Pledge #3
Innovation in the canned goods industry
Palacio de Oriente is synonymous with innovation in the canned fish and seafood sector. Innovation is the key, the true secret behind our long-lasting presence as a business. Without it, without being at the forefront at all times, we would not have been able to enter the 21st century as the oldest active cannery in Spain.
As cannery masters since 1873, our goal is to do better what we do best. This is the principle that has made us focus on transformative activities within the canned goods sector and incorporate the latest advances in machinery, packaging materials and processes.
Our strong suit: the latest in mechanization, endorsed by a hundred and fifty years of tradition
Juan Antonio Alonso Santodomingo, the founder of Conservas Antonio Alonso, dove into the sardine canning business in Vigo, at the end of the 19th century, with modest equipment. The first workers carried out their jobs with a boiler, a steam machine and an oven. They mainly used manual methods, including welding tasks
At the beginning of the 20th century, Alonso Santodomingo gave a leap forward that would pave the way for mechanization in the canning sector. He was one of the first to use sertidoras, that means, machines that could seal the cans automatically. He also equipped the factory with vacuum and mechanics workshops. The latter would evolve, developing into a machinery workshop that was the first of its kind in the canning industry in Galicia.
Our factory in Bueu, the highest expression of innovation in the canning industry
Palacio de Oriente’s activity is mainly carried out at our factory in Bueu (Pontevedra province). An unfortunate fire destroyed a great section of our facilities in 2012, which forced us to reinvent ourselves and start anew. And we did. We turned the situation around and made the most of the opportunity to innovate once more. We decided to rebuild our factory and equip it with the latest technology in the canning sector.
Palacio de Oriente’s new facility has some of the most prominent advances in the industry, all for the sake of efficiency. This location is prepared to complete high work volumes; on the peak of this season, we processed somewhere between 12,000 and 16,000 kilograms of mussel meat each day.
Through a very complex system of sensors, the machinery detects any deviation and corrects it automatically, adjusting ingredients, loads and settings so that each item is marketed in perfect conditions. Ultimately, this means technology is at the disposal of our experience as cannery masters.
With our sights set on the next few years, we are working on a plan to introduce mechanisms and systems for the industry and the business 4.0. The aim is to achieve a complete digital integration of all of Palacio de Oriente’s departments’ activities.
