Citrus Case Study 1

David Thierry - Geelong Citrus Packers
Geelong Citrus Packers have been longtime customers of GP Graders so when they were ready to introduce defect sorting, they came to us. David Thierry of Geelong Citrus Packers says that the software is user friendly, easy to learn and logical. This means it is easy to train staff which simplified the introduction of the new machinery.

The grading process has been streamlined. The defect sorter separates firsts, seconds and thirds. This eliminates the need to re grade which is a big staff saving as in the past staff would perform two gradings. This has reduced sorting staff from three to one. The grader pulls out 1sts and 3rds, and the sorter looks at 2nds.

The defect grader can sort fruit significantly faster than human sorting and is not subjective the way people are. This has reduced the length of the day from ten to eight hours and increases the accuracy of the grading.

David states that generating statistics is easier as data is absolute and recorded in one place as opposed to melding together data from various sources. This is especially beneficial when packing for others as clear data is required for reporting back to grower and for billing.

Another benefit David identified was that dry fruit is easy to detect using a combination of weight and optical grading as the weight to diameter ratio indicates juice content. This allows a higher quality product to be sold and gives the packer and customer alike more confidence in the quality of the product.