Optical sorting is a different way of thinking and working

Harvesting potatoes

The arrival of an optical sorting line has proven to be much more than an investment in quality and capacity for the Vogels partnership in Firdgum, Friesland. Thanks to the customized solution from Bijlsma Hercules, with two optical SmartGrader sorters from GeJo Grading, the arable farm has become a lot more flexible. “An optical sorter does not need to eat or drink coffee, so I can use the time of unmanned operation differently. This provides a lot of peace and space, both commercially and privately.”

Sorting potatoes thanks to custom work from Bijlsma Hercules and GeJo Grading
The Bijlsma Hercules line sorts the potatoes into bunkers. The heart is the Smart Grader 808 from GeJo Grading with two units equipped with cameras that, depending on the size, takes 35 to 40 photos of each individual tuber. Based on the settings, the potatoes then go to the correct bunker via eight roller conveyors, discharge belts and distribution belts.

On average, one ton per roller conveyor per hour is sorted based on the set size, soil or deviation. This offers opportunities for sales in certain sizes.

Desire for optical sorting
The arable farm covers three hundred hectares, of which the crop plan includes one hundred hectares of seed potatoes and ten hectares of ware potatoes. With a storage capacity of six thousand tons, the Frisian company can serve various markets.

Leo Vogels is very happy with the new line. “When we built the new shed, we still had an old sorter that was 28 years old. We have had plans for replacement and the desire for optical sorting for some time. This mainly has to do with capacity. As an arable farmer, we experience that the peaks in work become enormous. We have to do a lot in a short time. It is a general trend in arable farming. This also means, for example, that there were still quite a lot of potatoes in the ground at the beginning of December among our colleagues. It shows that we are all pushing the boundaries. We wanted to get rid of those peaks. So we started thinking about how we can easily increase sorting capacity.”

Solution of the future

The Smart Grader sorts and reads at the same time. In combination with the logistics solution from Bijlsma Hercules, Leo Vogels says he has found the solution of the future. “In 2019/2020 we were able to test run a two-lane Smart Grader, because optical sorting is quite a huge investment. After all, we are not just talking about the units, but also the bunker installation, box handling, packing lines, you name it. It all fits together. That is why we have chosen to do everything in one go.”

Undersized product cleaner, leaf separator and brush machine

Even Spunta's sorts the line without any problems. According to Vogels, the most important condition is that the potatoes are as clean as possible. The sorting line has been equipped by Bijlsma Hercules with a product cleaner with pre-sorting for the undersize, a leaf separator and a brushing machine. Then, two of the eight exits of the Smart Grader are intended to separate clods, stones and animal feed.

The sorting line can run unmanned and offers the user many choices and flexibility

Theo Ypma and John Maljaars from Bijlsma Hercules: “We have taken care of the entire logistics picture surrounding the Smart Graders. These sorters are fed from a storage bunker of thirty tons of potatoes. With the product cleaner, haulm separator and brush machine we ensure that the product arrives at the cameras as clean as possible. Ultimately, that is where the profit lies, because the cleaner the potato is, the better it can be controlled. After the potatoes have been sorted by size and quality, they are stored by size in bunkers and there is the option to read them again before delivery. The sorting line can run unmanned and offers the user many choices and flexibility. It is fantastic to realize this project together with GeJo at a progressive company such as Vogels. It is a complete picture and therefore a real reference project for us. This is simply the solution of the future.”

More space and peace thanks to optical sorting

The main advantage of the extended optical sorting line is in the labor, where the profit is not only in the reading room. “Of course a camera does not get tired and you maintain the accuracy even after thousands of potatoes have been viewed. Workers are simply difficult to find, fully motivated young people who want to sit in the reading room.”

“But you have to look beyond the purely commercial part. In my opinion, the benefit of this investment is not so much in the labor issue. The optical sorting provides a lot of space. This way of working provides peace of mind, especially in your private life. Of course it is quite an investment and hopefully the system will yield more than it costs, but how do you value the extra time I get for my family?” According to Leo Vogels, the use of optical sorting is mainly a different way of thinking and working. “It gives a lot of peace. Once the line is running, you can focus on other things.”

Making something from nothing

On average, Maatschap Vogels sorts around four to five thousand tons, depending on the season. “We immediately turn over the excess size.” Leo Vogels thus highlights a special point with which he wants to serve a new market in the long term. “The sorting line ensures that you can make something from nothing. It provides insight into the size you can get per party, after which you know better what you can offer. That is interesting."

Birds is a wonderful example where nothing is left to chance

Wouter Blok from GeJo Grading: “Maatschap Vogels has proven to be an ideal sparring partner for us. Together with Bijlsma Hercules, this is a unique solution that should inspire growers. From a technical point of view, a good solution lies in its simplicity, which has been achieved here partly because size and quality are processed in one operation. With eight exits, multiple sortings can be made in one pass as desired. The large capacity also provides flexibility and the optical eye ensures accuracy. In my opinion, optical sorting is not only an opportunity for large arable farms, but also for smaller ones to be distinctive in the delivery of quality and continuity. In smaller companies, the availability of staff is often even more critical. By working with parties that specialize in crate and product handling, such as Bijlsma Hercules, we can get the most out of our product. Vogels is a wonderful example of where nothing has been left to chance.”

Custom made by Bijlsma Hercules

Nothing was left to chance in the preparation. Together with Bijlsma Hercules, the ideal picture has been created for Maatschap Vogels. A piece of custom work in which everything around the optical sorter has been drawn: the logistics lines, the bunkers and the reading room for the follow-up inspection. The line fits exactly to the desired situation.

Ultimately, the drawing was changed about eight times together with Leo Vogels. “But then there is also something that we are really satisfied with. Ultimately, you have to have a vision. Where do you want to go in the longer term? Then an investment is not too bad.”

Text: Martin de Vries • Image: Wim Hoogterp

Link to original article:

https://www.akkerbouwbedrijf.nl/oogst-en-bewaring/aardappelen-oogsten/optisch-sorteren-is-andere-manier-van-denk-en-werken-992450