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88 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2017 Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In PACKING | Industry Report The benefi ts of automated produce handling systems Less Laborious Labor Labor and its associated costs are key considerations for growers and packers looking to increase the efficiency and productivity of their vegetable handling systems. While it is never the intention of an employer to remove or replace a good, loyal and longstanding member of his or her staff, in many cases, labor for more "unskilled" field and packing roles, for example, is sourced from agencies, and is therefore an overhead that is justified for reduction. The cost of labor in itself can often be enough reason to consider an upgraded and more automated vegetable handling line. And that's not to mention the other variables that come with running a dynamic workforce, from issues of inconsistency due to tiredness to time off for illness and holidays. With this in mind, let's discuss some of the primary benefits that growers and packers are reporting as a result of integrating a more automated vegetable handling process into their businesses. INCREASED THROUGHPUT While gentle handling to ensure added value to a crop is always one of the main considerations when designing a new vegetable handling line, increasing productivity and minimizing labor requirements is always one of the key drivers for equipment updates. In most cases, coupling a reduction in labor requirements with an increase in automation means the line can run more continuously for maximum throughput. On a single-machine level—for example, advances in box tipping equipment—have allowed a more continuous flow of product to be achieved onto the vegetable handling line, meaning increased throughput with minimum labor requirements. Looking at advanced optical sorting machines, requirements for manual sorting are almost entirely removed, meaning not only significant savings in labor costs and all the associated variables of a manual workforce, but also the option for the line to run Integrating an automatic de-stoner into a washing line can more effectively remove soil and debris and require less manual inspection.