Higher QC and more capacity
Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers-Columbia Reach packing on new line
Columbia Reach SR box supply line
Columbia Reach Pack, part of the Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers’ group of grower/packers, began packing on its newly installed line in mid-January, according to Scott Marboe, marketing director for Wenatchee, WA-based Oneonta.
Columbia Reach, located in Yakima, WA, began marketing through Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers more than a decade ago, and Marboe said apples produced by the operation are sorted and packed by state-of-the-art equipment.
Columbia Reach sorter
“The new line is a 10-lane Greefa sizer that is about 300 feet long,” Marboe said on Jan. 21.
The equipment was installed by United Sales Inc., a packing machinery manufacturer located in the Yakima area. United also built the existing front line, he said.
Housed in a 98,000-square foot facility, the line features defect sorting on all 10 lanes, and Marboe said internal defect sorting is also part of the new technology.
“We have robotic palletization for stacking boxes,” he said. “Right now we have 17 accumulating lanes to feed the robot, and we have room to add 34 more lanes. Also, we have room to add a second 10-lane sizer next to the current one.”
Poly baggers are fully automated Sims machinery, and the mesh baggers are fully automated Giro baggers, Marboe said.
Columbia Reach new storage racks and packing line
“The new line joins the existing state-of-the-art inventory control system. Every cold storage room is racked for efficiency and to maximize capacity, and our average inventory of more than 1,200 pallets is managed by an RF Scanner system. We know where every pallet in the building is, and our inventory rotation is better than 99.9 percent accurate,” he added.
Looking ahead, Marboe said, “Columbia Reach will also add more CA to the operation, increasing capacity to 121 rooms and with storage for 185,000 bins.”
For more information:
Scott Marboe
Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers
Tel: +1 509-663-2191
scottm@starranch.com