The payback period for a QualityGrader varies from one business to another. An optical sorting machine for potatoes and onions pays for itself not only through labour savings, but also through more consistent throughput, fewer unnecessary rejects and greater control over the sorting process. Labour costs, sorting capacity, batch quality and customer requirements differ from one business to another. For this reason, there is no standard payback period. However, in practice, we consistently see the same factors at play.

Labour savings are often the first reason to invest
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable staff for manual quality control. The work requires a great deal of concentration, labour costs are rising, and scheduling becomes vulnerable when there are not enough staff available. For many companies, labour savings are therefore the primary reason for investing in a QualityGrader. That motivation remains valid, but the value of optical sorting goes beyond simply reducing the number of people on the production line.

Why does processing capacity remain more consistent?
Anyone who sorts potatoes or onions knows the difference between an easy batch and a difficult one. With a batch containing many defects, manual inspection requires more attention. Throughput decreases and it becomes more difficult to maintain the desired quality. The QualityGrader assesses every potato or onion individually using industrial cameras and AI algorithms. Each product is assessed according to the same pre-set criteria, regardless of the time of day or the number of defects in the batch. Rejected products are automatically removed using high-speed rejction fingers. As a result, a difficult batch has virtually no impact on processing capacity, unlike with manual quality control. We have seen with various customers that, following investment in a QualityGrader, this leads to a 10 to 20 per cent increase in processing capacity. This more stable and higher capacity can deliver significant value, particularly during peak periods. A batch that proves more difficult than expected no longer causes delays in the rest of the schedule. Customers regularly indicate that they initially purchased the QualityGrader to save on labour, but subsequently see the predictability and control over the process as the main added value. Labour savings are often the reason to invest, but process stability is what truly determines the payback period.

How does the QualityGrader minimise unnecessary reject?
The benefits of a QualityGrader lie not only in labour savings and stable capacity, but also in making better use of every batch. If sorting is too strict, good product ends up in the rejects unnecessarily. If sorting is less strict, more defective product may be delivered to customers. That is why, with the QualityGrader, there is a strong focus right from the start on retaining good product. Every marketable product that is rejected unnecessarily directly reduces your return. To make a fair comparison, it is important to measure both the QualityGrader and the manual inspection process. The results are often surprising. Even experienced staff unconsciously sort out good products, particularly with relatively good batches where there is a tendency to keep making corrections. In many situations, the QualityGrader provides a more consistent assessment, and fewer good products are wrongly rejected. This difference is immediately reflected in the quantity of saleable product and, consequently, in the payback period.