T&G Global Commissions New State-of-the-Art Packhouse; Gareth Edgecombe Details
NEW ZEALAND - A massive, state-of-the-art apple packhouse has arisen in the Southern Hemisphere as T&G Global brings a new facility to its Whakatū site in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
“This state-of-the-art, post-harvest facility will be instrumental in enabling us to manage increased volume growth, lift productivity, and ensure our fruit arrives in market in an excellent condition,” says Chief Executive Officer Gareth Edgecombe, explaining how the cutting-edge packhouse was built to help meet future global consumer demand for premium apples from Aotearoa New Zealand. “The packhouse, which cost close to $100 million, is being commissioned in two phases and integrates leading automation and technology, from the wet infeed area and defect sorting, to soft fruit handling technology and robotic fruit packers and palletizers, enabling us to do more with less.”
According to a press release, the highly automated facility has 1.7 hectares of roof space and will be able to pack more than 125 million kilograms of apples per season once its two phased-construction is complete. This is twice the volume of apples currently packed at T&G’s facilities.
“The completion of the facility and the installation of the first 220-meter packing line is a real testament to the team. It’s been a remarkable team effort to build the packhouse and deliver it on budget and on time, while dealing with labor and material constraints during COVID-19,” Edgecombe continued. “The new facility will enable our Whakatū team to pack 90–100 bins per hour on the one line, lifting the productivity rate up to 1 bin per person per hour. When the second line is installed, we’ll be able to pack up to 190 bins per hour, with a similar number of people.”
As part of T&G’s kaitiakitanga strategy and commitment, the packhouse has been designed with demanding sustainability standards to help conserve and protect Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural resources.
To learn more about the company’s latest expansion, click here.
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