TOMRA showcases technology, unveils new organizational structure

TOMRA Food showcased sorting, grading and packing solutions at Fruit Logistica in Berlin earlier this month and unveiled a new organizational structure the company says will allow it to increase innovation capacity while being closer to its customers.

Fruit Logistica, an annual fresh produce industry event that attracts participants from 140 countries, was held Feb. 7-9.

TOMRA’s new regional structure will include three areas: EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), Americas, and APAC (Asia-Pacific), according to a news release. In each area, TOMRA is merging its processed and fresh food business components into one TOMRA Food team.

The company is also integrating all its research and development units, as well as its supply chain, product development, operations and production, into one central hub called Global Solutions, which will be based predominantly in Dublin and Leuven, Belgium, with some functions in other locations.

“Throughout its history, TOMRA Food has shown its ability to adapt and innovate to provide the solutions our customers really need,” Harald Henriksen, executive vice president and head of TOMRA Food, said in the release. “That’s what we are doing with our new organization, which will benefit them in different ways. The regional approach will allow us to operate as a local partner, having a more direct dialogue with our customers and responding swiftly to their very diverse needs.”

New sorting and grading solutions

TOMRA Food launched three artificial intelligence-aided solutions at the show.

The first is TOMRA Neon, a blueberry pre-grader that uses AI modeling to detect clusters. Validation tests have shown TOMRA Neon removes more than 95% of clusters and more than 90% of red and green berries, according to the release.

Also introduced at Fruit Logistica was the new-generation Spectrim X grading platform featuring its LUCAi Deep Learning technology for apples. This intelligent optical sorting and grading solution, equipped with LUCAi Engine Software, computing hardware and pre-trained models, meets customers’ demand for greater productivity with grading precision, higher yields, minimal fruit loss and reduced operational costs.

TOMRA Food also unveiled TOMRA LUCAi for its InVision 2 grading platform for cherries. TOMRA’s Deep Learning technology maximizes pack-out results and minimizes fruit loss. It detects edge cracks, pacman cherries (half cherries), open sutures, cosmetic blemishes and stem pulls, and ensures improved spur detection as well as cracks and defects around the stem, according to the release.

Read more about TOMRA’s AI-enhanced technology in the January/February edition of Produce Processing magazine.

Three-dimensional holographic display

TOMRA Food’s hologram machine, which debuted at Fruit Logistica 2023, returned this year.

The machine displayed 3D animations and video of equipment including the TOMRA 3A, TOMRA 5A, TOMRA 5C and TOMRA 5SA sorters; the CURO-16 small-fruit packing system; the KATO precision grading system for blueberries; and the Spectrim grading platform with UltraView inspection module