 Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir Iceland's minister of Higher education, Industry, and Innovation, and Njáll Trausti Friðbertsson, Member of the Parliament for the Independence Party along with their associate Magnús Júlíusson visited Vélfag this week in Akureyri. After a short introduction to the company, the group was given a tour through the factory and shown the M705 filleting machine and other exciting forthcoming projects. The minister praised the company as she said, "Vélfag has invested heavily in research and development and is innovating to revolutionize fish processing to increase quality and reduce emissions, waste, etc."
The Vélfag team would like to thank Áslaug, Njáll Trausti and Magnús for their pleasant and inspiring visit.
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 Vélfag´s founders, Mr. Bjarmi Arnfjörð Sigurgarðarsson and Mrs. Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir. Picture / Silfá Huld Bjarmadóttir The Russian company Norebo, headquartered in Murmansk and one of the world’s largest seafood companies, has acquired 54,5 % of the shares in the Icelandic seafood processing machine maker Vélfag ehf., from Vélfag´s founders, Mrs. Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir and Mr. Bjarmi Arnfjörð Sigurgarðarsson. At the same time, they are increasing Vélfag ehf.´s share capital. This transaction strengthens Vélfag ehf., going forward, and is a testament to Vélfag´s employees‘ and owners‘ work. Getting Norebo on board as a shareholder and cooperation partner prepares Vélfag for increased production while also bolstering Vélfag´s research and development projects. Vélfag was founded in 1995 by Ólöf and Bjarmi. The company started as a maintenance servicing company for the Icelandic seafood industry, but eventually, it shifted its focus to developing and producing its own machines and selling them to fish processing vessels and factories. Suffice to say, Vélfag has put a tremendous effort in developing their machinery and equipment over the years. This has resulted in great interest from the seafood processing industry both in Iceland and abroad. Vélfag is an innovative company based on strong entrepreneurial work. The company has received an innovation award, and last year, it received a research and innovation grant in the amount of ISK 50 million from Rannís, The Icelandic Centre for Research, to develop a machine, which has been put into a patent granting procedure. With large sales contracts in the pipeline and a new strong partner on board, there are exciting times ahead for Vélfag. Founded in 1997, Russian holding Norebo with headquarters in Murmansk has expanded its operations globally and is now one of the world´s largest and most reputable harvesters of wild seafood. Norebo´s customers choose from a wide range of seafood and related products – either produced at sea or onshore – and services including marine terminal and cold storage. Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir and Bjarmi Arnfjörð Sigurgarðarsson will stay as the Managing Directors of the company. Vélfag´s board of directors will comprise Mr. Finnbogi A. Baldvinsson, Ms. Soling Yip, Chief Financial Officer of Norebo Overseas Holding, and Mr. Pavel Kosolapov, Technical Director of Norebo Group. For more information : Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir [email protected] or Finnbogi Baldvinsson, [email protected] Gengið hefur verið frá sölu á 54,5 % hlut í Vélfagi ehf til rússneska fyrirtækisins Norebo, eins stærsta útgerðarfélags heims. Stofnendur Vélfags, Bjarmi Arnfjörð Sigurgarðarsson og Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir seldu hlut í félaginu og um leið var hlutafé aukið. Kaupverð er trúnaðarmál.
Viðskiptin eru afar ánægjuleg fyrir Vélfag og gríðarleg viðurkenning fyrir eigendur og starfsfólk fyrirtækisins. Mikill fengur er í Norebo sem hluthafa og samstarfsaðila, kaupin styrkja mjög stoðir Vélfags og búa fyrirtækið undir aukið þróunarstarf og verulega aukningu í framleiðslu. Vélfag var stofnað árið 1995 af þeim Bjarma og Ólöfu. Fyrst í stað var fyrirtækið í þjónustu við fyrirtæki í sjávarútvegi en fljótlega hófu starfsmenn Vélfags að þróa og framleiða vélar fyrir fiskvinnslu. Óhætt er þó að segja að fyrirtækið hafi lagt mikinn metnað og kraft í þróun á vélum, sem hefur skilað mjög góðum árangri. Vélfag er framsækið nýsköpunarfyrirtæki, sem byggir á öflugu frumkvöðlastarfi. Fyrirtækið hefur hlotið nýsköpunarverðlaun og á síðasta ári fékk það nýsköpunarstyrk að upphæð 50 milljónir frá Rannís Tækniþróunarsjóði til þróunar á vél, sem er í einkaleyfisferli. Í farvatninu eru stórir sölusamningar og óhætt að segja að framundan séu mjög áhugaverðir og bjartir tímar hjá Vélfagi. Stofnendur Vélfags, Bjarmi og Ólöf, gleðjast mjög á þessum tímamótum: „Við fögnum þessum merka og mikilvæga áfanga í sögu Vélfags. Við erum sannfærð um að þetta sé mikið gæfuspor enda mun aðkoma Norebo skjóta styrkum stoðum undir Vélfag til að takast á við krefjandi framtíð og tryggja jafnframt áframhaldandi þjónustu og gæði fyrir bæði núverandi og framtíðar viðskiptavini. Framundan eru gríðarmiklar áskoranir í vinnslu og meðferð sjávarafurða í breyttri heimsmynd. Við hlökkum mikið til að takast á við þessi spennandi tækifæri með því öfluga og metnaðarfulla fyrirtæki sem Norebo er.“ Stjórn félagsins munu skipa Finnbogi Baldvinsson fyrir hönd Bjarma og Ólafar, en aðrir í stjórn eru Soling Yip, fjármálastjóri Norebo Overseas Holding og Pavel Kosolapov, framkvæmdastjóri tæknimála hjá Norebo Group. Framkvæmdastjórar Vélfags verða sem áður Bjarmi Arnfjörð Sigurgarðarson og Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir. Nánari upplýsingar veita: Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir [email protected] eða Finnbogi Baldvinsson, [email protected]  Ólöf Ýr Lárusdóttir the CEO of Vélfag and Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir the project manager. Photo: Þorgeir Baldursson Vélfag has signed an agreement with the Technology Development Fund (Rannís) for funding the design and development of a new type of fish processing machine. The new machine will revolutionize fish processing as we know it and make it easier for fish processors to produce higher-value products.
The Technology Development Fund is a competitive fund that issues its calls for proposals twice a year. The role of the fund is to support research and development activities, which aim towards innovation in the Icelandic industry. A total of 459 applications were received, and Vélfag was one of 73 projects that got funding. The grant categories were; Practical Research Projects, Seeds, Sprouts, Growth, and Market Strength. We look forward to working on this project and entering a successful partnership with the fund. The electropolished machinery from Vélfag repels dirt and water and ensures better durability and corrosion resistance. In addition, the space-saving and straightforward design save you hours of cleaning time. Conveyors are easy to take off for deep cleaning, and automatic wash is optional with internal nozzles.
It takes under 5 minutes to clean the whole machine from being stained to shining and spotless. Consumers are now increasingly aware of food businesses' requirements and the processes needed to produce safe and suitable products. Not only will consumers question poor food handling and hygiene practices, but they are also more likely to return to clean, well-maintained premises. With the simplicity of the machinery, modern technology, and food-grade materials, Vélfag ensures the material flows smoothly through the shortest period with the highest quality and hygiene standards possible for safe and wholesome fish production. Increased hygiene reduces microbial formation, ensures the quality of raw materials, decreases bacterial growth, and prolongs shelf life.  Vélfag would like to congratulate Krossfiskur ehf on their new M700 filleting machine.
Krossfiskur is one of Iceland's processing plants located in Stokkseyri, south Iceland. The M700 has a proven record of maximum durability, minimum need for maintenance, increased yield and profitability. Vélfag completed delivery and startup this month, and we are very excited to have you on the team!  Last month Vélfag delivered two processing lines to Ireland in cooperation with BIM (Ireland seafood development agency). The forward-thinking company Atlantis invested in one of the lines, including the M521 (H&G), the M705 computer-controlled filleting machine, and the M822 skinning machine. BIM and Vélfag started discussing possibilities filleting-wise for the Irish market, which is different from the Icelandic one as the Ireland species are more miniature, extra sensitive, and normally, they would need two machines to handle their size range. Vélfag introduced the newest fully computer-controlled M705 machine, which measures each incoming fish with laser accuracy and positions the cutting knives accordingly, using servo motors. It allows for total control of knife movements (lift and timing) through the touchscreen and adjustments to bone guides, cutting speed, and stiffness off infeed guides. It offers alteration from one fish species with a push of a button and differentiating between stiff (new) and soft fish. These features enable the machines to operate in a broader range of different species and increase yield, which was an essential fit for Atlantis. Since we had the concept ready, we dove into the process of adapting the machine to fulfill BIM’s/ Irish criteria. In preparation, Atlantis first got the mechanical M700 for trials, and, based on their experience and good results, they decided to invest in the advanced M705 filleting machine along with the M822 skinning machine and the M521 heading machine, which is designed to both head whole fish and take the collarbone off pre-headed fish (H&G). The M521 eliminates the danger of fillets getting stuck in the filleting process and subsequently the fillets that follow. We spent over a month working with Atlantis to adapt and perfect the M705 for their needs,
ranging from 350g to 7kg fish of Hake, Haddock, Whiting, Cod, and Ling. We can with confidence say that both parties are happy with the results. Velfag would like to thank both BIM and Atlantis for the opportunity to build a machine that uniquely suited the Irish producers in performance and adaptability to their multiple species and sizes. The excellent cooperation was very productive and bore fruit with our exclusive filleting process, which sets a new industry standard. The M521 is a V-Cut heading machine & Collarbone Cutter designed for
COLLARBONE CUTTING Removing the collarbone before filleting is crucial to secure optimum yield, fillet quality, and up-time processing. As a collarbone cutter, the M521 also plays a vital role in a state-of-the-art filleting line; effectively removing the collarbones and:
The M521 deheading and collarbone cutting machine is a neat and powerful tool for the seafood industry when building their eco-labels and sustainability certification.  Ilivileq GR 2-201 Kick-started the year by fishing 2200 tons of whitefish in the Greenland Waters on the first tour in 2021. About 100-110 tons, mainly cod, were processed on the vessel each day with Vélfag machinery, including; two computer-controlled M505 heading machines, M700 filleting machine, and the advanced M725 big fish filleting machine. Both filleting machines are combined with Vélfag's skinning equipment to maximize throughput and uptime.
The majority of the catch was large fish, and 60-70% ran smoothly through the M725 filleting machine. "The machines were terrific, and get a straight A's ! " -said one of the technicians onboard. We look forward to joining the technicians and, believe it or not, make the machines to be even more efficient! You can read more about the Vélfag equipment on board here: www.velfag.com/news/the-new-ilivileq-gr-201-is-fully-integrated-with-first-rate-processing-lines-from-velfag  Vélfag has delivered a refurbished M700 filleting machine to GPG Seafood in Bakkafjörður, Iceland, one of GPG Seafood's processing plants in Iceland. Vélfag's experts successfully completed delivery and startup last week. GPG Seafood prides itself on offering quality fish that reflects the purity of Icelandic nature. The raw material originates in the pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean around Iceland. Strict quality requirements and processes within the company ensure the delivery of stable quality products all year round. Therefore, fish processing machines and solutions from Vélfag are a perfect match for ambitious companies like GPG Seafood.
This cleverly designed M700 machine is a perfect example of the durability and robustness that our customers receive when buying equipment produced by Vélfag. This filleting machine had previously served non-stop for years on board an Icelandic factory trawler until replaced by its previous owner for a new computer-controlled filleting machine from Vélfag. -The Vélfag team would like to congratulate GPG Seafood on their new filleting machine. We are thrilled to have you with us. |