PRESS RELEASE

We chose UNITEC technology because I saw it abroad: I saw it in Chile, I saw it in the United States, and I had a very good impression. I’d say the results were exceptional! We saw that technology does not miss the slightest flaw.

Michelangelo Rivoira, President of the Rivoira Group, has no doubts about his choice. After travelling the world searching for the best solutions for sorting cherries and selecting their quality, he chose UNITEC. And he is very pleased with his decision.

The company from Cuneo, which is already a leader in the apple, kiwifruit and stone fruit sector, has invested in an ambitious cherry project, which includes all stages, from production to marketing. For the central stages, the ones related to sorting and packing, the Group has relied on UNITEC technologies.

We decided to make the investment in the warehouse with a company we had known for years, UNITEC, which we’ve always admired because according to us it represents the ease of implementing such a complex project as a fruit and vegetable sorting line.

Marco Rivoira, Executive Director of the Group, further clarified the reasons behind their choice.

“The ease of implementing such a complex project”. This apparent contradiction of terms explains very well UNITEC approach, which aims at simplifying what is complex. As a matter of fact, in every project UNITEC aims at improving its Customers’ handling process and at putting them in a position to carry out their activities in a simple and efficient way.

The Rivoira Group has chosen the newest and most performing version of UNITEC technologies for cherries: the Cherry Vision 3.0 vision system for selecting the external and internal quality of fruits.

Cherry Vision 3.0 is a technology that is the result of constant research carried out by UNITEC, which over the years has continuously innovated, in a relentless process, to bring cherry quality selecting systems to high levels of precision, efficiency and reliability, never seen before.

Systems that want to be a true help to operators in a very delicate time for them: the cherry campaign keeps the cherry sector with bated breath, as they have to implement the work of a whole year in a few weeks.

On days of such great turmoil, the rains, especially if they are intense or persistent, make everything even more difficult, but thanks to Cherry Vision 3.0 Rivoira has achieved very positive results even in these difficult weather conditions for cherries.

We had some big weather problems – stated President Michelangelo Rivoira – we had hail, we had uninterrupted rains that went on for practically a whole month. We collected even in the rain and the result was exceptional.

Cherry Vision 3.0 is equipped with the latest generation of very high resolution cameras, which scan 100% of the surface of the cherry, allowing you to see the fruit in its entirety, even in the apparently most hidden parts. Furthermore, it allows you to select its quality according to multiple parameters: 360° external quality and internal quality, as well as optical size and color.

This technology can detect with extreme precision the presence of cracks or damages on the bottom of the fruit (the so-called apical damage): a very important technological advantage that proves to be fundamental for lines that are not protected from atmospheric agents during seasons characterized by rain and hail, such as this past season.

This year – continued the President – we had the case of a producer who was hit with hail. He had some big problems: a batch that had 50-55% second quality product. In my opinion it would have been impossible to recover the other 50% without suitable technology. Instead, thanks to the system we were able to separate that 50% of product from the hailed one. Manually it would have been impossible!

Thanks to Cherry Vision 3.0 technology, it is possible to recover all the “good” cherries by carefully separating them from the damaged ones, thus maximizing the value of the “good” product and ensuring there is no waste of resources in dividing the damaged fruit from the intact ones.

Marco Rivoira’ words echo the ones of the President. He explains how the UNITEC line allowed them to achieve a final product with a highly distinctive level of quality, which they couldn’t have even imagined otherwise:

UNITEC technology allows a very careful selection because it can see an important quantity of defects and therefore ensures that even in problematic batches the packed product has always the highest quality and can guarantee a standard that no customer can question.

It is not only a matter of achieving excellent packages of first quality cherries, but also of achieving a high quality homogeneity within each package and between one package and another. This Quality Consistency is a source of great satisfaction and recognition from the consumers, who never feel betrayed at each purchase. This way, the chance of complaints from the large scale distribution are also minimized.

Marco Rivoira also spoke about the advantages related to other important components of the line:

We decided with UNITEC to implement the bins emptying in water, because we have seen that the product in bins is much more stable and undergoes much less manipulation in the field and therefore much less damage. […]

Moreover, the UNITEC line allows flexibility in packing. It is a machine that allows you to make different types of packages, not only the classic bulk with which 70% of the volume of packed cherries is marketed.

As a matter of fact, the Rivoira Group relied on UNITEC for the entire line, from the feeding with bins automatic emptying in water, thus going through the heart of the line, the Cherry Vision 3.0 technology for selecting the external and internal quality of cherries, to the exits with the AC 301 system for packing and automatic weighing of the packages.

We’re really happy – concluded Marco Rivoira – because we saw a company who has managed to give us maximum support in this first month of work. Perhaps it has never happened to us in years that we started with a new line so quickly and with such professionalism.

Technology, innovation, but also support, qualified service, in a word professionalism.

UNITEC wants to take care of every project it carries out. It knows how to put itself at the service of each process of its Customers, supporting them in all stages, and the Results Customers achieve are the fuel for new goals and challenges. A Sincere Thank You! to the Rivoira Group for the Trust and the encouragement given during the implementation of their important project.