Fruit and vegetable packer Giro Pack Inc. has added Ian Sellers to its sales team to focus on the sales of automation projects developed and executed by Serfruit S.A.
Serfruit has more than 30 years of experience in industrial automation solutions with expertise in the fruit and vegetable and perishable food sectors, according to a news release. The company and Giro Pack are both part of Giro Group.
“Ian comes to Giro with years of experience in project sales support from Tomra Sorting Solutions and Flowserve,” Marcelo Ferrer, country manager for Giro Pack, said in the release. “We are excited to have him and his wealth knowledge to help develop and implement automation solutions for our existing and new clients.”
Sellers will be based in Visalia, Calif., and can be reached at isellers@giropack.com
Ferrer said the acquisition of Serfuit in 2022 created more opportunities to better the industry. “The Serfruit portfolio of automation solutions is complementary to Giro’s machinery for commodities such as citrus, avocados and onions,” he said. “We will now be able to offer a one-stop shop solution to our customers by adding the upstream and downstream machinery that are needed for an efficient and cost-effective operation of a produce packing house. Even the control software, which is unique to the solution tailored for each customer, is done in-house by Serfruit engineers.”
Serfruit specializes in the design, build, and implementation of full pack line solutions. From the handling of the bulk product when it arrives to the packing of the individual product to the final palletization, its automation solutions are numerous, the release said.
Serfruit can also help deliver pallets of goods throughout the warehouse by means of automated guided vehicle. The company said it has implemented numerous solutions for the commodities commonly packed in mesh bags, such as mandarins and oranges, but also other types, such as strawberries and grapes, and even for complex applications like cucumbers and bell peppers.
“We see a tremendous opportunity for automation as a solution to the ever-increasing labor cost, as well as to mitigate the labor shortage challenge that our sector has been experiencing,” added Ferrer said.
