efficient and are a contribution to our customers, especially when it comes to a product like salmon where every minute counts to safeguard its quality”, said senior commercial manager, Ignacio Galinovic. “The implementation of this project is a clear example that when we work collaboratively, we can achieve great results that will allow us to continue offering a service with the highest quality standards”.
Improved quality and food safety
Safeguarding product quality and safety is the ultimate goal of this change. Palletizing eliminates product handling by one-third, thus reducing the risk of spoiling the salmon and ensuring strict food defense and food safety policies. The new system also reduces loading and unloading time by 65%, from 2-3 hours to just 45 minutes. To implement it, it was necessary to incorporate special plastic pallets that are reused and sent back to Chile from the country receiving the product.
Mowi Chile also pointed out that in order to access this logistical improvement, companies must have a Supply Chain certification granted by the DGAC. This certificate authorizes the scanning of 10% of the cargo, thus allowing the pallets to follow their destination intact from the origin and carrying the product in the best conditions to the different destination markets.
About Mowi
Mowi ASA is one of the largest seafood companies in the world and the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon. With a turnover of EUR 4.9 billion in 2022, the company employs 11 500 people and is represented in 25 countries. In Chile, Mowi operates in two regions: Los Lagos and Aysén. Mowi is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE) and its share also trades on the US OTC market.
