Visar Sorting Inks Australian Deal

A family-run potato farm in Bornholm, Australia is the first in the country to install a new Visar Sorting optical machine that is designed to separate unwashed potatoes into grades for optimized output. This is achieved using high-speed cameras that capture photos of the produce and then direct them to the appropriate conveyor belt.

The new equipment will allow the farm, which has previously relied on human labor-run sorting, to more than double its production. The potatoes are shot through the machine at 3.2m per second and up to 7 tons of the vegetables can be sorted in an hour.

Visar Sorting is a company based in Switerland developing and manufacturing optical sorting equipment. In 2015, the firm begun the development of an optical sorting unit to sort potatoes. According to ABC Great Southern, the machine is one of five in the world.

Farmers Colin and Janine Ayres and their son Chris received AUD200,000 through a State Government grant in 2018. However, the total investment amounted to AUD800,000.