Belgian food company d’Arta is working together with Bühler to address its need for a flexible sorting solution that is capable of handling very high capacity throughput of frozen vegetables with no loss of efficiency.
Since d’Arta’s IQF line at the Yorkshire Greens facility in the UK is capable of producing 15 tons of product per hour, a corresponding higher capacity sorting solution was needed.
Bühler was already in the process of developing such as solution for the frozen product sector when it was approached by d’Arta. As the company’s Application Specialist David McCambridge explains:
“Yorkshire Greens needed a solution before the start of the next pea harvest so when they heard that we were developing a higher capacity sorter they expressed an interest in helping with the development process.”
The two companies have had a longstanding relationship that stretches across many years.
The SORTEX FA3 has been developed to offer a solution for applications that require high capacity sorting with no reduction in sorting efficiency. With a throughput of up to 20 tons per hour, Bühler’s new SORTEX FA3 is also said to offer flexibility, featuring three individual chutes while new software enables clearer visualization of defects and new operator interfaces simplify machine set up and allow for even greater sorting accuracies.
“Because of our need for a larger capacity sorting solution was so great we were more than happy to help Bühler test the prototype SORTEX FA3. It passed with flying colors, this really was a win/win situation for both d’Arta and Bühler as the machine was rigorously tested and we were rewarded with an improved frozen product, following the testing process,” said Pieter De Beckere, co-CEO at d’Arta.
During the trials, D’Arta shipped frozen products of varying qualities to the site to how the optical sorter coped with a wide variety of different products including cauliflower with broccoli florets, diced carrots, peas, and diced potatoes.
D’Arta offers a range of fresh frozen products including vegetables, fruits, herbs and ready-made side dishes that are produced in four European factories. The 100% family-owned company currently employs over 900 people and exports its products to more than 100 countries.