Customer case study

PackXpert

grape punnets

GearStation Fruit

Quality Control

100%

Quality Control

100%

Labour savings

30-50%

Labour savings

30-50%

Claim reduction

20-50%

Claim reduction

20-50%

ROI

<3 years

ROI

<3 years

‘The GearStation gives us an edge with customers’

PackXpert (Kivits Logistic Group) specialises in packaging grapes. The Waalwijk-based company aims to deliver the same quality every day. The GearStation helps us achieve this, says Nathan Mostert of PackXpert. "The machine is a great way to stay one step ahead of the competition."

The GearStation has now been running at PackXpert for a year and a half, to great satisfaction, says Mostert. "We can guarantee consistent quality to the customer. The machine is able to detect rot, spoilage or a torn grape, where the human eye may fall short. The machine becomes a little smarter every season. By collecting samples throughout the year, we can continue to train the algorithm to improve its performance. The more trays of grapes that pass through the machine, the better the system performs. It's a matter of attention and time."

Delivering the perfect product

PackXpert uses the GearStation specifically for grapes in 500-gram trays. The grapes are supplied by growers from various countries, and each batch is assessed by an independent inspector. Mostert: "Grapes are a natural product. A batch may look good on the outside, but it may contain quality issues that the GearStation can immediately recognise. The GearStation helps us to remove those grapes. With the GearStation, we can deliver 100% perfect quality with minimal labour input."

Continuous improvement

According to Mostert, a lot of hard work has gone into training the GearStation with the collected data. Multiple photos are taken of every scale that passes through the machine. Gearbox then uses these to improve the GearStation, which is a continuous process, he says. "All data is available in real time in a PowerBI dashboard to provide continuous insight into the quality of the product. This allows us to anticipate daily activities much better. After each sorted batch, we can retrieve the data to justify the costs to the customer. In addition, the machine gives us a clear picture of the quality of a batch, whether it is good or not. We also link this data back to the customer, who can then pass it on to their growers if necessary."

Excellent service

Nathan Mostert is very satisfied with the collaboration with Gearbox. The service is excellent, he says. "If there are any problems, the Gearbox team can log into the GearStation themselves, and the response time is very fast. And if you send a message, you often get a reply within 10 minutes. I feel that Gearbox takes its customers very seriously, and I have nothing but praise for them."

Automation remains an important item within PackXpert, Mostert concludes. "Automation and digitisation help us to manage based on facts rather than feelings."

More about the GearStation

The collaboration with PackXpert is excellent. We have regular meetings to evaluate what is going well and what could be improved. Nathan is technically minded and has a good feel for the product. He recognised the added value of the GearStation from day one. In addition, PackXpert regularly welcomes visits from retail customers who come to see how the company works with the GearStation.