Some of the most recurrent problems faced by fruit and vegetable companies have to do with labor, including absenteeism, employee turnover, and sick leave due to accidents or illness, as well as a lack of confidence in the working relationship. Machines aim to address some of these issues, although perhaps the biggest hurdle to overcome is the reluctance from entrepreneurs to make the initial investment.
R&D has given rise to much more complex sorting machines that can replace human eyes and hands. Francisco López, Manager of Ciagri, says that "with the molded tray packing machine, labor costs can be reduced by up to 80%."
They are official distributors in Spain for Greefa, a Dutch brand that started out manufacturing circular sorting machines for apples and is now making them for tomatoes, stone fruit, peppers, cucumbers, or mandarins with leaf, among many others. One of its most popular models is SmartPackr, which is being used for avocados, stone fruit, apples, and pears.
The cost-effectiveness of automatic tray packaging
Many labor-related problems have been solved with technological developments. "We have a robot able to pack the fruit in molded trays. You don't need to program the box format or the number of pieces; it detects everything automatically, and in some models, it even visualizes the external defects of the fruit or vegetable and allows you to choose the inclination. We also have a machine that works in bulk. Both work with very few operators, around one-fifth of the usual staff," says the manager.
The molded tray packing machine "is very efficient, saves time, and ensures work safety. There is no sick leave, no illness, no accidents, no depreciation of hours; it can run full time with no issues."
"However, the machine's qualities don't seem to be fully appreciated yet in Spain, and there are only two or three of them, unlike Egypt, where we have already installed three 6-line, 100-meter-long, 46-output graders capable of sorting 120 tons of citrus per hour. Other countries are clearly seeing the competitiveness and profitability it provides," says López.
According to López, "the problem is that in Spain they only look at price and forget about reliability. A Greefa machine can last 40 years without any problems; everything is manufactured in the Netherlands, so parts can be quickly replaced."
Loss of profitability and penalties
The possible economic consequences of labor-related issues include loss of profitability or even sanctions or fines from the labor inspectorate or social security.
López says that "an employer may hire a crew through a temporary work company, but then many of them could be inexperienced, which will reduce productivity."
The manager points to another typical problem. "The crew can unexpectedly choose to go to another warehouse for 20 cents more per hour, leaving the company without workers."
The key is to achieve the desired profitability. To do this, López encourages people to find out about "the possibilities and potential subsidies for the installation of Greefa machines, which can cover between 30% and 50% of the costs. Spanish fruit and vegetable companies need to jump on the technology bandwagon, just like the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Italy, and Egypt have already done."
For more information:
Francisco López
Ciagri
Tel.: +34 605 78 79 80
[email protected]
https://ciagri.com