Pondex (Vall Companys Group) incorporates automatic chick sexing technology into one of its hatcheries in partnership with Targan.
Pondex S.A.U. has partnered with Targan to carry out the first installation in Spain of the WingScan™ automatic chick sexing system. According to Targan’s press release, this new alliance with Pondex S.A.U. marks a shift towards artificial intelligence-based feather sexing technology in European hatcheries.
Targan, a prominent US-based AgTech company specialising in the animal sector, has announced a strategic partnership with Pondex S.A.U., a subsidiary of Vall Companys Group (the largest broiler producer in Spain), to implement the WingScan system at its hatchery in Juneda, Spain. The partners explain that this agreement represents the latest advance in the growing adoption of intelligent feather-sexing automation across Europe.
The installation will enable Pondex, Vall Companys’ division dedicated to poultry breeding and hatching, to sex up to 1,250,000 chicks per week, thanks to Targan’s advanced artificial intelligence imaging technology. WingScan is a fully automated, modular and compact system designed to adapt to the operational needs of any hatchery. Capable of processing up to 160,000 chicks per hour with an accuracy exceeding 97%, it supports high-throughput operations and helps address the labour shortages that continue to affect the poultry industry worldwide, according to the press release.
“We expect to see significant improvements”
“Innovation is at the heart of what we do, so choosing to implement Targan’s fully automated WingScan system was a natural step for us“, stated José Miguel García Sánchez, Pondex Hatchery Manager. “We are excited to integrate the most advanced feather sexing technology available and expect to see significant improvements, from the hatchery through to the farms and processing plants. With the support of Vall Companys Group and close collaboration with Targan, we are confident this will have a positive impact across our entire value chain.”
As automation continues to gain ground in hatcheries, WingScan is delivering value both to poultry integrators that already carry out manual sexing and to those adopting it for the first time. Targan explains what the system offers: for existing programmes, it provides consistent, high-accuracy performance throughout the day, while helping to address the labour shortages affecting poultry operations worldwide. For those introducing sexing for the first time, the system enables sex-specific rearing strategies that improve flock uniformity and support higher plant yield. In both cases, WingScan enhances operational reliability and offers a more controlled, welfare-conscious approach to chick handling.
“We have seen tremendous interest in automatic feather sexing across Europe, and the growing adoption of WingScan reflects that momentum,” highlighted Ramin Karimpour, founder and CEO of Targan. “As hatcheries face increasing labour shortages and mounting pressure to improve consistency and welfare at scale, solutions like WingScan are becoming essential. With the system approaching one billion birds sexed worldwide, we are proud to support partners like Pondex as they lead this shift in the industry.”
The beginning of a broader transformation
“This partnership with Pondex is more than a system installation; it is a signal of where the industry is headed,” added Vincent Fevrier, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for EUAFAM and Oceania at Targan. “By partnering with one of Spain’s leading producers, we are helping to set a new benchmark for hatchery operations. Early adopters of WingScan are already seeing measurable performance gains, and with additional systems and countries set to join soon, this partnership reflects the beginning of a broader transformation across Europe.”
Vall Companys Group operates across the entire broiler production supply chain, with more than 900 poultry farms, 10 meat processing plants and four hatchery centres in Spain. The company focuses on integrating advanced systems that ensure animal welfare and are key to producing premium quality poultry.
VALL COMPANYS has doubled its turnover in the last five years and continues its ascent as Spain’s leading broiler producer
Over five years, the turnover of the company, which encompasses 45 businesses in Spain, has risen from €2,054 million in 2019 to €4,148 million in 2023, with more than 160 million chickens slaughtered, making it by far the largest broiler producer in Spain (305,941 tonnes of chicken meat slaughtered, 21.51% market share), well ahead of its three immediate competitors, UVESA , recently acquired by Ukrainian giant MHP, (161,200 tonnes of chicken meat and 11.33% market share), GRUPO AVISERRANO (136,390 tonnes of chicken meat and 9.59% market share) and GRUPO AN AVÍCOLA MÉLIDA SL (84,100 tonnes of chicken meat and 5.91% market share)
The five largest Spanish broiler producers
(2023 data for a total of 1.43 million tonnes of chicken meat produced in Spain):
1st) GRUPO VALL COMPANYS (305,941 tonnes of chicken meat slaughtered, 21.51% market share)
2nd) UVESA (161,200 tonnes of chicken meat and 11.33% market share). (91.77% held since April 2025 by Ukrainian company MHP ).
3rd) GRUPO AVISERRANO (136,390 tonnes of chicken meat and 9.59% market share). (50% of its capital held by GRUPO COSTA since 2020).
4th) GRUPO AN AVÍCOLA MÉLIDA SL (84,100 tonnes of chicken meat and 5.91% market share)
5th) COREN (82,000 tonnes of chicken meat and 5.90% market share)
When presenting the 2023 accounts, with a 38% growth over the previous year, the group attributed the increase to historically high pig prices at Mercolleida, “a result of the inflationary tailwind of 2022 and the imbalance between supply and demand, the acquisitions of Embutidos Rodríguez (January 2023) and Grupo Sada, and the merger process of the flour milling division with Caja Rural de Navarra (at the end of 2022).” Added to this is the internationalisation undertaken by Vall Companys and the fact that they remain open to new acquisitions.
In the 2023 financial year, the group, with its central facilities in Lleida, achieved a profit of €243 million, more than double that of 2022, when it reached €110 million, and invested €87 million. Investment in Lleida and its surrounding area amounted to €27.7 million, 12% more than the previous year. According to its data, the family group founded in 1956 closed 2023 with 2,600 associate farms, 12,558 direct jobs at its production plants and central services, 9.2% more than in 2022, the majority in small towns.
For more information:
-. UVESA installs the first automatic chick sexing system in Spain (February 2025)
-. News about poultry companies at NeXusAvicultura.com
-. News about VALL COMPANYS