Compac, a world leader in post-harvest integrated
solutions and services to the fresh produce industry,
announced the successful operational deployment of
its SpectrimTM optical sorting platform at a Washington Fruit and Produce Company. They will be presenting the Spectrim at Fruit Logistica in Berlin.
Spectrim is Compac's new modular and upgradeable optical sorting platform, incorporating break-through advances in defect detection, classification and operator ease of use. Through advanced machine-learning algorithms, Spectrim automates complex tasks operators normally have to conduct manually, and reduces the need for many labor-intensive defect-related processes. Machine learning technology also helps eliminate variations in grading outcomes caused by inconsistent approaches traditionally associated with differing human operators.
With the ability to take up to 500 high definition images of a single piece of fruit as it passes through the machine at a rate of 12 pieces of fruit a second, Spectrim detects the hardest to find, external blemishes on fruit, delivering grading accuracy and consistency.
The Spectrim cabinet has also been designed with the latest food hygiene standards in mind, using the latest materials and industrial design to enable ease of cleaning and ongoing maintenance.
Commenting on the installation and Washington Fruit's role as launch customer, Mikey Hanks, System Operator, said: "We've been working with Compac for more than 15 years now and were excited to agree to be the launch customer for the world's first deployment of Spectrim. We run high volumes of fruit at great efficiency, where downtime is unacceptable, and Compac has come through for us again with a smooth start up of their latest technology. We have seen major improvements in both accuracy and throughput and a more consistent pack compared to our other line without Spectrim. With Spectrim we are able to run without manually sorting. We packed Braeburns for the first time this week and started without any sorters. Spectrim enables us to focus on removing previously hard to grade defects and as a result, consistently deliver a great product to our markets."
Compac's Chief Executive Officer, Mike Riley, commented, "Producers face ever growing demands for consistency, traceability and packaging variations from global retailers. By harnessing the full potential of optical sorting technology and machine learning, Spectrim possesses the accuracy, power and flexibility to address our customers' most demanding challenges now and into the future."
Compac will be presenting its Spectrim platform at Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Germany from February 3rd-5th and will be located at Hall 5.1 – Stand A11.
For more information, please visit www.compacsort.com