Brazilian producer, De Marchi, says its investment in a Tomra 5B sorting machine to automate its production line has increased productivity by 30 per cent.
The De Marchi Group's operations range from the large-scale cultivation of fruit, vegetables and greens to the production of frozen foods and "in Nature" foods for Brazil and abroad. Brazil's fruit and vegetable market has been growing steadily, with agribusiness now accounting for over 23 per cent of Brazil's gross domestic product.
The company decided to automate its production line in February 2023 to increase its product quality and yield. Since installing the Tomra 5B, De Marchi has seen clear improvements in product sorting and volumes.
De Marchi industrial director, Carlos Alberto De Marchi, said that before the Tomra 5B’s installation, the sorting process was completely manual. Six months working with the machine and various types of fruit and vegetables has resulted in increased productivity and reliability of product quality.
"With the automation of the line, we have a 30 percent increase in productivity and much greater safety in the products we produce, which would have been impossible with the manual process."
"People can't do repetitive work with a high degree of concentration for very long, so the machine greatly increases reliability in the selection process."
Tomra Food Brazil area sales manager, João Medeiros, said that the solution was designed in collaboration with De Marchi to fit the range of products.
"With the growing search for innovative food sorting technologies and the need to meet increased consumer demand and expectations, the Tomra 5B machine has been breaking barriers in the Brazilian market.
"Optical technology automates the food selection process, increasing the quality and productivity of the production line. The machine maintains constant inspection quality, increasing the safety of the food that reaches the consumer's table," Medeiros said.
