It is the growers' nightmare. Lack of labor during the season. All growers and packers know it’s very difficult to find (and keep) good employees these days. Especially during peak seasons when labor demands are high.
What are the biggest challenges of labor issues?
- Reduced productivity:
With fewer workers available, growers are not able to process and pack crops as quickly or efficiently, leading to higher costs.
- Higher workload:
As labor availability decreases, you and your limited amount of sorting personnel have to do all the work in order to get all the orders done in time.
- Delays:
When there aren't enough workers, growers experience delays in bringing products to the market, which impact revenues and their delivery liability.
- Crop losses:
In some cases, crops may be left unharvested due to the lack of available labor, leading to significant financial losses for growers.
- Quality issues:
With unsufficient labor to carefully sort and grade crops, growers may experience quality issues. This impact the marketability of their products.
What is the solution to these labor challenges?
The above situation is recognizable worldwide. The situation only seems to be getting worse. It’s no surprise that more and more growers and packers are investing in automating the grading and packing process. Optical grading technology is increasingly viewed as a necessity.
Automation only works if you can rely on it
Optical grading must be done accurate and consistent. The quality of fruits and vegetables must consistently meet high standards. That's often the first concern growers and packers have when exploring the potential of optical grading technology, and rightfully so. You must be able to rely on the new system. Automation only works if it is accurate.
Just as good as humans? Or even better?
Growers themselves have years of experience and knowledge, often passed down through generations. They also employ skilled individuals with a keen eye for quality. The conclusion from demo tests and the experience of our customers indicate that optical grading technology is just as knowledgeable as they are. In fact, most customers are even convinced that the system has a better idea of quality than they do themselves. And that is not surprising, considering it’s built on the collective wisdom of growers worldwide. Plus, optical grading technology can see beyond the human eye – ‘Seeing the unseen’. Such as the internal quality of products or the emergence of miniscule defects that may develop during storage or transport.
Created by growers worldwide
You can integrate your own knowledge and expertise into the system, making it as intelligent as you are. The grading software already contains various grading algorithms that can evaluate the quality of fruits and vegetables in different conditions. You have the flexibility to incorporate your own knowledge of quality aspects and defects of your produce, customizing it to your specific circumstances.
Large volumes of consistent quality elevates your status as a preferred supplier
The big advantage of a computer is that it doesn't get tired. Where a human becomes less sharp after a few hours, grading technology maintains its precision throughout. This allows you to deliver large quantities of products with consistent quality to your customers. As a result, you will maintain your status as a preferred supplier and your company's reputation for quality will remain high.
