Venus Citrus relies on UNITEC technology for mandarin selection

Mandarin Vision 3, Orange Vision 3 and Lemon Vision 3 are the latest evolution of UNITEC's vision systems for quality sorting of mandarins, clementines, oranges and lemons. These systems are equipped with very high resolution cameras that help to reliably sort the quality of citrus fruits, thus creating a strong efficiency in the process. This delicate and important process is carried out according to several parameters: external skin defects, defects in shape, weight, size, colour and density of the fruit using the technology of the UNIQ range. Venus Citrus, located in Loxton, South Australia, is a family-owned business that for three generations has packed and marketed mandarins and other citrus varieties in the domestic and international market, and exported to more than 20 countries around the world. In 2020, Venus Citrus decided to rely on Unitec for a line equipped with the Mandarin Vision 3 system for sorting the quality of mandarins, which is also capable of sorting lemons and oranges. The installation and commissioning of the line took place in the first half of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At this delicate time in the life of the packing plant, Unitec's support was essential. As general manager of Venus Citrus, Helen Aggeletos points out: "The installation was.... We were very nervous because we were in the middle of COVID and the virus brought a lot of uncertainty, so [...] a number of technicians were going to come to Loxton from Italy and that didn't work out, but the representatives here were fantastic. They looked for local technicians and put them in contact with Italy, they were constantly talking". "We were able to put more fruit through the machine, so we can confirm with the growers," says Fabio Spiniello, grower liaison at Venus Citrus. "They can pick a lot more fruit and we can process a lot more fruit. So, in the future, as we are growing in the field, we will be able to maintain a better level of product expansion." Therefore, the possibility of sorting the product much faster than before is combined with considerable reliability in quality selection, an increase in production efficiency and the consequent increase in the volume percentage of sorted fruit and the great delicacy in handling the fruit. These are important steps forward made possible by Unitec technologies. They are competitive advantages that will help Venus Citrus take advantage of all future business opportunities, continuing to offer retailers and consumers a consistent quality product over time. And these results are the fuel of Unitec, which expresses its mission in its reward: "We work for your results".