With the strong impact of the 4th technological revolution on socio-economic fields, companies in the aquaculture and seafood processing industry are not outside the wave of transformation to respond to the change.
FPT Digital has researched innovative methods of the top 10 seafood companies in the last 3 years (2019 – 2021). These companies are selected from the list of seafood companies with the highest annual revenue in the world with the main activity is aquaculture and trading fishery products. Each company has their own strategy for innovation activities. However, they also share common approaches with the aim of improving the supply chain efficiency, toward a sustainable development model.
Strict regulations of the government and importing countries on sustainable development in the aquaculture industry have become the motivation for leading companies to plan innovative activities. However, most Vietnamese aquaculture companies are still considering about investing in these activities, causing the failure of Vietnamese aquaculture in achieving the level of expected competition in the international market, despite the potential for aquaculture development in Vietnam is huge. In this study, we have gathered and analyzed based on the innovative methods of the top 10 aquaculture companies in the world.
10/10 aquaculture companies in the world innovated their aquaculture models based on high technology to increase aquaculture production.
- 10/ 10 companies have applied IoT and AI in aquaculture and production. These systems include sensors that measure the water environment and the health of aquatic animals, then send information to the analysis system, which helps the system make decisions about the appropriate dosage and feed type, as well as the methods of adjusting probiotics based on animal health. After a year of Maruha Nichiro (Japan) conducting a project to apply technology to aquaculture, the fish weight has increased by 75% while still keeping the taste of natural fish.
- 5/10 companies have optimized packaging technology or applied environmentally friendly packaging, which helps to increase the storage time and ensure the freshness of the product, towards environmentally friendly biodegradable materials. Kyokuyo (Japan) has launched an aquatic product that can fast defrost by heating while ensuring health (2020). Besides protecting the environment, optimizing packaging technology helps these companies meet the increasing demands of customers for product safety.
- 5/ 10 companies have used technology-based traceability technology such as attaching chips to aquatic animals or joining associations that provide blockchain-based traceability platforms. Thai Union Group (Thailand) has launched Fishcoin – a blockchain-based ecosystem for accurate traceability of caught fish to increase the prestige of Thai Union’s products in the international market.
- 5/ 10 surveyed companies invest in science and technology research start-ups or cooperate with schools and research institutes to sponsor young talents or organize contests to find innovations. For example, Charoen Pokphan Foods – CP Foods (Thailand) and “42 Bangkok” – a famous programming school in Thailand organized a hackathon to seek technological innovation for agriculture and aquaculture (2021). This competition has brought breakthrough ideas for CP Foods, helping the company realize their growth objectives faster.
- 3/ 10 companies started researching alternative protein projects from plants or growing meat in the lab from animal cells. Nutreco has cooperated with technology start-up ENOUGH to produce protein through mushroom fermentation (2021). These projects are expected to become a breakthrough in the future world of the nutrient sector.
- 3/ 10 companies have used imaging technology to measure quantities, automatically check the quality and classification of objects on the line or in the aquatic environment. Maruha Nichiro (Japan) has applied the image recognition system with artificial intelligence to measure objects in the water environment into operation (2020), this system significantly reduces the actual labor force.
- 2/ 10 companies have actively supported people in sub-culture areas by models such as reusing water from aquaculture to irrigate crops or collecting garbage from the sea to make recycled T-shirts, contributing to the social security development.
- 2/ 10 companies have applied technology to cooperate with farmers/fishermen in aquaculture, fishing, or transporting products. CP Foods (Thailand) has developed the application “CPF Logistics” to connect small farmers with equipment supporting service or cargo transport (2020). This platform helps users find support services or delivery means once necessary. CP Foods has brought huge changes to the daily production and business activities of farmers, toward the strict connection of the seafood supply chain.
- 1/ 10 companies using a web platform that allows customers to choose personalized products such as Nueva Pescanova (Denmark) has developed the Fish Solutions website for restaurants/hotels (2019), helping customers select customized menus and recipes based on diners’ cooking and consumption trends, thereby helping restaurants improve products and services and optimize resources.
The purpose of the information provided in this study is to emphasize the innovative methods of leading aquatic companies. Through the above studies, we hope to provide useful information for aquatic businesses in Vietnam.
