The short answer: Emydex and Aquarius Pro both run fish factories, but they are built for different buyers. Emydex is factory-floor software (an MES) used across meat, fish and other food, in more than 150 plants worldwide, and it connects to a separate ERP or accounts system and to hardware you choose. Aquarius Pro is built only for fish and seafood: ACSS supplies the software and the scales, printers and scanners, and it runs orders, stock, labelling, despatch and invoicing, linking to Xero, Sage or QuickBooks. Larger or multi-plant groups on SAP or Dynamics will find Emydex a natural fit; UK fish processors and merchants who want one supplier for the whole day, from goods in to invoice, are who Aquarius is for.
We make Aquarius Pro, so read this with that in mind. Everything said about Emydex below comes from Emydex's own website, linked in the sources, as of September 2026. Where their site doesn't mention something, we say so rather than guess: it doesn't mean they can't do it, so ask them.
Who are the two suppliers?
Emydex is headquartered in Dublin and was founded in 2004. BAADER, the German fish and poultry processing machinery maker, took a majority stake in 2023. Emydex describes its software as running in over 150 food processing plants in 20 countries, with branch offices in North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Meat is a large part of its business, but it also calls itself the market-leading supplier of factory-floor software to fish and seafood processors in Ireland and the UK, with its fish software in over 20 plants.
ACSS, which makes Aquarius Pro, is a UK company that builds software and hardware only for the fish and seafood industry, and supplies businesses from Cornwall to Scotland. It has been part of Wakeflow since August 2026. You can read how the Aquarius system works and who we are.
How do they compare?
| Aquarius Pro | Emydex | |
|---|---|---|
| Industries | Fish and seafood only | Beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish and seafood, fresh produce, further processing, cold storage |
| Kind of system | Factory system that also runs sales orders, invoicing and reports | Factory-floor software (MES) that works alongside your ERP |
| Fish-specific features | Catch and lot data captured at goods in, weigh-labelling with traceability, filleting, supermarket packing, scallops, hand grading | Landings and supplier payments, grading, filleting, smoking, portioning, packing, weigh-labelling at sea on boats |
| Accounts and ERP | Links to Xero, Sage and QuickBooks | Integrates with ERPs and accounts packages including SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Navision, Sage and Oracle |
| Hardware | ACSS supplies and supports it: stainless steel workstations, trade-approved Dini Argeo scales, Honeywell label printers, handheld scanners | Hardware-independent: works with scales, printers and scanners from brands such as Avery, Bizerba, Ishida, Zebra and Honeywell |
| Customer ordering | Hooked, ACSS's own ordering app, plus Fresho, Orderlion, Choco and Shopify | A web portal for online sales orders is described in one customer story; ask about it |
| EDI | Available as a module | Supported |
| Deployment | Cloud, used from any web browser | On-premise or cloud |
| Where they are | UK | Dublin head office; no UK office listed on its site |
| Prices | Not published | Not published |
Where does Emydex stand out?
- Scale and reach. 150+ plants in 20 countries, and backing from BAADER, one of the best-known names in fish processing machinery.
- Working at sea. Emydex runs a weigh-labelling system on boats, where crews record tow numbers, GPS positions and fishing gear against the catch and print traceability labels before landing. If you own vessels, that is worth a look.
- Fitting into a big ERP. If your group already runs SAP, Dynamics or another large ERP, Emydex is designed to sit on the factory floor and pass data to it.
- Choice of hardware. Because it works with many brands of scales and printers, you can often keep kit you already have.
- Mixed sites. If you process meat as well as fish, one system can cover both.
Where does Aquarius Pro stand out?
- Built only for fish. Everything from the catch fields to the label layouts is designed around fish and shellfish, and UK labelling rules. See how the labelling works.
- One supplier for software and hardware. ACSS supplies, sets up and supports the scales, printers and scanners, so there is one number to call when a station stops.
- The whole day in one system. Sales orders, stock, processing, packing, scanner despatch, delivery notes and invoices, linked to the accounts package most UK fish firms already use.
- Customer ordering built in. Your customers can order through Hooked, and orders land in Aquarius ready to confirm.
- Modular. Start with the core module and add filleting, packing, scallops, scanner despatch, hand grading or EDI as you grow.
Which should you choose?
It mostly comes down to the shape of your business:
- Large or multi-plant, already on SAP or Dynamics, or processing meat too: Emydex is built for that.
- You land your own catch on your own boats: look closely at Emydex's boat system.
- A UK fish processor, packer or merchant who wants one system for orders, factory and invoicing, and one supplier for the hardware: that is what Aquarius Pro was built for.
Whichever you look at, the twelve questions in our buyer's guide are a good checklist, and it's worth seeing each system run with your own products.
What should you ask both suppliers?
- Show me a lot traced backwards and forwards, live.
- Where are catch area, gear and production method captured, and how do they reach the label?
- Who supplies and supports the scales and printers, and who do I call when a label station stops?
- Which accounts package do you link to, and exactly what gets sent?
- How do customer orders get in: phone, email, an app, EDI?
- Where is your support team, and what hours do they work?
- Can I speak to a UK customer of a similar size?
Quick answers
Is Emydex only for meat? No. Its biggest market is meat, but it has fish and seafood software running in over 20 plants and names Irish and UK fish customers on its site.
Does Aquarius Pro replace my accounts package? No. It handles invoicing and links to Xero, Sage or QuickBooks, so your accounts stay where they are.
Can I keep my existing scales with Aquarius Pro? ACSS normally supplies the hardware so it can support the whole station. Ask us about your existing kit.
Who owns Emydex? BAADER, the German processing machinery group, took a majority stake in 2023.
Do either publish prices? No. Both quote per business, so ask each for a quote based on your sites and stations.
Sources
- Emydex: fish and seafood processing software, about us, systems integration, fish brochure (PDF), BAADER acquires majority stake in Emydex, QK Cold Stores case study, quality and compliance
- ACSS: Aquarius system, hardware, labelling, FAQs
Supplier details are taken from each company's own website in September 2026 and may change. Check the latest with each supplier.