Using TOMRA sorting machines in its five different hazelnut processing plants, Durak Fındık increases its automation power with 5 new TOMRA NIMBUS BSI + machines.
Maintaining its leading position in export turnover in Turkey’s hazelnut industry for two consecutive years, Durak Fındık increases its production capacity as well as product safety with its investments in automation technologies to supply more products to meet export demand. Utilizing TOMRA sorting machines and technologies for hazelnut processing, Durak Fındık increases the total number of TOMRA machines at its facilities in Ordu, Samsun, and Hendek-Sakarya to 28 with 5 recent additions to its inventory.
Producing 50.000 tons of hazelnut kernels annually, Durak Fındık exports 45 percent of its annual production and supplies 55 percent to the domestic market. Durak Fındık provides hazelnuts to global producers, including the world’s major chocolate brands and food safety in the production stage is one of its top priorities. Thanks to the advantages of automation, Durak Fındık achieves high product quality in three shifts and maximizes efficiency by reducing food waste and increasing production capacity.
Sharing information about the machines they had recently received, Durak Fındık Chairman Kadir Durak explained, “We have been using TOMRA sorting machines since 2006. We increase our capacity in direct proportion to our production efficiency. While providing products to our current customers at the standards they demand, we also increase our production capacity by adding new customers to our portfolio. We continue our investments in automation technologies without interruption. When we base the same production levels with our TOMRA machines, we achieve 15 percent additional efficiency and cost savings compared to manual sorting. TOMRA machines are ideal investments for us as they increase our product quality to meet the strict quality expectations of our customers.”
Pointing out the pandemic process due to coronavirus in his statement, Kadir Durak said, “We went through a completely different process where we saw the importance of automation in the food industry. We already know that every major food producer should strengthen their facilities with automation but during this period, those who had already invested were able to continue production without interruption. If we operated completely with the manual sorting methods, it would not be possible for us to maintain our production at the required levels despite the measures taken. Of course, automation always offers advantages regardless of this extraordinary situation we face. Consumer expectations of food quality are constantly rising. Therefore, it is a necessity to benefit from automation to increase product quality and production efficiency.”
TOMRA Nimbus BSI+ detects all product defects visible or invisible to the human eye by using both near-infrared and visible wavelengths of light for a highly efficient sorting capability. With this feature, the sorting machine enables the detection of defects in nuts, including insect damages, rotten, shrivel and moldy kernels at the highest performance level. The Biometric Signature Identification (BSI+) technology can detect not only foreign materials but also product-specific quality defects and distinguish them from each other. Thus, high primary product and by-product quality can be easily achieved.
Underlining that they work in three shifts, Kadir Durak added, “Even though it may be assumed that all product defects are visible to the human eye, you cannot expect the manual sorting workforce to sort the product with a hundred percent concentration level and efficiency. For this reason, investing in technology gains importance. With TOMRA sorting machines, it is possible to achieve a constant level of product quality without interruption. On the other hand, it’s also possible to make night shifts regardless of the manual workforce, thanks to our machines. This is another advantage that increases the effectiveness of our facilities during short harvest and production periods.”
Kadir Durak said, “We will have two TOMRA machines at each of our facilities in Ünye and Samsun, 9 in our Sakarya roasting facility, and 15 in our Hendek crushing facility, including the new TOMRA Nimbus BSI+ sorting machines we will receive. The installation of our new machines will be completed by June 2020.”
Stating that nut producers prefer TOMRA Nimbus BSI+ for sorting all kinds of products, inshell, raw and roasted, TOMRA Food Turkey Sales Manager Ahmet Koçyiğit explained, “Our BSI technology represents the ultimate state of the multi-spectral cameras. We have been able to combine our application knowledge with superior imaging capabilities and the results are impressive. This is also how we cover the full range of product conditions within nut industry; inshell, raw, roasted or chopped etc. We deliver the most efficient optical sorting solution with the right specific machine platform.”
