T&G commissions automated New Zealand packhouse
T&G Global has commissioned what it says is one of the largest apple packhouses in the Southern Hemisphere at its Whakatū site in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
The highly automated facility, with 1.7 hectares of roof space, is expected to pack more than 125 million kilograms of apples per season — twice the volume of apples currently packed — once its two-phased construction is complete, according to a news release.
T&G Global Chief Executive Gareth Edgecombe says the packhouse has been built to enable the company to “do more with less” and to help meet future global consumer demand for premium apples from Aotearoa, 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,” Edgecombe said in the release.
The packhouse, which T&G Global says cost approximately $100 million, has been commissioned in two phases and integrates automation and technology in the wet infeed area and defect sorting, soft fruit handling technology and robotic fruit packers and palletizers.
“The completion of the facility and the installation of the first 220-meter packing line is a real testament to the team,” Edgecombe said. “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. 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 one 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.
“We see this packhouse playing a key role in helping create increased value from Aotearoa, New Zealand’s unique benefits and intellectual property,” Edgecombe continued. “Over the last five years, T&G has redeveloped hundreds of hectares into modern [two dimensional] growing systems, with increased plantings of our premium Envy brand, which is on track to be a billion-dollar brand by 2027. Many of our independent grower partners have done the same. By building this packhouse we can accommodate this increased volume and help support the domestic and export growth of the region, sector and nation.”
As part of T&G’s commitment to “kaitiakitanga,” a Māori term for guardianship of the sky, the sea and the land, the packhouse has been designed with sustainability standards to help conserve and protect Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural resources, the release said.
The packhouse has 1,200,000-liter water tanks, enabling the packhouse to absorb large downpours and removing this volume of water from flowing immediately into the public stormwater system. This allows the company to meter this water out, reducing the impact on the stormwater system and local rivers, and using it for watering on-site trees and vegetation, the company said.
In addition, the packhouse’s filtration system allows for reduced water use from its own bore, with final discharges being drinking-quality standard.
T&G Global was formed 125 years ago as Turners and Growers. Today, the business is dedicated to growing, marketing, selling and distributing fresh produce to customers in more than 60 countries.
