Five QualityGraders for Jonika
Five QualityGraders for Jonika
Five QualityGraders for Jonika
Five QualityGraders for Jonika
Jonika optimises onion sorting line with five QualityGraders from Flikweert Vision
Oostdijk - Jonika, an onion packer based in Oostdijk, has been researching the possibilities of optical reading and sorting for some time. “We were looking for a system that could be seamlessly integrated into our existing production line, without having to change the set-up,” says Jaap Nieuwenhuijse. Flikweert Vision's QualityGrader turned out to be the solution. Since March this year, Jonika has been using one optical quality sorter in the sorting line, and in the coming months, the entire sorting process will be optimised with five QualityGraders and a new shuck sorter from Petech Machinery.
“We visited a potato processor that was using the QualityGrader, and we were immediately excited. We opted to integrate the machine directly into the sorting process, without first setting up a test rig. Frankly, we were impressed with its performance from day one. We started during the previous harvest and the machine removed all bad onions almost immediately. Moreover, thanks to artificial intelligence assessing the onions, the machine is still learning every day,” Jaap says.
“We are also happy that we were able to place the machine within our current production line. With alternatives, that would often mean modifying our entire facility. This machine is compact and requires relatively little maintenance. This is why we decided to invest heavily in five machines. We look forward to the expansion with confidence. With these five machines, we have enough capacity and capabilities to process onions the way we want,” says Jaap.
Jaap Nieuwenhuijse: “Integration within existing line was a priority for us”
Although the QualityGrader has mainly been used in the (seed) potato sector in recent years, the developers have also gained a lot of knowledge in onion grading. “We welcome the opportunity Jonika gave us to test the machine directly in the process. This is crucial for good quality assessment. Their feedback has helped us tremendously,” says Martijn Flikweert.
“Especially the practical applicability of the machine in the existing production line made the investment attractive for Jonika. Traditional sorting systems often include a manual inspection area and a post inspection. With our QualityGrader, we can replace the inspection part and usually do not need additional space, while replacing the necessary labour,” Martijn says.
“The great thing is that we have now graded both red and yellow storage onions, import onions and onion sets at Jonika. Characteristics and therefore it is essential that the machine's grading model learns quickly. Our experience built up in the potato sector has accelerated this process. The machine has proven that it can select the quality of both yellow and red onions in a short time.”
According to Martijn, the potential in the Dutch onion sector is huge. “Huge amounts of onions are processed in the Netherlands and labour is a significant cost, besides the fact that it is also difficult to find good staff. The machine never has an off-day. Because the onion turns under the camera and the machine is unguided, our cameras detect much more than people on the conveyor belt.”
“Our focus is strongly on creating highly accurate quality grading that perfectly matches customer requirements. An important aspect here is ease of use. Our challenge is to sort each batch of onions for quality according to the customer's wishes, with minimal input from the customer. The whole team works hard on this challenge,” concludes Martijn.