There are 3 pack houses on the Two-a-Day site which handle between 9000 and 10,000 bins each week.
The company has recently invested in a 10 lane sorter from Greefa, the first in South Africa of this scale, which can sort 8 pieces of fruit per second using INFRA Technology.
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"The improved technology ups through put, so it does not mean less jobs. There are less sorting jobs but we need more packers to pack at the end of the line," explains Johan Saayman, Pack house Quality Manager at Two-a-Day. "With this new technology we have improved production by 25%."
There is also a sample grader which can provide packout estimates to the growers within 24 hours after the harvest.
"We are also looking into introducing new technology on the farms," said Conrad Fick, Marketing Director at Tru-Cape. "Picking platforms are one option, but will not suit all growers. The platforms would need the same amount of people but they will also be more productive, we will always need people. As pickers don’t need to climb up and down ladders they become less tired as a result of the improved working conditions the platforms provide. ”
"You can't automate completely, also to get back investment in new technology can take a while so you have be cash positive and not everyone can afford to lay out so much cash. In South Africa it is very different from Europe which tries, where possible, to replace labour with automation." according to Conrad.
In order to retain labour year round some companies have different crops or even livestock which means they can employ workers year round which is better for everyone and means they can retain the skills year after year. At Two-a-Day they have work for eleven months.
The optical technology installed in the pack house makes a difference at the point of sale. "While we cannot give a 100% guarantee, we give more than anyone else in South Africa, there will be ultimately only about a 1% chance of internal damage," said Conrad.
The packhouse can pack in many different forms, but recent investment now allows them to pack into flowwrap packs, which is demanded by retailers in the UK.
"We pack for all levels of customers, from discount retailers to high-end stores. We have 4 grades and the sorting all happens simultaneously on the packing line so our teams have to be on the ball to make sure it all goes into the correct packing," said Johan.
"We have 147 different permutations and every single carton, every single bag and every carton needs be traced back to the grower, each bag has a code which can be traced back to a specific orchard."
Two-a-Day also has a top notch social program for its workers. Housing and employment is a problem in South Africa and this leads to social problems, so as well as providing housing for its workers, Two-a-Day also appointed a full-time social worker to be there for workers, which has many benefits one of which is reduced absenteeism.
Employees get a weekly basic wage plus incentive schemes and a bonus at the end of the year for packing and harvest.
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For more information:TruCape
Email: Info@tru-cape.co.za
Tru-Cape.com