OG Packing puts finishing touches on new packing line upgrade
OG Packing has put the finishing touches on its new multi-million dollar facility upgrade as it unve…OG Packing has put the finishing touches on its new multi-million dollar facility upgrade as it unveiled its new packing line. “Our new line-3 maximizes all available Cherry packing technology,” Says Tom Gotelli of OG Packing. The new line features the Unitec Optical Cherry Sorter and countless flume and line upgrades that have been designed and invented by the OG team design team. After spending this off-season tirelessly working on this project, we are excited to be the first packing operation in our area to get this optical sorting machine up and running.
This new Cherry sorting technology is the direction that this industry is headed and a significant upgrade to the lines that have been used in the past. The new optical sorter helps to offset the rising cost and increasing shortage of labor in the packing plant, as we continue to improve the quality of our product, we are looking to automate the packing process. This new Cherry line gently sorts dark red cherries and automatically removes foreign material and defects, including soft fruit. The invention of this technology greatly reduces the manual sorting and physical labor needed on the line while maximizing product quality and shelf life.
As the cherries are sent speeding down the line at near lightning speeds, the optical sorters color cameras and lasers inspect each the size and color of each cherry while simultaneously inspecting the shape, and structural properties. Another significant advantage with optical sorting is the ability to remove fruit with scars, doubles, spurs, soft fruit and many other types of damage that helps to increase the shelf life of each box of cherries that we send to our customers.
Innovation is a hallmark practice at OG Packing. The invention of the cluster cutter revolutionized the packing industry and several harvesting techniques are now considered “industry-standards” throughout the world. We will continue to develop new ways to increase value and efficiency to our dedicated growers and retail customers.
OG Packing is one of California’s largest Cherry Grower/Shippers and a committed member of environmental sustainability and sold exclusively by Grower Direct Marketing, LLC
