Q+A with Rudi Groppe, president and CEO of HMI

There was a lot to see at United Fresh 2015 — Best New Product Award winners, fresh produce and innovative technology — but perhaps the most exciting displays revolved around the use of robotics in fresh-cut.

Rudi Groppe and the Heinzen Manufacturing International team didn’t disappoint. I watched from a distance as various attendees stopped by their booth to witness robotics in action.

We sat down with Groppe, president and CEO, to talk about HMI’s partnership with Soft Robotics and the new technology they’ve created that blends robotics and soft grippers.

Robotics in Action

PRODUCE PROCESSING: Can you tell me a little bit more about your partnership with Soft Robotics?

RUDI GROPPE: We discovered Soft Robotics while attending the Automate 2015 trade show this past March. We are implementing robotics in our fabrication processes and attending the Automate show was part of our education process. Soft Robotics was exhibiting at the trade show and I immediately saw the potential in this gripping technology. We exchanged contacts and agreed to follow up after the trade show. HMI is very focused on the produce industry, system integration and complete solutions. Soft Robotics is a small company focused on the gripper and it looks to be a good match. The Soft Robotics technology is an extremely important piece of the puzzle — this partnership will allow HMI to do much of the system integration and bring this technology into the process environment.

PP: What is the goal of the partnership?

RG: The goal of the partnership is to bring robotic technology into the process environment.

PP: Why are robotics and soft grippers important for the fresh-cut world?

RG: The gripper is unique in that it can pick up an individual or a handful of produce without damage. This is truly a game changer for the produce world.

PP: Speaking of that, how will it change the way companies handle fresh produce?

RG: This technology will enable fresh produce companies to automate many tasks that require manual labor.

PP: How was the system received at United Fresh? What did you hear from attendees?

RG: The system generated a lot of interest on the trade show floor. We had several companies visit two or three times to discuss applications and how to implement this technology.

PP: This seems to be the beginning of robotics — what does the future look like?

RG: If we look at the current state for robotics installations, they have had good success in the case packaging processes. Case packing is a good place to start the automation process as the bag or tray of product is very consistent and easy to manipulate. The future will see individual robots working alongside humans, doing a lot of the heavy lifting and increasing their productivity. This gripping technology along with advancements in 3D camera technology and computing horsepower allow us to perform basic inspection, alignment, sorting and placement. We are still early in the development of robots designed from the ground up based on sanitary design principles. We are not there yet with this part of the technology; we plan to drive this next evolution.

PP: What’s next for HMI? What’s next for the partnership?

RG: We have been approached by several produce companies that want to be early adopters of the technology and to provide resources to help move the process forward. I see the partnership growing.

More information about HMI and its partnership with Soft Robotics is available on HMI’s website.

Interview by Courtney Culey, digital content editor



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