Remaining globally
competitive
requires local
Western Cape
companies to continuously
invest in their operations,
bringing in the latest
technology and equipment.
According to Dr Mias
Pretorius, a horticulturist
with Two-a-Day, a fruit
growing, packing and
marketing company from
the Elgin region in the
Western Cape, globally
apples have become a
commodity.
“It is a volume game
based on who can produce
the cheapest product – and
so fruit growers have to look
at what their competitive
advantages are.”
Historically South Africa
has had to contend with
the price of its labour
and its proximity to the
markets it serves.
To ensure product is
globally competitive,
streamlined packaging,
packing lines and storage
facilities have become
crucial.
Two-a-Day, which is
responsible for more than
seven million cartons of
fresh fruit and 100 000
tonnes of processed fruit
from the Grabouw region
in the Western Cape,
recently announced a major
investment in its facilities
– designed to significantly
improve its efficiency.
And bringing in the latest
technology to improve its
packing and packing lines
is already paying off.
“This investment
includes the purchase of a
Flow Wrap machine that
does not limit packaging
to the traditional tray
and bag packing,” said
the company’s managing
director, Attie van Zyl.
In basic terms f low
wrapping is an advanced
packaging process that
over wraps a product with
a film. It is a versatile and
cost effective process that
is used for a variety of
products – from food to
computer software.
“When it comes to the
apples and pears that we
package in our Western
Cape plants, it allows us to
supply UK supermarkets
with fruit that has been
pre-packed in South
Africa,” said Van Zyl.
“With this technology –
which is the latest trend for
fruit and vegetable packing
– we can pack fruit in such
a way that the consumer
across the world can easily
examine each piece of fruit
without damaging it when
they want to purchase it in
the supermarket.”
According to Tru-Cape
Fruit
Marketing,
South
Africa’s
larges
apple
and pear
marketing
company
and
responsible
for marketing Two-a-Day’s
fruit, there is huge benefit
when packhouses embrace
technology.
“An excellent product is
always easier to sell,” said the
company’s MD Roelf Pienaar.
Thanks to the new
packhouse technology,
Two-a-Day has managed
to increase its efficiencies
by 25%. Whilst much
of this is attributed to
the improvements in
the packing lines and
controlled
atmosphere
storage
facilities,
there has
also been
the impact
of handheld
digital
devices
that have
significantly reduced
paperwork. These are
now used in the orchard,
packhouse and quality
control divisions.
“New packhouse
technology allows for
sorting by weight, diameter,
colour and defect,” said Van
Zyl. “Previous machines
only sorted by weight.
This gives us greater
sorting efficiency and
accuracy in packing while
advances in the dynamic
controlled atmosphere
storage means we can
more accurately measure
the levels of ethanol, fruit
respiration and chlorophyll
fluorescence.”
All of these advances
ultimately allowed the
Western Cape apples
and pears to be more
competitive on the global
market, he said.
INSERT 1
25% The percentage increase
in efficiency thanks to new
packhouse technology.
INSERT 2
It is a volume game
based on who can
produce the cheapest
product. “
– Dr Mias Pretorius
CAPTION 1
Technology is making a difference in the packing of fruit at
Tru-Cape Fruit.
CAPTION 2
Two-a-Day, the 100% grower-owned apple and pear packing
and cold storage company, has invested heavily in upgrading
infrastructure.
