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Exeter Engineering is going to the show(s)! We are looking forward to attending a number of upcoming industry events for the potato and sweet potato communities this next January.

• From January 9th through the 10th, we will be at the 2025 Potato Expo in Orlando, Florida.
• From January 19th through the 21st, we will be at the 63rd Annual Sweet Potato Convention in Savannah, Georgia
• And from January 21st through the 23rd, we will be at the Eastern Idaho Ag Expo in Pocatello, Idaho

We will be at each show with equipment and solutions that helps potato and sweet potato growers and packers keep their businesses running smoothly and efficiently, season after season. And we always appreciate the opportunity to see old friends and make some new ones.

See you all there!

The AccuVision upgrade program is in full swing! Exeter Engineering is working with customers to upgrade their existing machines to the latest in presentation and optical grading technology. That means they get cutting edge technology without having to buy a new sorter!

We recently completed an upgrade for our friends at Atlantic Potato, up in New Brunswick, Canada. They’ve had an AccuVision for 11 years and were interested in upgrading the machine so they could use our ID Technology AI-powered grading suite. They didn’t have the space or need for a new facility, so we had to complete the work in their existing packing shed in tight quarters: only 37 inches of headroom above the side rail of the sorter!

Exeter Engineering techs got the job done. We’ve replaced camera box and installed new cameras and electrics throughout. We also upgraded the controls, with a new 27 inch touch-screen control station, running the latest ID Technology version, customized to Atlantic’s product. While we were at it, we replaced the cables and cable tracks as well as replacing all of the kickers on all 12 lanes of the AccuVision.

The results are in and Atlantic Potato tells us they are very happy indeed! They are seeing a significant jump in grading accuracy with ID Technology, especially with its ability to detect growth crack, green defects, and pressure bruising. Size and shape detection are also way up, and the new ID Technology interface is much easier to use, especially on the new, bigger touch-screen.

At Exeter Engineering, we treat our customers as family, and families don’t stop being family after you haven’t sold them something in a while. That’s one big reason we started the AccuVision Upgrade Program: to continue offering value to our customers throughout the lifetime of the equipment they buy from us.

Our friends at A&B Costanza Farms in Sodus, Michigan recently asked us to help them design and build a new packing line for bell peppers. They wanted a line that would handle greater volume with better protection for their valuable crop. They were also hoping to reduce the number of people required to operate the line, even as they packed more product.

Challenge accepted.

Exeter Engineering worked with A&B Costanza Farms to understand their concerns and identify solutions to those problems that would fit into their budget and physical constraints. The result is a bell pepper line that delivers volumes of more than 45,000 lbs per hour with 30% fewer personnel and far less damage to their product than other lines.

The line centers on Exeter Engineering’s Sidewinder sorter, powered by our ID Technology AI-powered optical grading suite. ID Technology takes advantage of Sidewinder’s spinning presentation system to use its high definition cameras and custom-tuned LED lighting to capture superior imagery of every facet of each piece of product. Better imagery means better grading results, especially using our AI-powered grading features. The system sorts into three separate grades. It quickly identifies the presence and severity of discoloration (sun tan), shape, squatty defects, surface punctures, scarring and machine damage, grading each bell pepper by size, color, weight, external grade and overall shape.

The line also features:

• An XTR 500 Zone Dumper to receive the bell peppers into the line (and automatically clean the bins they arrive in for quick re-use!);
• An XTR 100 4-belt EvenFlow Accumulator to regulate the volume of product in the line, keeping it moving at a steady volume; and
• AccuCount Fillers, to automatically fill cartons with graded product…gently and without additional staff

The resulting line is a huge success. A&B Costanza farms has reduced their overhead while also increasing the quality of the product leaving their facilities. The flexibility of the ID Technology system also offers them the ability to quickly and easily respond to the market, increasing their bottom line without increasing their headcount.

If you’re thinking about adding or upgrading your packing solutions, contact the fresh produce packing experts at Exeter Engineering. Common sense engineering married with cutting edge technology since 1978.