More efficient quality control at Wiskerke Onions thanks to automation

In a short time, Wiskerke Onions significantly improved their onion sorting line. Not only in terms of efficiency, but also in quality control. Automation solutions from Flikweert Vision and KV-Techniek play a crucial role in this. “It is much more efficient and causes much less stress than before,” says Wiskerke.”

The family-run Zeeland company, founded in 1933, grew into a leading onion supplier. Every year, the company processes and packs more than 190,000 tonnes of onions for supermarkets and wholesalers. Large cargoes are exported to over 130 countries via the port of Vlissingen. With a strong focus on sustainability, energy saving and quality control, the company continues to continuously optimise, which benefits both product quality and processing efficiency.

From manual sorting to precision automation

Flikweert Vision took the sorting process at Wiskerke to the next level. The addition of a Divider and two QualityGraders made the process more efficient. Where previously eight people manually removed tare, the machine now takes over completely. Jan Zweemer, head of quality at Wiskerke, notices the difference immediately: “If we compare the tare removed by a Flikweert QualityGrader and by manual sorting, we see that the machine works much more accurately.” Six additional QualityGraders were integrated by the end of 2024, leaving only one operator needed. This saves 24 employees and guarantees consistent quality from morning to night. Advanced camera technology and artificial intelligence efficiently control the sorting process.

Automating with a robot

After removing product foreign bodies through the Divider, the onions passed through a shearer. The sieves were cleaned four to five times a day with a spa. Thorough cleaning happened less frequently because of labour intensity. “With fresh onions we had to take out the sieves weekly, with dry onions every 14 days,” explains Jan. KV-Techniek, specialist in robotic automation, offered a robotic arm that can change and clean the sieves. “Now it's one press of a button and the robot does the job without production interruption,” says Jan. The robot replaces manual tasks and changes 6 to 7 sieves in 14 minutes. With this speed, we keep the quality of dusting high, improve ergonomics and provide a safe working environment

Strong cooperation for maximum efficiency

To run the onion sorting line completely unmanned, all processes had to be automated. Flikweert Vision and KV-Techniek complement each other perfectly in this respect. “Both companies are young and innovative, which ensures continuous improvement,” says Jan. Thanks to this automation, quality is now always under control. www.kv-techniek.nl