Buhler feels the competition and responds

The leading manufacturers of sorting equipment are starting to feel competition. The combination of Bühler’s Sortex F optical sorting platform with its BioVision technology, originally introduced in 2015, means nut manufacturers ensure hygienic sorting and more precise shell and foreign material detection. Sortex BioVision is a combination of high definition, infrared and shape technology as well as custom-built biochromatic cameras. Axel Breuer talked to Brian P. Sears of West- Link about the changing picture in the sorting market and the new model.

Which competition is more concerning for you? Your longtime European competitors like Tomra or the emerging competitors from Asia?

We observe both. My company has been selling Bühler machines for over 40 years. The machines from Europe have a better support and service network. And we do see China manufactured models. They are out there but it is not a dominant factor because nolwadays the quality requirements are so high that there is still a preference for established manufacturers. Maybe you save some money on a piece of equipment in your processing line, but it might be a short-sighted decision if your machine does not offer the same efficiency and reliability. You get what you pay for. Service is really the most important factor. Even if you sell the best technology it has to run smoothly. The support has to be immediate. We have an expansive service network to help our clients quickly when they need us. If one of the companies is not happy because we could not help them instantly it is a serious issue for them.

Which are the major trends for sorting in the next few years?

Ease of use is extremely important because it is difficult to get someone to operate such a piece of high tech machinery. The work force in California is expensive.

Please tell us about the new F sorter.

It is a high capacity machine. Food safety is really very important for Bühler and the new sorter has an open design that allows for easy cleaning. It can process different streams simultaneously. We focused on multiple streams in the past and we have a lot of successful installations with simultaneous passes. You could do one pass, a second pass and a resort simultaneously. It is very versatile, you can pass over from walnuts to almonds to pistachios or pecans. Biovision now offers more detection in the visible range with a high-definition spectrum. This is important for insect bites for example. This year in the almond industry we had a lot of issues concerning insect damage. Our detection systems are working in the infrared spectrum that is addressing that issue. Operators will be pleased about the improved ease of access. You can walk into the machine and clean it. Hullers are working in a very dusty work environment. Now it is very easy to blow air to clean the machine. The user interface has been improved and simplified. In the past you might have had 20 different programs for the different varieties. Now we are able to use only one program that can be adapted to all varieties.