Stemilt’s new pear packingline puts freshness first
Equipped with double the defect sorters and pear-protecting specifications, Stemilt’s new automated pear packingline aims to put freshness back into every box of Stemilt Rushing Rivers pears. Stemilt Facility Manager Don Reeves said this state-of-the-art pear line will increase all around consistency for a box-opening experience that puts quality and flavor first.
“The automated pear line is expected to double our capacity,” said Reeves. “Automatic defect sorters, pear-specific belted brush beds, a bin washer and automated baggers are all features that will help create a uniform pack. These elements help us produce high-quality pears for consumers to enjoy. The automation and increased capacity are important as we prepare for future volume growth on pears.”
On the new line, pears run through two automated defect sorting cameras with a unique ability to flip the pears over carefully in cups to see a 360 view of the pear. Automatic belted brush beds can also be adjusted depending on the delicacy of the pears. Also, a new bin washer will clean bins after every run to save time in production.
“The most automation to be added to the new pear line is the bagging and sorting process,” said Reeves. “Automatic bin fillers are going to help us put fruit back into our controlled atmosphere rooms when packing fresh to order.”
To maximize freshness, packed boxes of pears coming from the new pear line will ride on a conveyor belt straight to cold storage at Stemilt’s Fresh Cube distribution center to ensure the fruit cools quickly.
“The first thing this line is going to prioritize is quality,” said Reeves. “We’ll have less hands on the fruit and a great cold chain going from the packingline all the way to storing, which will help as it gets later in the season. The line’s automation shows potential for adding new varieties because we can increase tonnage with our new sorting technology.”
Along with automation, the new line is almost three times the size of Stemilt’s former pear packingline. The larger space allows for a box mezzanine area and will be able to be expanded for consumer packaging in the future.
“The more consistent we can make the box opening experience, the better,” said Reeves. “The first pears of the year are already running on the new line, and we’re excited to boost quality and freshness for our new Happi Pear and Stemilt Rushing Rivers pears to delight consumers.”
