E-CAT reliability and precision

Poultry production, considered one of the relatively less affected meat lines in these times of financial turmoil, still needs a lot of help from companies like E-CAT which provides precise hatchery automation systems to cut costs and sustain quality.

Looking on to some of the most financially challenged times in decades, the egg and poultry production worldwide still appears promising as demand for poultry meat has never substantially dived. Yet, the sector needs as much support from companies that prioritize the producers' thrust to come up with the highest value output while saving on the costs of production.

E-CAT (Egg-Chick Automated Technologies), being in the business of providing hatchery automation solution and based in France, recently introduced an innovative and modern egg transfer line using a combination of patented technologies. E-CAT president, Dr. Ephrem Adjanohoun, shares that developments such as these are some of the company's ways to do its part in helping poultry egg producers to reduce costs and enhance product quality.

The company's background in the hatchery automation industry enables it to provide customers with a full range of turnkey automated systems for eggs, chicks, trays and waste handling, as well as highly specialized IN OVO Injection, Egg Vaccination and Egg Candling systems. Its equipment range is calibrated to different capacities of hatcheries ranging from 10,000 to 120,000 chicks/hour.

The recently launched high- quality equipment include the laser candling with robotic egg remover, the inovo injection machine "EGINJECT" and the egg transfer machine.

E-CAT assures that the EGINJECT machine is the most technically advanced injection system available in the market now which showed effective results that have been proven directly on-site in different hatcheries.

Among the machine's different advantages are its varabiable multiple-speed injection pattern to preserve the embryo from any injuries, new vaccine savings technologies allowing up to 20 percent savings on vaccine costs, single-needle technology reducing significantly any risk of contamination and preventing egg breakage and its ability to select the volume to be injected at will while other existing equipment can only inject a fixed dose.

The laser candling, with robotic egg removal, ensures a high level of precision and accuracy - close to 100 percent, at a fast speed - up to 100, 000 eggs/hour. Further, it is easy-to-wash and suitable for industrial use.

Another equipment that ECAT has launched is the WE or WISECARE candling machine. Wisecare is able to differentiate live from dead embryos within the egg, not only the absence or presence of embryo as other machines do. It can also detect different egg traits such as upside down eggs, early and late dead eggs, clear eggs, contaminated eggs, cracked eggs and hemorragic eggs. This candling machine also uses patented innovative technologies, with an assurance of very high level of accuracy.

With these new products in the market, E-CAT is definitely leveraging its competitive edge in the hatchery equipment industry. Dr. Adjanohoun notes that the company "provides equipment for large-scale but also for small-scale operations, thus making E-CAT flexible to different needs. We also provide many custom-built or adaptation of our equipment to customers' specific needs and requests. Further, the company has biological expertise with its in-house veterinarians, microbiologists and engineering experts." The company also has specialists in different areas such as mechanical, automation, electronics and computer science.

Also to further enhance its constant thrust for innovation, E-CAT has partnerships with technical research institutes to help the internal R&D team in developing and integrating new technologies to its line of equipment.

On top of all these, E-CAT wants to maintain one of the things it is most proud of - the quality of its equipment. "Their performance and techologically updated features make them difficult to copy," Dr. Adjanohoun says. "The company has the advantage of manufacturing long lasting, reliable and and high-quality equipment compared to other equipment available in the market."

To meet the constantly varying needs of the market, E-CAT not only develops updated machines but also improves its existing equipment line. In fact, the company repairs customers' old or existing equipment and customize it to fully comply to different needs. "We offer feasibility studies and clients can choose from many options adapted to the hatchery design and conception. Plus, our customer service team always has someone ready to provide quick solutions either through phone calls, online assistance or on-site visits," Dr. Adjanohoun adds.

The company also offers assistance in the re-organization of producers' hatcheries, taking into consideration all of the important sanitary and work flow requirements of today's hatcheries.

Aside from making updated and customized hatchery systems, the company ensures that it is sensitive to the concerns of the market. Currently, as the financial situation looks gloomy, E-CAT finds it necessary to keep its prices very reasonable.

E-CAT sees that one sure way to understand the market is to deploy a network of agents or employees managing a network of local agents in almost every country - something that the company has been doing to attain market sensitivity. This set-up provides a close and direct local contact, Dr. Adjanohoun explains.

Moreover, the company looks not only on the current needs but on the long-term needs of the market. "We are planning to keep on expanding and we will continue to improve the existing equipment and to develop new technologies to serve each customer better. In fact this year, we continue to build several partnerships with customers so we can make special equipment for independent entities."

Also in the near future, E-CAT plans to futher increase the range of its in ovo injection equipment as well as finalize the daring projects such as automated sexing equipment. Dr. Adjanohoun also shares that "we are in the process of acquiring a new manufacturing plant that will give us the capacity to double our production within the next few years."

Currently, E-CAT is mostly aggressive in Europe and in Asia. In Europe, the company has been doing strong business in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and Poland.

Asia is also considered a very high potential market. As a matter of fact, E-CAT has been active in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Korea and China. Dr. Adjanohoun explains that "Asia is an interesting market as the hatcheries are integrating step by step for automation. Whereas in some countries such as Korea, Japan and Thailand, automation has been introduced a few years ago. And E-CAT is ensuring that there is constant maintenance of the equipment through regular service visits and spare part supply in countries where it is present."

The company also sees that additional automation including chick counting and boxing systems, automated de-stacking and re-stacking systems for setter and hatchery trays, chick delivery boxes, efficient automated washing and drying systems, tray and trolley handling systems, centralized box/tray storage systems, better and acceptable waste management (ecological recycling methods) will become and continue to be of ever increasing importance in the markets.

To keep on building high quality equipment, the company maintains its main values which are based on reliability, good service and attention to all the clients. Further, to sustain the company's brand of business, it constantly develops new machines and is alert for new markets while promising a price strategy that remains in a competitive range or that is more affordable than other products.

As a major supplier of hatchery automation worldwide, E-CAT is marketing innovative products designed to totally review work principles in a hatchery today.

And with the world market at a recession, E-CAT is confident that it will not be fully affected due to its reliable range of product which the customers are consistently in need of. Dr. Adjanohoun explains that "we could feel the impact of the downturn in the reduction of some traditional hatchery product but we have seen increase in other products as well." In a nutshell, the company's thrust is based on the simple principle of maintaining quality at a friendlier cost, a sure solution to a market that has been looking for dynamic answers.