Company’s cutting-edge LUCAi AI solution will soon be available for citrus
Tomra Food used this week’s Fruit Attraction to showcase the latest advancements in its LUCAi AI solution, which will soon be available for citrus. The company also highlighted the importance of its new headquarters in Valencia in bringing the company closer to its customer base, plus the Tomra 5A, a bulk sorting solution for whole products like potatoes, carrots and peppers.
David del Castillo, regional sales director for Southern Europe, commented: “The food sector is experiencing continuous growth, driven by clear factors such as demographics. In particular, the fruit and vegetable sector has seen a significant surge recently.
“Market players have had to face new challenges to deliver quality without sacrificing speed. This is largely due to increased awareness among younger generations about the importance of healthy eating, a trend that older generations are also adopting, along with the instant gratification consumers now expect from online shopping.”
Announcing plans to launch LUCAi for citrus, del Castillo said: “The citrus industry clearly needs more efficient and user-friendly sorting systems. Given the wide variety of citrus fruits – oranges, mandarins, lemons, clementines, limes, grapefruits – and the numerous varieties within each type, LUCAi Citrus will play a pivotal role.
“While it has required substantial effort from TOMRA, we are now in the final stages and will soon demonstrate the remarkable results we can achieve. We are confident this will be a game changer in the market and redefine the way those looking to stay competitive will work.”
The new LUCAi citrus application will integrate Tomra’s latest advancements in AI technology based on Deep Learning. Developed by a team of leading scientists, engineers, researchers and industry experts, LUCAi uses pre-trained models to teach computers how to process data, including complex image patterns to achieve unprecedented sorting accuracy across an expanding range of fruits.
Del Castillo also emphasised the positive results the company is achieving with its new regional structure, which enables closer relationships with customers. “The new regional organisation enables us to respond to our clients’ needs more quickly and efficiently,” he said.
“While we maintain our global presence, we engage with our customers on a local level. A key component of our EMEA strategy is the Tomra Food Centre in Valencia, which celebrated its first anniversary in September.
“This facility enables us to eliminate intermediaries and interact directly with customers in Spain, addressing their commercial and technical support needs. Additionally, we offer training programmes for new and existing clients, as well as a demonstration hall where we can showcase the advantages of our equipment firsthand.”
Roberto Ricci, Tomra’s director channel partner management, underscored the effectiveness of the company’s partnership with Icoel, stating: “Icoel has emerged as a strategic partner in advancing Tomra’s business development. It recently completed a significant expansion of its facilities in Fondi, Italy, increasing their production capacity, R&D capabilities, and spare parts inventory.
“Together, we have successfully completed several installations for citrus, apples, and stone fruits, particularly in Italy and Turkey. Icoel’s on-site support for our engineers was crucial for the validation and implementation of LUCAi for cherries last summer. Thanks to this work, we have already secured orders for new LUCAi upgrades for cherry lines in Italy for the upcoming season, and we plan to replicate this success for the upcoming citrus season.”
Finally, Tomra showcased its Tomra 5A is a high-capacity sorting and grading machine. Initially focused on the potato sector, its applications have expanded to include carrots, peppers, and other vegetables due to increasing market demands for quality and the impracticality of manual sorting processes for large quantities. The 5A also has a pre-sorting application for citrus fruits.
Going forward, del Castillo reasserted the company’s commitment to sustainability. He said Tomra’s technology played a crucial role in making packhouses more efficient, helping to mitigate potential prices increases brought on by climate change.
