The growing popularity of avocados and the resulting increase in the
quantities of avocados harvested and processed are currently posing new
challenges for the food industry. Kronen GmbH reacted to this new trend
by developing an innovative Robot Avocado solution, which has now
completed a successful test phase at a customer facility in the Netherlands.
Over a period of several weeks, the company Lazy Foods, a manufacturer of
guacamole and avocado spreads based in the Netherlands, used the Robot
Avocado Line to pit and peel avocados under real production conditions.
Kronen's new solution for the automated processing of the sensitive fruit
was presented for the first time at this year's Fruit Logistica and Anuga FoodTec
exhibitions.
Patented tools for gentle processing
The Robot Avocado Line stands out by using Kroenen's patented tools and
methods for halving, pitting and peeling avocados in combination with a robot
suitable for food processing from the manufacturer Stäubli. The tools and
processes are specially adapted to cater to the special requirements of avocados
and thus achieve a very high yield when peeling the fruit. The line can process up
to 400 avocados per hour with one robot, but its productivity can also be increased
to up to 1,000 avocados per hour by using two to three robots. According to user
data, the line pays for itself within just over a year.
Automation as the key to efficiency
During the test phase under real production conditions at Lazy Foods, a company
specializing in the production of high-quality avocado spreads containing no
additives, a number of small optimizations have already been made to the robot
line directly on site. The suction grabber, for example, has been adjusted to hold
smaller fruits or fruits with very uneven skin in cooperation with the German
Institute of Food Technology (DIL), which was already involved in the development
of the gripping technology within the scope of a research project. The team at Lazy
Foods was extremely pleased with the line's processing results with ready-to-eat
avocados. To tackle the challenges faced in the case of less ripe, harder fruits, the
Kronen team worked together with Lazy Foods to further develop the processing
solution.
The Lazy Foods team initially assigned six to 10 employees to handle the semi-automatic avocado processing with the current Kronen Convenience Avocado
Line. However, the manual peeling process led to joint pain in some employees,
and the increasing staff costs and difficult search for employees triggered the
search for a solution with the highest possible degree of automation.
A successful practical test in an industrial setting
The robotic solution helps to improve the efficiency of avocado processing and
combat the challenges of the staff shortage and higher staff costs. Lazy Foods
therefore provided very positive feedback on the overall concept of the line.
For more information:
Kira Krollpfeiffer
Kronen GmbH
Tel.: +49 7854 9646-160
E-mail: [email protected]
www.kronen.eu