Agadir – A major new industrial facility is taking form in Berrechid, near Casablanca. Tunamax SARL, an emerging leader in Morocco’s tuna processing sector, partnered with Gaictech, a global specialist in industrial solutions, to construct and equip the plant’s entire production line.
In 2023, Tunamax signed a contract with Gaictech worth close to €6 million for the design and full supply of its new factory, including all process lines. The agreement covers a fully integrated production system from raw material intake to finished goods.
“The tuna line supplied by Gaictech covers the entire industrial process, from receiving frozen fish to the finished, palletized can,” Abdellah Bouja, Co-Owner & CEO of Tunamax explained in a statement. .
The line incorporates thawing, preparation, cooking, cleaning, filling, addition of covering liquid, seaming, sterilization, cooling, labeling, and packaging.
“It is a continuous line, designed to ensure consistency, food safety and constant final product quality,” Bouja adds.
The plant has the capacity to process approximately 15,000 tons of whole tuna per year and produce more than 50 million cans annually, positioning it among the highest-capacity canneries in Morocco.
According to Bouja, the project’s significance goes “beyond the footprint,” standing out for “its level of automation, traceability and international standards.”
He further explained that choosing Gaictech is due to “its proven experience in complex projects and its ability to adapt to our needs,” stressing that “this was not just about selling machinery, but about building a complete industrial solution.”
The plant is currently entering a consolidation phase, gradually increasing line speeds and fine-tuning production settings.
Bouja said that such industrial projects face many challenges such as “coordination among suppliers, adaptation to local and international regulations, training teams in a highly technological environment … and rapid commissioning of the lines” adding that overcoming these challenges is conducting such meaningful collaborations.
The plant’s influence extends well beyond manufacturing. It is driving both direct and indirect employment, supporting the growth of local suppliers, and fostering the transfer of industrial expertise.
Over time, the factory has established itself as a key, long-term component of Morocco’s industrial landscape.
For Tunamax, the CEO said that the facility “allows us to serve both the domestic market and international markets, with products that meet European standards and those of other demanding markets.”
“Our goal is to position ourselves as a reliable and competitive industrial player in the fish canning sector,” Bouja notes.
