Multinational equipment manufacturer MAF Roda has emphasised the advantages its sorting and packing machinery can have when it comes to cutting costs, while ensuring that the quality of fresh produce sent to the end customer remains high.
'Innovation is our priority in order to stay ahead of the market,' says Pascal Lafont, technical director and sales manager of the pnw division at MAF in Washington state, the US. 'We keep on improving the accuracy of our defect sorters for all fresh produce, including cherries, apples, lemons, citrus, stonefruit and others, and these improvements suit all of our markets worldwide.'
The global financial climate means that there is now a greater emphasis on packing produce at the lowest cost possible, with labour often the first place companies look to trim expenses – and this is where maf thinks it can help.
'A big expectation from the market is that we reduce costs in packing by increasing efficiency and saving on labour,' notes Lafont. 'This is why MAF invests in robotics development, like our new apple-packing robot MRP `MAF Robot Packing`. This machine, which utilises new-generation robotic arms, has the capacity to pack 30,000 extra pieces of quality fruit per hour, and creates a 25-30 per cent hand-labour saving.
'As a result, there are less people in the packhouse and line capacity is higher, sending better-quality produce to the consumers. We are very happy to provide integrated solutions to play a part in our customers’ success.'
In looking to stay a step ahead of the competition, the group continues to invest in new plants across the globe to help maintain high equipment standards. With increased levels of competition, cutting-edge machinery is more relevant than ever, and this is reflected in maf’s performance.
'Overall our sales are going up every year,” explains Lafont. 'MAF is aware of the market and provides equipment matching different customers’ relevant needs. We invest a lot of money in research and development to invent equipment for the future.'
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