Ptitsefabrika Lebiazhe's new GPS Hatchery in Russia

11 March 2007

Ptitsefabrika Lebiazhe's new GPS Hatchery in Russia

Ptitsefabrika Lebiazhe has contracted Dutch hatchery technology company Pas Reform to supply a complete Smart Incubation system for its new grand parent stock hatchery in Shondorova Village, near St Petersburg (Russia).

Mr. Willem Schaafsma, General Director of Pas Reform Russia, signing the contract with Mr. Kuksov, General Director of Lebiazhe.

The new hatchery will target the production of nine million parents per annum, with capacity for 24 million eggs each year using 12 SmartSet™ 77 setting machines, 12 SmartSet™ 38 setters and 16 SmartHatch™ hatchers, a complete climate control system and a fully automatic chick processing line. Pas Reform has also provided all engineering.

Grand parent hatcheries are not, says Mr Kuksov, Lebiazhe's general manager, all that common in Russia. And as the key stone to a client's poultry integrations, all parent stock must be delivered with an absolute assurance of the highest possible standards of hygiene and care in monitoring optimum incubation parameters.

"Prior to commencing this project," explains Mr. Kuksov, "we investigated every candidate supplier very thoroughly. Pas Reform was most impressive from the outset - and instilled in us great confidence that they could indeed meet our exacting requirements for a turnkey project of this scale.

"With great professionalism, [Pas Reform] demonstrated their capabilities as the most progressive supplier for the modern hatchery in the Russian market."

Following initial discussions about the needs of the new GPS hatchery, Pas Reform's project team produced a first draft layout for the new facility, accompanied by detailed production schedules and a complete offer for the total turn key project.

"Communication was greatly simplified," continues Mr Kuksov, "by the experienced, well-educated team that works through [Pas Reform's] local office. This - coupled with the excellent back-up provided by specialists from the Pas Reform Academy in Holland - went a very long way to reinforcing our confidence in Pas Reform as a turnkey supplier."

One of the greatest challenges for Lebiazhe, is to manage differing flock sizes for supply to their customers. With order flocks ranging from 15,000 to 60,000 parents in one batch, installing different sized incubators will enable Lebiazhe to combine incubators with different capacities, to fulfil specific order requirements.

Grand parent stock operations must not, says Mr. Kuksov, compromise anywhere in the building or in the equipment selected. The new hatchery has been designed to meet or exceed the highest standards of bio-security - with three different zones, one each for egg handling, incubation and chick handling. Each zone has it's own dedicated access point with showers.

Of equal importance for Lebiazhe in selecting equipment, is to keep eggs from different flocks and with different storage times separately in the incubators, each with their own respective setpoints. Pas Reform's unique Smart design provides independently controlled sections within each incubator: ideal for meeting this requirement.

Lebiazhe is the production company for Baltisa, Hubbard's broiler breeder representative in Russia. With the supply of nine million parents per year, the company expects to take a 50 per cent marketshare in the country.