Key Technology sorter and conveyor among equipment in spotlight in Germany

Key Technology’s newest innovations, including its VERYX optical sorter and Zephyr horizontal-motion conveyor, will be on display in Dusseldrof, Germany, next month.

Zephyr, ideal for processing and packaging lines handling frozen foods and dry products such as potato chips, nuts and cereals, achieves higher capacities and moves product with minimal bounce and noise. The VERYX digital sorter finds and removes foreign material and defects while virtually eliminating false rejects and reducing labor requirements.

The equipment will be displayed May 4-10 at Interpack.

“Food processors worldwide are facing enormous market challenges – fluctuations in crop quality due to extreme weather, increasing defects resulting from stricter legislation on the use of pesticides, widespread labor shortages, consumer demands for higher product quality, and more,” Antoine van Bree, president, Key Technology – EMEIA and Asia, said in a news release. “We’re addressing these issues with our next-generation food processing technologies designed for Industry 4.0 plants.

“To meet processors’ specific requirements and regional conditions, we collaborate closely with each customer to understand their needs and fine-tune our systems to suit their unique application.”

Zephyr’s motion profile slides and conveys product with no segregation or stratification and reduces product damage and loss of coatings such as seasoning and batter. An optional reversible configuration allows customers to flow product in either direction, maximizing line versatility.

VERYX can be configured to sort fresh, dried and frozen fruits and vegetables, potato products, nuts, confectioneries, pet foods and more. Proprietary software collects, analyzes and shares data to reveal patterns and trends that improve sorting and help control upstream and downstream processes.

Key offers a wide range of high-performance food processing and packaging technologies, along with best-in-class service and support, to help customers optimize product quality, increase yield, reduce labor and enhance line efficiencies.

Key Technology, a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, has manufacturing facilities in Walla Walla, Washington; Redmond, Oregon; and Beusichem, the Netherlands.