The New Zealand fruit industry is very export orientated and must adhere to strict export standards. A solution to the problem of pest contamination which was hampering exports to key markets was found in a high-pressure fruit washer which was a collaboration between Plant and Food Research NZ and the industry and manufactured by CR Automation. The first product released based on this collaboration was in 2012. Since then, CR Automation have continued to refine the technology and now have a suite of fruit washing products for various cleaning specification and fruit types.
"The fact that it was developed specifically to clean fruit to the specification needed for import into countries with strict bio security rules makes this product unique and once the cleaning effectiveness was proven the CR Automation washing system very quickly became the market leader in New Zealand," explains Perry Field, CEO at CR Automation.
Last year the apple export from New Zealand was severely hit when Cyclone Gabrielle struck just as the harvest was starting. This year has been a much better season for the growers.
"Several of the major apple packers in New Zealand are adding to their high-pressure washer capacity for next season and beyond. Some of these companies put on hold CAPEX plans following Cyclone Gabrielle, and now these projects are being picked up again. Others are looking to increase capacity due to changes in volumes with new plantings coming on stream and changes in the variety mix."
The high-pressure rotary apple washer, JetWash HPW, is CR Automation's flagship product and one of the most effective pest removal apple washers worldwide. "We run a continuous improvement program to keep developing this product and stay at the forefront of technology. Much of the improvements come from discussion with our customers and existing users. We have introduced a new 10 lane size to better match throughput requirements. We are also looking into adding computer vision to the infeed of the washer and use this information to optimise the washer operating parameters."
Avocado washer
Testing has been completed on the avocado washer, and the effectiveness proven. Unfortunately, the avocado industry in New Zealand and Australia is going through a tough period with oversupply and lower returns. "Once the market recovers, we expect a good uptake of this product due to its reliable cleaning performance and lower cost of ownership."
The JetWash HPW (high pressure washer) operates at between 200-300psi of water pressure with rotating spray nozzles in the wash zone. This has been proven to be the most effective at apple pest removal. Given the operating pressure and rotating parts, the system does require maintenance to keep the performance at its optimum. The JetWash TPW (Targeted Pressure Washer) which is the technology used for avocado, but equally can be used for other fruit, operates at a lower pressure with fixed nozzles, however more of them.
For more information:
Perry Field
CR Automation
Tel: +64 6 873 4238
[email protected]
www.crautomation.nz