It was in 1924 that the first sorting machines of Dalle Vacche appeared in Massa Lombarda. It was in this traditional company that UNITEC established its roots, promoting the integration of innovative entrepreneurial experience, whose immediate focus was the development and application of non-destructive methods for fruit quality evaluation. Thus, the core mission of the company, well articulated in the slogan ‘We work for your results’, indicates the strong ties of the company to the needs of the customers, applying all the available know-how and looking for gaps in knowledge to advance the market.
UNI SMART PAL ROBOT (robotic cell for high efficiency automated palletization) This solution can maximize efficiency and capacity of the back-end phase. Thanks to anthropomorphic robots, it allows to palletize numerous formats automatically with no mechanical regulations. It can compose multiple types of mosaics, including different patterns on the same pallet, to improve stability.
This is the continuation of a journey that began in the 1920s with Dalle Vacche. A journey made of analysis, research, experimentation and driven by a great passion for tangible results and the pursuit of perfection, where the results for the customer are the ultimate goal. One hundred years of constant innovation in selecting and sorting internal and external fruits and vegetables, and in all the other stages of processing fruits and vegetables, constantly developing the most advanced technologies to create Unitec exclusive systems.
UNICAL 222 Berry Also exhibited in UNITEC booth is the technology for blueberry quality selection, equipped with Blueberry Vision 3 and UNIQ Blueberry. These systems can completely scan every blueberry, for even better, precise and reliable external and internal quality selection, to enhance the organoleptic characteristics of this fruit while fully preserving its integrity.
This is an important milestone that serves as a backdrop for the Group's participation in the Berlin Fair, but it is only the first turning point that will propel the company into the future, in line with its vocation for innovation, which is currently represented by the opportunities offered to the sector by robotics, from the field to the point of sale, including central units for fruit and vegetables. Unitec has already successfully tested its technology in more than 50 types of fruit and vegetables and is already preparing to face the next challenges.
UNICAL 200 Cherry: Cherry Vision 3.5 Ai Cherry Vision 3.5 Ai is UNITEC innovative technological solution that, thanks to the use of state-ofthe-art Artificial Intelligence models and to the strong connection of UNITEC to the global cherry sector, allows to accurately detect recent cuts and cracks on cherries. Cherry Vision 3.5 Ai is the solution, entirely developed inside UNITEC Research and Development Department, which can help Packing Houses especially in very rainy seasons.
"One hundred years could suggest old age, but that's not the case with us," says Angelo Benedetti, President of Unitec. "The average age of the Unitec team is 35, and the inspiration and stimulus we receive from our customers all over the world is an elixir of long life; we foster partnerships that bring tangible benefits, and this is the most positive source of energy that drives us to look forward to the next 100 years. We want to thank each and every one of you who have continued to trust us for these 100 years."
UNICAL 222 HAZELNUT UNITEC has also developed solutions for hazelnut sorting: Hazelnut Vision system provides great benefits to the handling process and quality selection of hazelnuts (with or without shell, raw or roasted), detecting their defects besides their shape, size and color.
During the press conference at the show, Angelo Benedetti mentioned how the Group's UniRobotics and UniSorting divisions now make it possible to develop robotic solutions and also to offer solutions for specific crops such as apples, pears, avocados and dates.
"The goal is to be a partner at the side of our customers, to help them in the process and in this way to provide answers to their own customers. There is a lot of value that can be added to our industry today in terms of the promotion of fruit choices that are more palatable to consumers. While research in the past has focused on quantitative aspects such as yield, shelf life, color, and variety, it has often underestimated one of the most important characteristics of fruit, which is taste. The result of this lack of attention has been consumer alienation. Technology can bring new value to the fruit and vegetable supply by eliminating fruit that is not good enough for the market.”
Unitec is committed to training and educating: "We decided to set up a university course in mechatronics at our headquarters to fill the gap in technical training in Italy."
Unitec guarantees direct assistance to all its customers, without recourse to third party suppliers or distributors. "A customer who bought a machine from us 30 years ago will still be able to use it today," concludes Benedetti. "This is because the basic mechanics have remained more or less the same and it may only be necessary to update the software. In short, the old and the new can go together. All of our lines are remotely connected to our head office, which allows us to have quick access and to intervene in the event of a malfunction that can be solved remotely. In conclusion, we do not believe in selling for the sake of selling. We believe that you can only grow by building a relationship of trust with your customers. It is the loyalty and the honesty of being good at what we do that has made it possible for us to celebrate 100 years of history today."
UNIQ solutions for the internal quality selection dedicated to every single fruit Many innovations on internal quality selection systems, all entirely created by the company's R&D department, dedicated to specific fruit of the UNIQ range (UNIQ Kiwi, UNIQ Apples, UNIQ Peach, UNIQ Plum, UNIQ Blueberry, UNIQ Cherry, UNIQ Apricot, UNIQ Melon, UNIQ Pomegranate, UNIQ Cherry Tomato, UNIQ Pears, UNIQ Avocados, UNIQ Onions, UNIQ Dates, etc.).
At Fruit Logistica 2024, UNITEC Group is showcasing some of its solutions on its three booths, dedicated to its various fields of specializations. alongside the solutions seen above, there were also the following:
- UNI FLOW GENTLE PACKER Patented solution by UNISORTING that maximizes efficiency and automatic packing capacity of apples through a continuous and gentle transfer of fruit inside trays. All this while preserving the integrity of every fruit, thanks to the use of extremely gentle suction cups individually dedicated to each apple.
- UNI Smart Tray Filler Automatic filler which allows to pack different varieties of fruit such as peaches, nectarines and apples in trays or in trays inside crates. Fruit gathering and placing in trays thanks to an innovative robot with a pick and place function, that can adjust the coordinates of gathering/placing based on the size and format of the package in handling.
More info: https://www.unitec-group.com/