Service, sorting companies partner to support packers and processors

WECO and Multiscan Technologies have formed a partnership to support nut, fruit and vegetable packers and processors across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

WECO’s sales and service organization is now selling, leasing and supporting Multiscan’s optical sorters and other inspection equipment.

Both organizations are members of the Duravant family of operating companies.

“Bringing two leading suppliers together in this way provides enormous value to both WECO and Multiscan customers,” Don Douglas, president of WECO, said in a news release. “With the addition of Multiscan’s technology to WECO’s portfolio, we’re able to deliver even more sorting and pre-sorting solutions that address a broader range of turnkey line layouts and capacity requirements.”

WECO (Woodside Electronic Corp.), based in Woodland, California, has been designing, manufacturing and servicing electronic sorters for more than 30 years. The company, serving industries including tomatoes, walnuts, blueberries, pecans and wine grapes, has U.S. locations in Michigan, Oregon, New Mexico and Georgia, as well as a facility in Chile.

Multiscan machine vision systems complement existing WECO sorting and moisture monitoring technologies for in-shell nut products to help manage product quality, improve yield, increase line throughput and reduce labor requirements, according to the release.

Multiscan’s solutions for the avocado, cherry, citrus, olive, pomegranate and fresh tomato markets will benefit from WECO’s leasing program and service organization, which provides installation and start-up services, preventive maintenance, technology upgrades and 24/7 emergency assistance.

“Our program connects customers immediately to local service technicians with in-depth knowledge of their operation, not a remote call center,” Douglas said. “Just as important, technicians are always equipped to immediately fix issues on the spot. In a business where unplanned downtime is so costly, this is big differentiator.”