"What if we told you that you could get thousands of samples identified by size and color in seconds from a single truck or tractor load at the receiving dock, with an accuracy equivalent to that of a sorting machine?" Imagine the additional revenue you could generate by accessing this data as soon as the fruit is picked," say Marcin Pędzisz (Europe) and Omar Gomez (Spain, Africa, America), Regional Managers of Hectre, a leader in artificial intelligence solutions for early size and color measurement.
Marcin Pędzisz
"Our system is already used by customers in 20 countries, including major players such as VOG, Rivoira, Lake Constance fruit producer MABO, Washington Fruit, and Prima Frutta. Hectre is now making its presence felt in Italy, Germany, Spain, and South America.
Hectre's research shows that European packers face similar challenges to those Hectre has successfully solved for companies in other parts of the world. These include: inefficient handling processes leading to grader downtime; costly repackaging and fruit spoilage; poor allocation or wrong decisions when opening cold stores; missed profitability opportunities due to inaccurate promotion planning resulting in sub-optimal discounts or sales; ineffective manual quality control methods at the point of receipt; feedback loops preventing farmers from making changes to current crops.
Functionality and application
Hectre's AI Top Down solution automatically scans thousands of pieces of fruit at the receiving dock, providing accurate data on size and color classification in real-time. The system is supported by advanced aerial cameras and can be seamlessly integrated into the packaging plant's existing software via an API.
"For example, Hectre's customers such as VOG, Rivoira, Sunaran, and Visa Fruits have used the instant size and color data to improve storage, efficiently fill cold cells, avoid errors, and eliminate the need to sell discounted fruit as a result of incorrect refrigeration compared to the type of goods stored."
"They have also used Hectre's data to provide immediate feedback to growers, allowing them to adjust their crop in real time, focusing only on the best fruit (in size and ripeness) that pays the most. Customers have reported a significant reduction in repacking rates, an improvement in the efficiency of sorting machines due to reduced downtime, and the elimination of manual quality control for size and color at the point of arrival.
One of the most significant benefits has been the more efficient planning of promotions: knowing the specifications of the fruit in advance allows customers to commit to orders with confidence and secure the best prices for their products. Another example is that of Spanish citrus customers such as Nufri, Sunaran, and Visa Fruits, who have reported a reduction in their reliance on pre-calibrators and an improvement in their production planning, eliminating the need for manual quality control.
In Latin America, cherry and stone fruit packers such as Unifrutti, Fruttita, Frusan, and Gesex are using top-down cameras on their hydro-cooling systems to improve their processing cycles. This allows them to process a greater volume of fruit and calibrate the machines with exceptional efficiency. Downtime is reduced by almost half.
Pędzisz and Gómez add: "These customers have also benefited from being able to store packs more efficiently. Apple packers such as Verfrut, David Del Curto, and San Clemente highlighted benefits such as improved sales forecasting and planning, earlier fruit allocation decisions, and optimized pricing strategies. These benefits underline the transformational impact of Hectre's Top Down solution, combined with reduced repacking rates and more effective storage decisions."
For packers looking to improve yields
Building on its proven size and color solutions, the company is launching Perform, an AI-based QC tool that enables packagers to link size and color data to individual containers with a single box image, identify defects in just 2-3 seconds, eliminating the need for pen and paper, set size, defect and color limits with real-time alerts, and provide packages with instant information to adjust the harvest as growers work.
This level of control allows growers to address problems as they arise and reduce costly errors. It also allows packers to see what is coming in at an early stage, allowing adjustments to be made before it's too late. One of the first users of Hectre Perform, Italian grower Paolo Rabbiosi, has reported a 15% increase in revenue. This is due to a significant reduction in harvesting errors and the ability to focus only on the fruit of optimal size and color.
Return on Investment (ROI): a few examples
If apples are sold on the fresh market at €0.70/kg and industrial apples at €0.20/kg, Hectre can reduce the amount of wastage of industrial fruit by 50%, generating an increase of €17,500 per year for a production of 10 million kg.
Minimizing discounted sales is another example. Discounted sales are often caused by poor management of controlled atmosphere cells. Hectre can reduce the amount of discounted fruit by 50%. For a production of 500,000 kg, this means an increase of 50,000 euros per year.
How accurate is Hectre Top Down?
Top Down has been validated on more than 50 multi-million dollar sorting machines around the world and guarantees an average accuracy of around 95.7%. Download the full report here. Those who are interested in how accurate the Hectre Top Down is for different types of crops can consult the accuracy report.
"If you would like to see the Hectre Top Down in action at Fruit Logistica 2025, come and visit us at our stand 3.1 C-22," conclude Marcin Pędzisz and Omar Gómez. To evaluate the return on investment, you can request a demo or contact your local representative for more information.
For more information:
Hectre
Marcin Pędzisz
Whatsapp / Mobile +39 392 036 9552
marcin@hectre.com
Omar Gómez
Whatsapp / Mobile +15097315551
omar@hectre.com
www.hectre.com