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Emydex is 20 Years in Business today

Emydex is 20 Years in Business today

Emydex Technology is celebrating 20 incredible years in business TODAY on 26th April 2024

Two decades of innovation, growth, and dedication have brought us to this milestone, and we couldn't be prouder of what we've achieved.

Since our inception in April 2004, we've been committed to revolutionising the food processing industry with our cutting-edge software.

From our humble beginnings in Damastown in 2004, to becoming a global leader and partner of choice in MES software solutions for the food processing sector, it's been a fulfilling journey filled with challenges, triumphs, and memories.

Join us in looking back on our Emydex journey with a short photo summary of our company’s evolution over the past 20 years.

View our Emydex Journey

We owe our success to our dedicated team, whose hard work and passion have been the driving force behind every achievement. Thank you for your unwavering dedication and commitment to excellence. None of this would have been possible without the loyalty and support of our valued customers, the majority of whom have worked with Emydex for the past decade, and for many others longer.

Please read in our news section what 20 of our longest-serving customers have to say about Emydex having reached our 20-year milestone.

Join us in celebrating 20 years of Emydex Technology and here's to the next 20 years of innovation, growth, and success!

If you want to learn more – contact Emydex in any of our global market offices in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or North America

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Emydex at IPPE Atlanta

Emydex exhibit at IPPE in
Atlanta, Georgia

Emydex showcased our innovative factory floor software solutions for poultry processors at the #IPPE trade show held in Atlanta, Georgia from Jan 30th to February 2nd 2024.

Renowned as the largest trade show event of its kind globally, IPPE 2024 proved to be an unparalleled experience from any previous trade show Emydex has attended. This was Emydex’s first time exhibiting on the highly impressive BAADER booth and we express our gratitude to Oliver Hahn, CEO of BAADER Food Systems USA, for his invaluable support in facilitating our involvement.

Additionally, we extend our sincere appreciation to the global BAADER team for bringing their customers to discuss how their processes can be improved with our proven technology.

Watch the video below summarising our highlights and reflections at the show.

If you want to learn more – contact Emydex in any of our global market offices in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or North America

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Emydex expands in Canada: a game changer for Food Traceability

Emydex expands in Canada: a game changer for Food Traceability

Customers

It has been a busy year of expansion for the Emydex Team in North America. We started deploying our solution to a prominent multi-plant poultry provider in the region, initiating with a Packing and Labelling Solution for their key facility in Waterloo, Ontario. We are eager to commence integration with their enterprise-wide ERP system and to launch enhanced features in Waterloo and additional sites.

In the Seafood sector, we've been collaborating with a leading seafood company in British Columbia for a few years now, focusing on tailored solutions for their distinct Roe Herring processing. At the same time, we are enhancing their utilization of our standard features across various fish species processing operations.

Our inaugural client in North America, a major pork processing company that has been with us since 2017, is planning to be extend their existing three production operations, to a fourth plant, a state-of-the-art Sow Processing Facility in Saskatchewan, with Emydex delivering the factory floor MES solution. This project brings unique hardware and software challenges, and we are thrilled to customize the Emydex system to meet their operational needs.

PEOPLE

Our Emydex team of people in Canada has been growing along with our business. This year we are pleased to welcome Franzreved Vendiola to the team, working out of Sakatchewan. Franzreved has been a valuable addition to the team, supporting our customers in British Columbia as well as Ontario. We also look forward to welcoming Alistair Walmsley, who recently joining our growing team in Canada, working from his home office in British Columbia.

The addition of Fransreved and Alastair means Emydex engineers are available to communicate and support our customers from East to West Coast North America, also well placed resources for our 24/7 global support coverage system, which leverages our staff in timezones around the world, including locations such as Auckland, Brisbane and Perth, as well as Dublin and Europe obviously.

BAADER

With the recent news of our strategic partnership with BAADER, headquartered in Germany, Emydex had the pleasure of joining some BAADER executives for customer visits in British Columbia, where we were able to introduce the partnership to many of our customers, some of whom are already customers of BAADER also. Soon after that successful trip we were pleased to host a visit from Mrs. Baader, CEO of BAADER Global, in our Canadian base area of Waterloo Ontario.

In the market we are seeing a lot of interest in Emydex's newly released Kill Line and Payment Modules. The process of managing a Meat Packer’s harvest floor has gotten much more complicated. Meat Packers must track and process different breeds, different raising methods (eg. Antibiotic Free, Organic, free-range, etc.). These additional tracking requirements are stressing the Meat Packers' existing Kill line and Payment Management System. Emydex provides a parameter driven Kill Line and Payment Management System, to allow Packers to migrate very quickly to a solution that allows them to be more efficient and manage the payment process.

If you want to learn more – contact Emydex in any of our global market offices in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or North America

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South Africa offers vast opportunities for Irish Agritech exporters

Ongoing uncertainty over Brexit has increased awareness among Irish companies of the need to diversify exports into new markets. In the agritech sector, where the consequences of a hard Brexit could be acute, South Africa offers vast opportunities for suppliers of agri-machinery and technology, as well as companies that offer livestock supplements and feed.

South Africa has the most diverse and productive agri-farming industry on the continent. In 2018, the overall agri value chain contributed 14pc to GDP, while 33pc of revenue earned from South African exports resulted from primary agri-produce. Additionally, the agri sector grew by 6.5pc in the third quarter of 2018.

Farming productivity and sustainability are key trends in South Africa and farmers are looking for new ways to improve their efficiency.

As they are willing to invest in innovative machinery and services that deliver value for money, the reputation that Ireland has developed for producing high-quality equipment has been well received by large commercial farmers.

At present, there is a demand for precision agricultural equipment, such as tractors, planters, balers, sprayers, storage, and soil-testing equipment, most of which are imported.

One Irish agri company, Abbey Machinery, moved into the market in 2018 after a sales enquiry led to one of its diet feeder machines proving its mettle in the country's demanding Highveld region.

Michael O'Grady, sales, marketing and business development manager at Abbey Machinery, said: "The dealer who contacted us had initially seen opportunity only for our feeders but one of the mega farmers also saw a need for one of our slurry tankers because it had more elements he could use than his current machine, which was also imported from Europe.

"There's lots of competition in South Africa - we're not the first foreign agricultural machinery manufacturer in the market - but farmers liked the quality of the machine, how well it was built, and how well it was able to handle the feed."

Easyfix also entered the South African market last year, offering rubber matting and flooring solutions via distributors.

PJ Burke, sales director of the Ballinasloe-based company, toured several farms and believes that farmers are willing to spend money on quality products that add value to their operations.

"We've equipped six farms with our products so far. Obviously there's competition with established products, but we've got a good hit rate and the feedback we're getting from the installations so far is very positive," he said.

"It's not an important market for us yet but it will be. The farmers that I've visited, eight to 10 of them, all have high-production herds, so there's a real opportunity for our range of products to get a foothold there."

Software company Emydex has grown its presence in South Africa over the last six years and a local partner has assisted the company in setting up 16 factories across Southern Africa.

Its tailored solutions and standard products are implemented across food-processing industries, including beef, ostrich and cold storage in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

"Emydex entered the South African market with our first factory floor implementation in 2013," said Shane Hayes, a business analyst who covers technical sales for Emydex.

"With assistance from Enterprise Ireland using market research, Emydex was able to establish a pipeline of prospects that fit with our vision and business model."

Emydex now plans to work in close collaboration with both Enterprise Ireland in Africa and their local partner to expand into new countries within the market, including Kenya and Nigeria.

Abbey Machinery, Easyfix and Emydex are among several Irish companies that are establishing the Irish brand in South Africa.

Enterprise Ireland will continue to support Irish agritech companies that enter and have presences in South Africa and other African countries.

Article written by Dr Ureshnie Govender - a senior market adviser in Life Science and Agritech for Enterprise Ireland in Johannesburg, South Africa.

 

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Australia goes ‘green’ over Irish contracts worth $10m

More than $10 million in new Australian contracts including investments in ICT and emerging technologies - along with a new Melbourne office for Enterprise Ireland - has been announced as part of a Trade Mission from Ireland.

Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys - accompanied by 71 Irish companies from the fintech, medtech, high-tech construction, agritech, emerging technologies and ICT sectors - announced the deals.

“Australia is a mature and highly developed economy that offers significant opportunity for Irish exporters,” Humphreys said in announcing the deals.

“Despite the long distance to market, Australia’s open economy, significant infrastructure expenditure and strategic location at the doorstep of Asia has led many Irish companies to enter and perform strongly in the market. The size and scope of this trade mission demonstrate that now more than ever the importance of this marker.”Heather Humphreys -Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys -Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

Humphreys said the deals - and the opening of the Melbourne office of Enterprise Ireland - are a direct result of continued growth in export to Australia and New Zealand from Ireland to the sum of $404 million last year - an increase of 43 per cent over the past three years.

On the technology front, the deals are as follows:

- Kingspan Insulated Panels announces a $8 million capex investment for a new state-of-the-art machine that will operate at its factory in Greater Western Sydney.

-Solgari and Barhead strike a deal to bring Solgari’s Dynamics 365 All-Channel Solution to Barhead Financial Service & Retail customers in Australia. The partnership gives Solgari access to Microsoft’s global partner network and millions of potential customers.

-Emydex announces a contract with Harvey Beef, the largest meat processing company in WA, to provide its food processing software.

-Eppione announces a contract to license oits software to HR consulting firm Talenting.

-Combilift announces a contract with E Store Logistics, which is set to become the second largest user of the Combilift Aisle Master product and largest private user across A/NZ.

Humphreys said 320 Irish companies are now exporting to Australia - companies that employ over 25,000 people in Ireland.

“Our ambition is to grow client exports to $574 million by 2020. I am delighted to lead this Trade and Investment Mission to Australia and engage in an extensive program of activity which focuses on supporting Irish companies to expand exports into this significant market," Humphreys said.

Article written by Jennifer O'Brien (CIO)

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How the Food Industry should handle contamination

From salmonella in Maltesers to insecticide in eggs: how the food industry should handle contamination.

Businesses, regardless of size, should be responsible for their individual link in the food supply chain, so that product contamination can be recognised and dealt with effectively.

According to product liability barrister at a leading London law firm, scares such as the salmonella in Maltesers to eggs contaminated with insecticide are “nightmare scenarios” for the firms involved.

“As consumers, we have a right to assume that the things we buy on the shelves should be safe,” Alistair Mackenzie from Chambers 2 Temple Gardens said.

Food safety regulation is aimed at keeping consumers safe, he added, and to ensure there is no incentive for the industry to hide any issues that it discovers.

Often the law imposes penalties on a wide range of people involved in a contamination case, including those involved at any stage in the food arriving with the final consumer.

“In terms of keeping track of products, monitoring Maltesers products and eggs varies quite a bit, but the responsibility still remains,” said Mr Mackenzie.

“The key has got to be in meticulous record keeping. And making sure that the person you’re sending it on to is also keeping track.”

Mr Mackenzie held up the example of the scares with Mars and eggs as almost polar opposites in the way contamination cases should be handled.

“When Mars first recognised that there might be a salmonella problem, they put their hand up, as the law requires. This is a good example of what should be done; the affected products were clearly indicated and the contaminated was very heavily publicised,” he said.

Comparing this example with the news that eggs were contaminated with insecticide, Mr Mackenzie believes that Mars handled the media effectively and in a transparent way.

“With the eggs, it looks like there has been an attempt to play it down. And the number of eggs that were believed to have entered the UK rose from 21,000 to 700,000 in just one week,” he said.

“Granted, it’s more difficult to have any coordinated strategy in terms of tracking eggs. But more people are worried about the contamination of eggs than Mars products. You should be able to trace an egg from a consumer’s hand back to the chicken it came from.” 

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), under national and EU food rules, all food business have to keep traceability information – ‘one step forward and one step back’, i.e. records of from whom they received foods or food ingredients and (except in the case of retail sales) to whom it was supplied. And this information has to be supplied to the authorities on demand.

“The ability to trace and track products and ingredients is particularly important when food is unfit or unsafe and has to be withdrawn or recalled from the market.  The more detailed the traceability information kept, the narrower any recall or withdrawal will be,” a statement from the authority read.

“The FSAI deals with over 500 food incidents per year and overall our experience is that food businesses co-operate with withdrawals and recalls and provide the necessary detailed traceability information when asked or required to do so.”

Article written by Louise Kelly, Independent.

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