Compac commented the launch of its advanced sorting platform: the TOMRA 5S Advanced

Recently Compac, part of the TOMRA Food family, launched the TOMRA 5S Advanced, an advanced sorting platform in the industry. Fructidor had an opportunity to interview Compac’s VP and get to know more about the redesign of its Multi Lane Sorter.

Sebastian Stoof, Compac’s VP and Head of Product, explained why did the company decided to redesign from the ground its Multi Lane Sorter: “We see an increasing demand for hygienic handling of fruit along the whole value chain. Our customers are also looking to enhance their operations further to keep up with the growing complexity and variety in packing options while striving to get the highest value out of every single fruit at the same time. Finally yet importantly, future packhouses need to be digitally integrated. The sorter typically sits at the heart of the packhouse. It creates a vast amount of valuable data for each fruit, making it the logical choice for creating useful insights for our customers.”

The TOMRA 5S Advanced designed and built to Compac's 'Food Trust' hygiene level. Food Trust design means all food-contact surfaces can be easily removed for cleaning and sanitization, and all surfaces utilize food-safe polymers or stainless steel. This enables company’s customers to sanitize the sorter regularly without interrupting their operations significantly, increasing productivity.  Importantly the design also facilitates stricter cleaning and sanitization to meet stringent food safety legislation. Also, the TOMRA 5S Advanced builds on the strengths of Compac's already industry-leading Multi-Lane Sorter, with enhancements to throughput, gentle handling and reliability.

“Revolutionary modular design and Food Trust components enable the TOMRA 5S Advanced to be cleaned thoroughly without the usual specialist mechanical skills required to dismantle parts of the machine. Many of the food contact components, such as lane dividers and chutes, are either quick release or toolless for faster removal and cleaning.  In addition, tasks such as removing and cleaning cross belts, which would have previously been measured in hours, now take just 5 to 10 minutes,” said Mr. Stoof.

During interview, Fructidor were interested to know which fruits and vegetables the advanced sorting machine is suitable for? Mr. Stoof commented that Compac has a unique strategy of focusing on a group of core produce types. This focus enables the company really to understand the global and regional intricacies of the produce types to deliver greater value to their customers.  The produce types include Stonefruit, Cherry, Apple, Pear, Citrus, Kiwi, Avocado, Tomato, Potato, Onion and Mango. The new platform builds on existing capabilities of the company, adding improved handling and greater multi-production capabilities (that are multiple produce types on one equipment) to deliver greater investment return.

Moreover Mr. Stoof shared the TOMRA 5S Advanced has been designed to connect and integrate with the packhouse's systems and become the facility's, digital heart. It is digitally enabled to connect to Cloud data platforms such as TOMRA Insight or other APIs, allowing better flow of information up and down the supply chain and helping company's customers to make better data-driven decisions. “We strive for making real-time OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) data for our sorters accessible from any location on the globe to evaluate and optimize equipment efficiency in a first attempt. Still, we are working on further powerful implementations in the background already to make tangible use of data for our customers along the whole value chain.”

It is essential to mention that the new sorting platform is designed to be upgraded and equipped with the latest technology as it becomes available. Compac know that change is natural within their industry and that their customers have to adapt their operations over time to ensure they maintain a competitive edge in markets.

“It has always been in Compac's DNA to take our customers with us as we develop new technology. Today our company has one of the largest development teams focused on sensor-based sorting technology and we have an extensive development roadmap.  The 5S Advanced was designed with the scope to be a future-proof platform for the next 10 to 15 years,” concluded Mr. Stoof.

More information about the new advanced sorting platform can be found on Compac’s website.

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