42 | TOMRA: 50th anniversary NZ a TOMRA fresh food innovation hub Karen Phelps TOMRA Fresh Food NZ’s business is centred on packhouse automation. HORTICULTURE “With pressure on labour and uncertainties of the pandemic there is very solid demand for automation to safeguard future operations.” to page 44 Gloster Engineering Ltd Congratulates Tomra on its 50 years in business. In association since 2013 Ph 07 846-7714 | admin@gloster.co.nz | 9-11 Newton Place Hamilton As a leading provider of optical sorting and processing technology for the fresh and processed food industry, TOMRA Fresh Food, part of TOMRA Food, is a newer addition to the company in its long 50-year history. It was in 2010 that TOMRA acquired Odenberg in Ireland followed in 2013 by Best Belgian Electronic Sorting Technologies where TOMRA Food is today based. The companies formed the lynchpin of TOMRA Food’s operation and significant expansion was made in 2016 when TOMRA Food made its major entry into the New Zealand market through the purchase of Compac, which provided integrated post-harvest solutions and services to the global fresh produce industry using the world’s most advanced grading technology. In 2018 TOMRA Food further cemented its place in the market by purchasing BBC Technologies in Hamilton, which complemented Compac’s offering with technology focused on the smaller types of fruit, such as blueberries. In 2021 TOMRA Food announced its new organisation focused on two business areas, Fresh Food and Processed Food. Both Compac and BBC Technologies were merged to create TOMRA Fresh Food. While TOMRA Processed Food European operation focuses on the processed side of the business in New Zealand the focus is on the fresh segment categories. This sees TOMRA Fresh Food’s New Zealand business centred on packhouse automation developing and manufacturing products for the packing, grading and sorting of fruits and vegetables. Vice president and head of innovation for TOMRA Fresh Food James French says that New Zealand is TOMRA Fresh Food’s innovation hub where a dedicated research and development team designs new products for the local market and with a strong export focus to North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The company has two facilities – one in Auckland and a brand new based in Hamilton. These are supported by two regional offices in Papamoa and Hastings alongside several overseas support offices. Around 300 people are employed across the company in New Zealand. With approximately 11,000 sorting installations globally, James says that TOMRA Food’s business is instrumental in optimizing the world’s food utilization, safety and quality. He says the pandemic has driven demand for TOMRA Food’s products. “With pressure on labour and uncertainties of the pandemic there is very solid demand for automation to safeguard future operations.” Overall TOMRA Food has 12,800 units installed at food growers, packers, and processors worldwide for confectionery, fruit, dried fruit, grains and seeds, potato products, proteins, nuts and vegetables. Early beginnings In 1972 in a small shed in Asker, Norway, when brothers Petter and Tore Planke created a solution to a problem they had no idea it would birth an international company spanning decades. A local grocer wanted a machine that could quickly and easily take back empty bottles and deliver a deposit refund receipt. This was the beginning of TOMRA, which began with the design, manufacturing 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. There are multiple arms to the business internationally. • TOMRA Collection is the world’s leading provider of reverse vending solutions with an installed base of approximately 80,000 machines in over 60 markets.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=