FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Compac Sorting Equipment win prestigious international award
Tuesday 2 September 2014, Auckland Compac Sorting Equipment’s success as a world leader in horticulture postharvest technology has recently been
recognised by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). Compac was awarded the inaugural ISHS
international award for Horticulture Innovation over the weekend in Brisbane.
The Horticulture Innovation Award is the highest recognition granted by the ISHS Council “to a person or institution for
an exceptional contribution to horticulture innovation”. The award specifically focuses on ideas which create new
products and services that are seen as important landmarks in the progress of horticulture at an international level.
Compac was nominated in recognition of its outstanding contributions worldwide in revolutionising the fresh fruit and
vegetable grading and sorting industry. The ISHS commented that “This company (Compac) is international, visionary and
is driven by innovation through research and development. It has demonstrated outstanding leadership in creating,
utilising and integrating leading edge software and new technologies at the cross-cutting interface of horticulture and
mechanical, electronic, optical and information engineering.”
“We are thrilled to have won this award” said Compac’s Managing Director, Hamish Kennedy “When you achieve international
recognition like this award, it’s a recognition of just how hard our team is working not just in New Zealand, but
globally” he said. “The nomination and the support from the ISHS committee in relation to this award is testament to
that”.
The ISHS were particularly interested in the track record of Compac’s patents and innovations. “Our flexibility and
capacity to adapt quickly to our clients changing needs has been instrumental to our success” said Kennedy.
Compac’s solutions are cutting-edge within the industry, known for their innovation in machine vision technology and
performance. Compac’s vision to constantly innovate is driven by its willingness to invest in R “It’s a technology race and we’re often saying that technology, just like the fruit we sort, is very perishable in this
business. What you develop today will always be surpassed in future. Our intensive investment in R is validation of that” said Kennedy.
Compac’s InVision software has seen it win major contracts around the globe with one of the biggest being Paramount
Citrus Wonderful Halos Plant in Delano, California (a mandarin packhouse). The Paramount Citrus facility is by far the
largest (at 14 acres) and the most advanced postharvest facility in the world. Paramount made the decision to
exclusively use Compac technology for their automated sorting. “We won this contract on the back of our proven track
record, our advanced automation and our ability to deliver superior, tailored solutions to meet our client’s needs” said
Kennedy InVision uses high definition digital cameras to scan up to 30 images of each piece of fruit as it is rotated
along the line. It then instantaneously builds a 3D model of the fruit and from there is able to assign each individual
piece of fruit to its correct packing destination.
“At Compac our core focus is to deliver a superior solution using the latest technology and then follow that up with the
best after-sales support in the industry” added Kennedy.
About Compac Sorting Equipment
Compac Sorting Equipment, based in Auckland, New Zealand, is a leading supplier of sorting and packing solutions to the
global produce industry.
Compac sorters are able to sort produce based on their weight, size, shape, colour and surface blemishes. Compac sorters
use digital cameras and software developed by Compac to analyse the produce and deliver it to the packing areas within
the packhouse. Compac provides traceability solutions to packhouses where produce can be tracked from its orchard block
across the packing line and into bags, while records are stored for recall.
Established in 1984 by Hamish Kennedy, Compac has grown from a small company supplying the New Zealand kiwifruit market
to a global company of more than 400 staff supplying sorting solutions for a number of commodities in over 40 countries.
Manufacturing of Compac solutions takes place in Compac’s New Zealand based factory along with three other locations in;
China, Spain and Uruguay. Compac also works with Compac-FHS a Hastings based company which specializes in infeed and
packing equipment. With Compac-FHS, Compac is able to provide full turn-key solutions to packhouses. Compac was the
winner of the 2012 New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards Company of the Year, Exporter of the Year and NZ Exporters Deal of the
Year for 2012.
In 2013 Compac was named New Zealand’s 19th largest technology company with a global group headcount exceeding 400 and
turnover in excess of $80M. R functions are based in its head office in Auckland where software engineers, mechanical engineers and designers
continue to improve Compac’s equipment and solutions design.
For more information, visit http://www.compacsort.com/
ENDS