TOMRA FOOD makes its test and demonstration centers virtual

The Covid-19 global pandemic is having a dramatic impact on day-to-day life, both on a personal level and in the way businesses operate. In this situation, it is critical to ensure that the global food supply chain continues to function efficiently despite the disruptions caused by the current circumstances. Fresh food suppliers and food processing operations are under pressure to meet the demand while facing the unprecedented challenge of operating within the restrictions on movement and contact needed to contain the spread of the virus and protect their employees, suppliers and customers. TOMRA Food is leveraging digital technology to enable live demonstrations of its sorting solutions. It has developed virtual demonstration capability to take the TOMRA Test and Demonstration Centers to the participants’ home office. They will be able to book interactive sessions with the Centers in Leuven, Belgium, Xiamen, China, and Sacramento, USA. During these demonstrations, participants will be able to see first-hand TOMRA’s sorting solutions in action. Throughout the session, they will be in contact with TOMRA experts via live video link to discuss the benefits of these technologies in terms of quality, food safety, profitability and sustainability. With the new TOMRA Virtual Demonstration Centers, participants will be able to test the sorting solutions they are considering and make an informed purchase decision. Ashley Hunter, Senior Vice President and Head of TOMRA Food, stated: “We are going through a period of unprecedented disruption. In this situation, our foremost priority is to ensure that we support our customers’ ability to maintain a consistent supply of quality food while keeping our employees and, by extension our customers’ and suppliers’ staff, safe and well. These are challenging times for all of us, both on a personal level and for our businesses, but it is vital that we keep up our collective efforts to keep the global food supply chain operating effectively.” The creation of these new Virtual Demonstration Centers is the latest step in TOMRA Food’s plan of actions to ensure it will remain at the side of customers to provide all the support they need to keep their sorting operations running efficiently – around the clock – to maintain the food supply throughout the crisis. Additional steps already taken include:Preempting the potential disruption to its supply chain with measures such as the increase in stock levels of critical components to meet current and future orders of products and spare parts, and to keep the customers’ equipment running with minimal or no down time. Leveraging digital technology to take its expertise and resources to the customers, supporting them with their existing sorting equipment without visiting their sites by using its remote service and training tools. Customers will benefit from TOMRA Food being a global company with a local presence – a result of the strategy it has actively pursued of locating its experts as close as possible to its customers’ facilities. This localized service structure puts it in the position to continue to offer efficient and swift local support to every customer around the world within the various governments’ crisis restrictions on travel. Ashley Hunter, Senior Vice President and Head of TOMRA Food, concluded: “TOMRA Food’s overarching priority is to ensure the health and well-being of its employees, as well as its customers’ and suppliers’ staff. With all these actions, it is ready to help its customers navigate the challenges of this unprecedented crisis while protecting the safety of all the people involved.” Pictures1 - Ashley Hunter, Senior Vice President and Head of TOMRA Food2 - Virtual Test and Demonstration Center About TOMRA FoodTOMRA Food designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting machines and integrated post-harvest solutions for the food industry, using the world’s most advanced grading, sorting, peeling and analytical technology. Over 8,000 units are installed at food growers, packers and processors around the world for fruits, nuts, vegetables, potato products, grains and seeds, dried fruit, meat and seafood. The company’s mission is to enable its customers to improve returns, gain operational efficiencies, and ensure a safe food supply via smart, useable technologies. To achieve this, TOMRA Food operates centers of excellence, regional offices and manufacturing locations within the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia. TOMRA Food is member of the TOMRA Group that was founded on innovation in 1972 that began with design, manufacture and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides technology-led solutions that enable the circular economy with advanced collection and sorting systems that optimize resource recovery and minimize waste in the food, recycling and mining industries. TOMRA has ~100,000 installations in over 80 markets worldwide and had total revenues of ~8.6 billion NOK in 2018. The Group employs ~4,000 globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: TOM). For further information about TOMRA, please see www.tomra.com