History of Electronic Grading - The past 10 Years

The Auto-sort range makes up the Herbert family of optical sorters replacing the Upgrader systems used predominantly in the 1990’s. But where did it all start?

In the early 90's Herbert trialled a quality sorting system designed for citrus and potatoes with their technology partner in the United States. This was a machine that transported the product in lanes and lacked capacity relative to the size of the machine particularly for smaller tubers. At this time UK packers had large numbers of pack lines and this did not suit the implementation of a single centralised grading facility. Following a period of market research in Europe which identified a requirement to reduce labour in the fresh packing industry, Herberts decided to make the long term commitment to developing a range of sorting equipment appropriate to their customers needs. Recognising the potential savings and improvements electronic/optical sorting could make to Herbert's customers the Research and Development team set about designing an electronic grader to offer a number of grades with good output and a modular construction to fit into existing lines and replace manual inspection in many cases. 18 months later it led to the launch of the Upgrader, which served the industry for over 10 years. During this time 30 machines were installed in the UK and Europe.

Developments in software have continually ensured the technology for customers has remained up to date. Stainless steel construction of many machines has been rewarded in that the 3 oldest machines are still in regular use. Late in 2004, Herberts took the radical leap to launch a totally new machine based on feedback from customers, the new Auto-sort was designed and produced to be more maintenance friendly and easier to operate. Utilising the vast knowledge gained during the Upgrader's tenure, the development team at Herberts were able to produce a machine that offered flexible grading and sizing to add value to the product being sorted. There are various models to handle small, medium and large potatoes with the latest additions specially configured for carrots. The capacity of the largest models has tripled the machine output compared to the earliest machines. The Auto-sort has been extremely well received in the industry due to improved performance, simpler mechanical design and greater capacity. In fact please read our testimonial from Muyshondt to discover more.

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