SortiPack – a modular system architecture for Automatic Grading, Sorting and Packing Growers

Across the world growers are confronted with an increasing resource scarcity. At the same time customer demands increase in terms of transparency, use of pesticides, packaging and pricing. Scale and increasing yield per product, package or square meter are essential to secure continuity and are at the basis of profitable growth.

SortiPack, a modular Robotics concept, can be adapted to handle different crops, vegetables and fruit. The vision, machine learning for grading and sorting algorithms can be -reused as it is designed in a modular way. The gripper technology and handling concept can be optimized per type of product and package.

SortiPack offers ultimate flexibility, lowers cost and dependency of human labour and enables growers to increase capacities as the system works consistently, in a more hygienic way and optimizes the product volume and weight per package. The system can operate 24/7 and all data is available for analysis purposes or to predict yields. As the system is based on a self-learning architecture it uses its actual product data also to provide proactive feedback on settings to enable growers to adjust sorting and grading settings to optimize yields and to reduce waste.

Besides integrated weighing and quality inspection the future roadmap also holds inspection technologies such as hyper spectral imaging for internal defects and grading.

Currently tests and proof of concepts are being realized for peppers, pointed peppers, chicory and different other crops. Tomatoes is being realized in line with the home page video. Below the deployment for mini-cucumbers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhCZ06oxCvE&t=50s

SPaaS – Sort and Pack as-a-Service for extra comfort

In order to enable a larger target group to adopt this innovative technology, Crux Agribotics also offers SortiPack systems as-a-Service (Sort and Pack as-a-Service). In this model the customer does not have to finance the full capex investment. Instead in analogy to paying employees per month SortiPack is delivered based on primarily variable monthly fees including a pay-as-you-use component (i.e. per packed box/crate). Only a limited set-up fee is required to secure the start of the project.

Such SPaaS service includes all required service to safeguard the system’s uptime and performance including all hardware and software licenses, assembly and installation, training, and also local support and spare parts. During the SPaaS service, the system works under full warranty and Crux Agribotics will conduct periodic preventive maintenance as part of the variable fees. All services will be delivered via a single point of contact and with service engineers nearby. At the end of the agreement period, the grower may extend the service at even more attractive rates or decide to obtain ownership by paying a limited ending fee.

Besides extra comfort and support, SPaaS offers a truly risk-reward model with which Crux Agribotics confirms its belief and commitment towards the agriculture industry and its innovative SortiPack technology.