Photo: Roberto Ricci, Global Category Director for Tomatoes at TOMRA Food during the interview with Fructidor.com at Fruit Logistica Berlin.
Recently, Fructidor chatted with Roberto Ricci, Global Category Director for Tomatoes at TOMRA Food, who revealed the company's new projects to be implemented in 2023.
Fructidor: "Mr. Ricci, how do you picture the path of TOMRA Food in the visible future?"
Mr. Ricci: “The most important thing for us now is to better understand customer needs, and how we can solve their challenges. We want to know what they expect from us, and what type of technology we should implement, improve or change. Last year, we announced our partnership with Italian company ICOEL, and in February 2023 at Fruit Logistica Berlin, we were present as one team. We’re really integrated, and we plan to reinforce our cooperation to solve customers’ problems even more efficiently", the director continues.
Fructidor: "Are there any innovations to be launched this year?"
Mr. Ricci: “
Speaking about our new developments, in 2023, we will invest more into AI, which will be one of our key pillars. AI is essentially the ability of computers to mimic human thought and decision-making. Machine learning is a key AI technique made possible by a combination of software algorithms and data. AI is well-suited to food processing because sorting and grading machines are rich sources of data – and because these machines have to solve complex optimization problems while responding to the impacts of seasonality and variable crop quality. AI is already employed in some of TOMRA’s sorting and grading solutions and is set to become increasingly important to improve operational efficiency, reduce food waste, and maximize value. At Fruit Logistica 2023 we also launched our new Adaptive Rate Controller (ARC), an application that helps count the amount of fruit coming on the line. This tool optimizes the sorter input, using an infeed-mounted camera and pre-trained AI models to maintain consistent incoming fruit volume by continuously counting fruits on a roller elevator and autonomously adjusting infeed speed and the line speed accordingly. An upgrade of our Spectrim technology was also showcased at Fruit Logistica. Its new interface will make it easier to change parameter setups and use in general. Spectrim 5.0 enables the same grade rules and outcomes to be achieved with half the cut points and has new algorithms which further improve blemish tracking, sizing, and grading. Another novelty of the year will be the new version of our software for cherry grading – InVision 6. So stay tuned for more information.”
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