Monson Fruit are the latest Compac customer to see their labor costs slashed with the implementation of a new optical cherry sorting line designed around a Compac Small Fruit Sorter (SFS). Sorting each cherry for size, shape, color, softness and surface defects resulting in a reduction of labor in excess of 60%.
Compac director of sales David Buys says that customers can expect this kind of performance to be the benchmark for a Compac system. “Our blemish sorting system is known for its superior accuracy and level of consistency,” he says. “Every customer we install this system for sees significant labor savings in the sorting areas of their packhouse, the only variable is how much they save due to their overall line design”.
Monson Fruit are touting the benefits of their new Compac installation as a significant upgrade in their efficiency and quality of their packed product. “The machine is phenomenal” Says Chris Monson of Monson Fruit “A 60% reduction in labor is a huge gain for us on this line, combined with how consistent the blemish sorting system is it’s a huge advantage for us”.
Monson Fruit’s project is a combination of Compac’s Small Fruit Sorter teamed with infeed and peripheral equipment from Van Doren Sales. “The combination of our sorter, which is the in the world with Van Doren’s high quality peripherals and excellent support and service is an overall solution which nobody can match in the market” David Buys says.
Background-Compac small fruit sorter
The Compac Small Fruit Sorter is Compac’s latest optical sorter, designed to sort cherries and other small fruits. It uses the company’s market leading InVision system to grade based on shape, size, diameter, color, surface blemishes, softness and bruising. Compac Small Fruit Sorters have been supplied to the industry operating in New Zealand, South America, the United States and Italy since the product’s launch in 2011.
The Compac Small Fruit Sorter represents a revolution in the cherry industry, labor reductions and improvements in consistency via optical sorting will drive greater efficiencies into packing operations, allowing growers and packers to remain competitive and provide a superior product to consumers.
The Compac Small Fruit Sorter was honoured with a highly commended at the Bayer Innovators Awards – Agri-Business category in 2012.
R&D functions are based in Compac’s head office in Auckland where software engineers, mechanical engineers and product designers continue to improve Compac’s equipment and solutions design with the company’s core ethos being the provision of the best possible solution coupled with superior after sales service support.
