Iceland Seafood chooses ULMA Packaging for the sustainable packaging of its frozen fish range for supermarkets

Apr 16, 2024
Iceland Seafood Ibérica, part of the Iceland Seafood International Group, is the largest importer of salted cod of Iceland. With a focus on sourcing, developing and supplying seafood products, they maintain close ties with fishers and factories in Iceland and other key locations, and are dedicated to serving customers in Spain, Italy and Portugal: distributors, processors and retailers.

Challenge

Iceland Seafood Ibérica approached ULMA Packaging, seeking to develop sustainable skin packaging for its range of supermarket products. The packaging also had to be attractive, stand out on supermarket shelves and be fully functional.

Focusing on sustainability, the challenge involved developing a high-output thermoforming machine capable of producing sustainable skin packaging, with a flat base made of 100% recyclable, peelable cardboard.

Solution

ULMA Packaging stepped up to the challenge and offered to develop a semi-automatic packaging line including a TFS 707 skin thermoforming machine, specifically designed to meet the high output and sustainability requirements.

This thermoforming machine can produce peelable cardboard packaging that not only keeps frozen fish fresh, but is also fully recyclable, thus helping to reduce the environmental impact.

“It had to be a recyclable and peelable cardboard, which posed a number of problems for cutting and sealing. This development was very important for the consistency of the finished product”.
Jose Maria Salvador, Operations Director of Iceland Seafood Ibérica.

Result

The introduction of ULMA Packaging's TFS 707 skin thermoforming machine has provided Iceland Seafood Ibérica with an efficient, sustainable solution for its frozen fish packaging process.

The packaging that is produced is highly functional, keeping the product fresh while complying with sustainability standards:

  • Less plastic is used
  • Opting for more sustainable materials: paper, mono-material films, etc.

This has not only improved the company's reputation for environmental responsibility, but has also led to significant savings in the long term.

Besides providing innovative packaging solutions, ULMA Packaging is committed to delivering an outstanding after-sales service to its customers. This includes full technical support to ensure optimal machine operation, and the availability of spare parts and preventive maintenance to minimise any unscheduled downtime.

“ULMA was awarded the tender because it offered a very competitive price, as well as a close after-sales service, which is very important to us. It is always important to have someone nearby when a machine fails. Let's not make our customers wait because there has been a fault and we don't have a technical support service that can assist us.” Jose Maria Salvador, Operations Director of Iceland Seafood Ibérica.

Iceland Seafood Ibérica can rely on the ongoing support of ULMA Packaging to keep its packaging line running efficiently and cost-effectively over time.