WENATCHEE, WA – Stemilt's Olds Station facility is now home to one of the longest apple sizers in the world. At the length of a football field, the new sizer features cutting edge external defect sorting (iQs IV) and internal quality sorting (iFA GeoSort) technology from Greefa as well as a long, gentle sizer with 79 drop points. This ensures that the apples are packed both gently and consistently.
“We’re excited about the addition of our new Greefa commit-to-pack line at Olds Station,” said Jay Fulbright, VP of Operations and Special Projects at Stemilt. “The line relies on electronic, or optic, sizing and defect sorting technology to reduce manual sorting of fruit and human error. The technology is able to efficiently and gently size and sort apples and will help us deliver great consistency in every box.”
“It just keeps going and going,” he elaborated. “The benefit of having one of the longest apple sizers in the world is having so many drop points for the fruit. We have the flexibility to pack multiple sizes and grades and also reduce the number of touches to the fruit, which is important in maintaining a high quality pack.”
In order to construct the new sizer, Stemilt led a full deconstruction of its existing commit-to-pack line, allowing the company to start the process with a blank state.
The line, which makes use of similar technology to Stemilt's electronic cherry packing lines, HD cameras rapidly snap up to 60 images of each apple as it rotates through the sizer. The computer uses this to sort the fruit according to its size, color, and internal and external quality or defects. Apples which fail to meet Stemilt's standards are rerouted to a downgrade sizer and additional sorting.
Stemilt is particularly excited about the line's use of iQs IV external defect sorting technology to examine the outside of the fruit, recognizing and removing the fruit's stem and calyx ends. High resolution cameras on the line are able to detect even very small defects, such as russet, hail, and bruising. The optics even take advantage of relatively new technologies, allowing for sorting by external color.
“Consumers buy fruit with their eyes and the rise and popularity in bi-colored apples has created the need for us to do a better color sorting job. Greefa’s grading technology gives us a 3D look at the apple,” Fullbright shared. “We can reduce labor costs and simultaneously deliver a consistent, high-quality pack. This helps in our overall goal of improving the consumer experience, building demand for our fruits, and delivering greater returns to our growers.”
According to a press release, Stemilt will principally use the Greefa apple line for conventional varieties. The neighboring Euclid Street facility has a sizer which will be exclusively used for organic varieties.
Congratulations on the completion of this new sizer, Stemilt!
