The cherry market is becoming increasingly demanding today: crunchiness, color and sugar level are key elements that define the commercial value of this wonderful fruit.
In such a scenario - one that is constantly evolving, UNITEC has been supporting Fruit and Vegetable Packing Houses for over 100 years with advanced technological solutions dedicated to the classification, processing and packaging of fruit, dried fruit and fresh vegetables.
The main objective is to enable companies to increase their profitability while at the same time obtaining batches of consistent and satisfactory quality.
UNITEC does not simply follow the evolution of the market: it anticipates it.
For years, UNITEC has been integrating Artificial Intelligence systems into its technologies, placing itself at the forefront of innovation in the sector.
With the CHERRY VISION 3.5 AI and 4.0 AI systems, the company has introduced a new paradigm in post-harvest sorting, supporting operators in identifying defects and imperfections that are often imperceptible to the human eye, through the use of latest-generation Artificial Intelligence models.
Fresh cuts, color variations, punctures and insect damage (e.g. Drosophila) and surface defects are detected with precision, enabling more reliable classification consistent with the standards required by large-scale retail distribution and/or by national/international markets.
The most advanced innovation, however, comes with UNIQ CHERRY: the technology capable of going beyond the external appearance of the fruit, also detecting internal parameters linked to taste, such as degree of ripeness and sugar content.
An approach that transforms the very concept of selection: no longer the simple identification of defects, but the enhancement of the commercial potential of each individual fruit.
For Fruit and Vegetable Packing Houses, this translates into a greater ability to segment batches, reduce losses in value and offer cherries that meet the taste expectations of the final consumer.
The strength of UNITEC lies not only in its technological solutions, but in a vision of product and service that supports Fruit and Vegetable Packing Houses throughout the entire processing cycle.
Automated lines accompany the cherry from delivery through to final packaging with delicate, fast and highly efficient processes.
The objective is threefold: to optimize operating costs, reduce waste and enable Fruit and Vegetable Packing Houses to maximize profitability.
Each plant is tailor-made and integrates technologies developed by the company’s internal Research and Development center.
This flexibility enables operators to face increasingly complex campaigns, characterized by extreme weather events and growing quality variability in the product.
The Spanish cherry campaign is now past its halfway point and has kept the entire cherry supply chain on edge, called upon in just a few days to bring to fruition the work of an entire year.
The sector is experiencing a particularly intense phase: the initial persistent rains and sudden swings in temperature are making operations even more complex.
In this context full of challenges and expectations, the Spanish Fruit and Vegetable Packing Houses that have chosen UNITEC technologies for the processing and classification of cherries are recording results of great interest.
Llamfruit Cherry, a Fruit and Vegetable Packing House located in the autonomous community of Aragon (Spain), which has been dedicated to the production, processing and export of cherries for more than fifty years, has recently adopted the new vision system equipped with artificial intelligence, CHERRY VISION 4.0 AI.
“In a context of this kind, the great challenge is to maintain consistent quality in shipments when the fruit arrives with a high level of heterogeneity. Today it is not enough to classify by size; it is necessary to monitor parameters such as firmness, color, external defects and shelf life very carefully (…).
The introduction this year of the new UNITEC Cherry Vision 4.0 AI technology is helping us precisely to manage this complexity.
The machine enables much more precise and uniform selection, identifying differences that would be very difficult to detect manually in a consistent way.
This helps us process the delicate fruit better, separate qualities with greater reliability and direct each batch to the most suitable market, maintaining product continuity even in an irregular campaign.”
Says Carlos Llambrich, General Manager
The company also reports an improvement in operational efficiency estimated between 15% and 20% compared with previous campaigns; commercially, the greater quality consistency is helping to reduce complaints and strengthen customer trust, generating a direct impact on the value of the product and on the company’s competitiveness.
The same positive trend is also being recorded at Agrupación de Cooperativas Valle del Jerte, one of the leading producer organizations in Extremadura (Spain), where the adoption of the technology has made it possible to maintain more uniform quality criteria even during periods of greater operational pressure and in the presence of highly heterogeneous batches.
More accurate classification makes it possible to enhance each batch of product in the best possible way, directing each quality to the most appropriate commercial channel.
The result is a significant reduction in waste and a greater ability to preserve the commercial value of production.
The advantages are also evident on the organizational front: the technology supports faster and more objective decisions, improves the management of delivery peaks and increases response capacity during the most critical phases of the campaign.
This is particularly relevant in seasons characterized by abundant rainfall and strong quality variability, where operational efficiency and decision-making speed become determining factors for commercial success.
But the true strength of UNITEC lies in designing solutions that translate into a competitive advantage, as confirmed by Frutas Agrotrain, a company that for three generations has continued to cultivate with the same spirit and dedication as on the first day.
The company confirmed the importance of being able to rely on CHERRY VISION 3 technology to classify fruit with precision, even in particularly challenging seasons such as the current one.
“At present there are batches of cherries that, if it were not for the vision technology, we would probably have left unharvested or completely discarded.”
Reliable selection and a drastic reduction in labor in the packing house: a concrete result that generates value for the company.
With over 20 operating offices in the main producing countries and a sales network that reaches more than 65 nations, UNITEC supports Fruit and Vegetable Packing Houses every day with technical assistance services and specialized consulting.
“We work for your results” is not just a claim, but a promise that for over 100 years has strengthened a market that today grows thanks to those who have the courage to make “intelligent” choices, investing in technology and automation. (gm)
Source: Unitec Press Office
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