Stockholmsgården is located in the onion-growing region of Österlen in southern Skåne, Sweden. Owner Fredrik Larsson runs the company. There are a hundred hectares of own cultivation and cooperation with around 20 growers in the region. The packing hall has capacity for 15,000 tonnes a year. Onions are sorted, chilled and packed there from one to one hundred and eighty kilos and delivered daily to wholesalers in Helsingborg.

Reason and purpose

Quality control was done manually at a sorting table with four employees. Staff availability was a recurring bottleneck. Constant quality across all hours of the day was difficult to secure. Fredrik was looking for a solution that would make quality objective, increase speed and reduce dependence on temporary workers. Important criteria were a compact machine, proven quality, an appropriate price level and, above all, a solution developed specifically for onions.

Choice of Flikweert Vision

The first contact arose during Fruit Logistica in Berlin 2024. Subsequently, reference visits to Dutch onion packers brought additional confidence: the existing installations and experience showed that the technology fits seamlessly into practice within onion processing. Whereas other suppliers have their roots mainly in the potato branch and are less familiar with the onion market, Flikweert Vision stands out precisely because of its clear focus on and knowledge of both markets. This combination of experience, innovation and commitment to the onion industry made the choice for Flikweert Vision's QualityGrader an obvious one.

Solution and implementation

The QualityGrader takes on quality assessment fully automatically: quickly, accurately and consistently. Operation is easy, via one clear screen. The integration of the machine was carried out together with EMVE, EMVE is a Swedish manufacturer of machines and complete processing lines. Thanks to the preparation, installation was smooth and the machine could be up and running almost immediately. An engineer from Flikweert Vision was also present during start-up to fine-tune everything sharply. “The line was up to speed in a short time, really plug & play,” says Fredrik.

Service and cooperation

During start-up and in the first weeks, the service department was readily available for consultations. Questions were quickly answered by phone; minor optimisations were easily agreed upon by Fredrik via WhatsApp. Those short lines kept the process smooth and prevented unnecessary downtime. “The contact is quick and practical. That suits how we work,” says Fredrik Larsson.

Results on the line

Since installation, the line has been running noticeably more consistently and with higher output. Because the QualityGrader keeps the sorting rate stable, the line can run at full speed for longer and overall daily production has increased significantly. Employees who previously checked manually are now assigned to other tasks with more added value. This not only increases efficiency, but also creates calm and overview on the shop floor. Where quality control used to be the limiting factor, the bottleneck now lies with other machines in the line. This has simplified production planning and made deliveries more predictable. “The QualityGrader delivers consistent sorting and high output, with a quick plug-and-play start-up,” Fredrik Larsson says with satisfaction.

Looking ahead

Stockholmsgården plans to further strengthen the line with a Divider before the toppers. By removing stones and clods early, the shearer stays clean and the QualityGrader can fully focus on accurate quality control. Thus, the company continues to grow with more capacity and stable, measurable quality when it counts.