ATHENA: The Future of Automated Chicken Breast Processing (JBT Marel Spotlight)

The poultry industry faces a growing challenge: finding skilled operators is becoming increasingly difficult worldwide, while the demand for precision and efficiency continues to rise. JBT Marel Poultry addresses this head-on with ATHENA, a groundbreaking, data-driven solution for chicken breast deboning.

What is ATHENA?

ATHENA is a fully automated deboning system designed to extract maximum value from raw material. Processing up to 6,000 chicken breasts per hour — handling breast weights ranging from 300 to 1,500 grams — it fulfils orders precisely to customer specifications without any manual adjustments, significantly reducing both waste and labour requirements.

Smart Technology at Its Core

What sets ATHENA apart from conventional systems is its combination of real-time measurement and adaptive processing. Each product is individually assessed and handled based on live measurement data, minimising the need for trimming and maximising yield.

Key technical highlights include:

• Fully automated deboning and harvesting, from start to finish

• Individual adaptive processing based on real-time measurement data, reducing trimming and improving yield

• Easy recipe switching via the HMI screen — from standard broiler to concept chicken with a single touch

• Intelligent software providing real-time insight into line occupancy, loader efficiency, and machine health

• Machine-to-machine communication, ensuring flock, recipe, and end-product data travels with each fillet through downstream processes

Dutch Innovation on the World Stage

ATHENA is a compelling example of how Dutch technology and expertise are shaping the global poultry industry. By combining smart automation with data-driven intelligence, JBT Marel Poultry brings together yield, precision, and efficiency in one integrated system.

The Dutch Poultry Centre is proud to spotlight innovative members like JBT Marel Poultry. ATHENA demonstrates that the future of poultry processing is not just automated — it's intelligent.