Genson implements automated strawberry packing lines in Someren

Strawberry grower Genson has increased its packaging capacity in Someren by implementing two fully automated lines provided by Sismatec. The facility, which supplies approximately 11 million punnets annually to Albert Heijn, expanded its operations to include strawberries from other locations, necessitating more efficient processing.

The new system utilizes six specialized machines to automate the process from pallet to pallet. Key components include a depalletising robot, a custom-developed depacker designed to remove punnets from harvest crates, a buffer conveyor with a checkweigher, a Proseal traysealer, a casepacker, and a palletising robot.

This automation significantly reduces labor requirements. While the previous line required 10 staff members, the new lines are designed to pack 6,000 punnets per hour using only four people per line. The custom depacker specifically replaces the manual labor previously required to unpack harvest crates.