YOUR INDUSTRY
Industry stability makes automation viable The stability of the New Zealand kiwifruit industry, the scarcity of labour and a philosophy of being cutting edge are among the reasons EastPack has invested $35 million in automation for its Washer Road post-harvest facility in Te Puke. By Elaine Fisher The ‘green button’ on the facility’s automated 14-lane grader was activated in mid-March, increasing its through-put by 50% and reducing staff by 25%, says chief executive Hamish Simson. “This is a bit of a poster child for EastPack and is the result of three to four years of research and development with our design partners.” Such an investment is only possible in a stable industry. “The stability of the single marketer (Zespri) with a good broad view of the market plus the predictability that it takes a few years for orchard production to come on stream, provides that confidence.” Stability, however, is lacking in terms of labour availability. “Labour scarcity is a profound structural issue, exacerbated by the closed borders, but long-term labour shortages are still a structural issue. Investing in automation is not just about competitive advantage and efficiencies but also about addressing this long-term structural issue. It’s something you have to be persistent at, as solutions take years.” Automation of its biggest grader means fewer staff to pack a percentage of the 45 million trays the company expects to handle this season, but it still requires 3,200 seasonal packers at the peak of the harvest across its six sites. To innovate requires an appetite for risk, Hamish says. “EastPack has a culture based around core values, one of which is to be cutting edge, so everyone from the board down is open to the prospect of change and welcomes it. We do take risks and don’t get it right all the time; that’s the thing about risk, you have to have an appetite for it to innovate.” 40
The ORCHARDIST : APRIL 2021
EastPack Chief Executive Hamish Simson in the company’s Washer Road packhouse, Te Puke
The newly automated system begins with grading camera technology which is close to but not quite AI (artificial intelligence) to grade and weigh fruit. Previously manual roles of making and lining kiwifruit boxes and delivering them to the lanes to be filled with fruit have been replaced by automation, as has filling of both bulk and single layer trays. Robotic machinery also closes off the boxes, labels and stacks them onto pallets. “It’s not quite a ‘lights out operation’ which is fully automated and requires no human presence and probably never will be, but it is a big leap forward for EastPack.” The automated system will pack up to 95% of the facility’s bulk trays and 25% of single trays. “The market is moving slowly away from single trays as part of a sustainability drive to reduce plastic in the supply chain. We are keeping an eye on the way that develops to understand the pack types the markets want, as we don’t want to automate things the market doesn’t want.”
The automated system will pack up to 95% of the facility’s bulk trays and 25% of single trays. Automated filling of bulk boxes has been in operation in kiwifruit packhouses, including EastPack, for some time but the difference with EastPack’s new system is speed and handling of the fruit to avoid damage.
