AC Foods has conducted a multi-million-dollar upgrade to its Legacy Packing Australia facility in Cobram, Victoria. Initially announced in August 2025, the company partnered with Tomra Food on the fitout, which is set to to pack over five times the volume of its previous line.
A subsidiary of AC Foods, Legacy Packing packs quality citrus and stone fruit from Cobram, Berrigan, Riverina, Sunraysia and Riverland regions, which is then distributed domestically and globally.
Source: Legacy Packing
The company partnered with Tomra, a global leader in designing and manufacturing sensor-based sorting machines and integrated harvest solutions in the food industry, to upgrade the Legacy Packing equipment and building.
The multi-million-dollar modernisation project marks AC Foods’ largest investment in the Southern Hemisphere, and the new line is Tomra’s largest single installation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Equipment and technology
The facility has been fitted out with a 10-lane pre-grade and 10-lane commit to pack line with Tomra’s AI learning sorting equipment, LUCAI.
The Tomra Spectrim optical sorting and grading units are supported by integrated ICOEL infeed handling systems, which the company stated will to building a more efficient, high-performing line.
The fitout includes 12 of Gossamer Packaging Machinery’s PP300 high-speed auto packing machines, to deliver precise fruit placement and consistent packing at speed, helping lift line efficiency.
Four JMP Engineering LTD robotic palletisers have been installed to reduce manual handling, improve pallet integrity, and streamline our end‑of‑line operations.
On the packaging side, the Visy Automation team supported installation of an Automac ASC Case Erector, which uses patented case-opening and drive technology to ensure cartons are formed and sealed square every time. They also installed an Automac ACI-1000 Inserter, which automates the process of combining inner carton and outer lid to reduce labour input and cut down the length of empty box conveyors needed.
AC Foods Australia general manager, Brett Jackson, said the organisation is looking forward to becoming a leader in the Australian citrus industry.
“This is the largest investment in the Australian citrus industry for some time, which shows AC Foods commitment and belief in the sound fundamentals of citrus in Australia,” said Jackson.
“We will be able to tip in excess of 2,000 bins of Sumo Citrus a day when commissioned.
“Tomra Foods have been world leaders in citrus packing for many years and are at the forefront of the latest AI fruit sorting technology. The improvement in speed and efficiency will be a game changer for us,” he said.
Following the upgrade, Legacy Packing aims to successfully pack more than 200,000 bins of citrus annually, as well as stonefruit and other lines.
