food Marketing & Technology 3/2022

Processing
time it takes to changeover the line
to handle a new product and ensures
consistent sorting results on every
run. “We worked closely with Key to
develop the perfect sort recipes for our
products and production objectives,”
said Theiner. “Operating these sorters
is incredibly simple, which is important
to our shift leaders, particularly since
the sorters run around the clock with
minimal operator oversight.”
Auto-learning,
self-adjusting
algorithms and predictive system
diagnostics enable VERYX to adapt
to normal fluctuations in the product
and environment without operator
intervention. The intuitive user
interface, which can be accessed on
the sorter’s touchscreen or remotely,
can be programmed to present
different views to users of various
levels, depending on their needs. These
smart features minimize operator
qualifications and reduce training
requirements while helping the sorter
operate at peak performance with
virtually no oversight. Since Fructus
is running these sorters three shifts
a day, five or six days a week, reliable
performance is crucial.
Equipped with Key’s optional FM Alert
software, VERYX takes automation
to the next level. FM Alert is a
monitoring tool that sends an alert if
a critical FM event occurs and saves
a time-stamped image of the critical
FM object. It allows an operator to
verify the critical FM has been sorted
out and enables the processor to
quickly research and resolve sources
of possible contamination to protect
product quality.
While FM Alert is focused on specific
critical FM events, Key’s Discovery
software harnesses big data to take
production efficiency to the next level.
With Discovery, VERYX can collect,
analyze and share data at the same
time it continues to sort product. By
monitoring information about the
sort process and about every object
flowing through the sorter, Discovery
is able to reveal patterns and trends
that improve sorting and help control
upstream and downstream processes.
“We aren’t using our VERYX sorters to
their full data collecting potential yet,
but we plan to in the near future. We’re
interested in tracking and analyzing a
variety of statistics such as quantifying
the volume of different defects,”
explained Theiner.
“In addition to giving our customers
first-class products and services
that exceed their expectations, it’s
important to us that we’re giving our
employees a safe, positive working
environment,” said Theiner. “Of
course, manually sorting is incredibly
draining work, especially over an eighthour
stretch, so workers are happy to
be trained for other jobs. Also, people
inspecting product typically get tired
and start to make mistakes, which
can affect both product quality and
yield, whereas our digital sorters stay
objective and consistent. Thanks to
30 food Marketing & Technology • June 2022