Fresh Produce

Fresh Produce Automation Built Around the Product, Not the Machine

Fruit, vegetables, and salads are among the most demanding products to automate at the end of the line. They are fragile, they vary in shape and weight, and the pace of a fresh produce operation leaves no room for hesitation.

Brillopak has been working in fresh produce since 2011. With more than a decade of installations in this sector, we have developed a depth of product knowledge, end effector capability, and application experience that is genuinely difficult to replicate. We know what works, what does not, and how to engineer automation that handles even the most delicate products gently, consistently, and at the speeds your operation demands.

Fresh produce puts unique demands on any automation system. Products need to be handled gently: soft fruit bruises, loose leaves scatter, and delicate items that arrive in perfect condition need to leave the line that way too.

Lipped boxes add another layer of complexity. Many fresh produce formats, particularly punnet and tray configurations, use boxes with a structural lip around the top edge. Getting product under that lip and placed correctly requires a specific motion that a standard pick-and-place system is not designed for. Getting it wrong damages packaging, mispacks product, and slows the line.

And all of this needs to happen at the throughput rates that fresh produce operations run at, rates that leave very little margin for inconsistency.

The UniPAKer handles

fresh produce with innovative end effectors purpose-designed for the specific product. Where gentle handling is critical, the vacuum and mechanical pick heads are configured to grip products securely without applying damaging pressure. Movement profiles are tuned to carry products carefully through the full pick-and-place cycle.

For lipped box applications,

the UniPAKer’s placement approach accounts for the lip geometry. The product path and placement angle are calibrated to guide the product cleanly under the lip and into position, without contact damage to the box or the product itself.

The system handles

both packaged and unpackaged products. Where product arrives loose, the UniPAKer can pick directly and place into tray or packaging formats without requiring pre-packaging upstream.

Brillopak offers

both fully automated and semi-automated solutions for fresh produce operations. For lines where full automation is the goal, the UniPAKer delivers consistent, unattended throughput. Where a semi-automated approach better suits the operation, whether due to product variability, line configuration, or throughput requirements, we can configure accordingly. If the UniPAKer is not the right fit for a particular application, we will tell you, and we can discuss what alternative configuration would work better.

Top fruit:

apples, pears, apricots

Soft fruit:

strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

Other fruit:

tomatoes, sweetcorn

Stone fruit:

plumns, peaches, nectarines, avocados

Citrus:

satsumas, oranges, including netting applications

Root vegetables:

carrots, potatoes, onions, leeks

Pre-prepared:

salad and vegetable packs

“Apples are not an easy fruit to handle because they bruise very easily. This, combined with the need to execute a range of crate patterns, made this project a challenge that couldn’t be met by a mechanical system. Brillopak rose to the challenge.”

James Simpson

Managing Director, Adrian Scripps

How features like panel lighting, remote access controllers, and data exporting can further optimise your production line.
All the technical details you need, including line speeds for various crate sizes.
How the Crate Destacker’s robust clamping system and stainless steel construction ensure smooth operation and minimal maintenance.
Dimensioned drawings of single and dual magazine configurations to ensure a perfect fit in your workspace.

Enter your details now to get instant access to the Crate Destacker brochure and learn more today.

Brillopak has been working in fresh produce since 2011, and the decades of experience built in this sector runs deeper than installation count alone. It is in the end effector designs we have developed for products that defeat standard tooling, in the application knowledge accumulated across a wide range of fruit, vegetable, and salad formats, and in the understanding of what gentle, consistent handling actually requires at line speed.

A significant part of what makes Brillopak different in this sector is our approach to end effector engineering. We invest continuously in the research and development of vacuum technology, head design, and pick mechanics, and that investment directly shapes what we can offer fresh produce customers. The ability to engineer a pick head for an awkward product, a fragile format, or an unusual packaging configuration is not incidental to what we do. It is central to it.

That expertise, built over more than a decade in fresh produce, is the same capability we bring to every sector we work in. We do not sell a standard machine and apply it everywhere. Every application is assessed on its own terms, and the solution is built around what that operation actually needs.

Every UniPAKer installation is backed by PAKPerformance, our aftercare programme, ensuring performance is maintained long after installation day, with the support structure to back it up.

Trusted By Food Manufacturers Across The UK

From small operations to large-scale producers.

What Our Customers Say

Real experiences from operations managers who've integrated our machines into their production lines.

I wanted a system that would be straightforward to operate, with minimal downtime and line stoppages. The new system meets that requirement. Our operators appreciate the speed at which product changeovers can now be completed at the touch of a button. Our staff understood how to operate the system after a minimal period of training.

Muntons

The system has minimal downtime and I am pleased to recommend Brillopak to anyone considering packing automation.

TATA Steel

The new apple packing lines went live on time and on budget and have already achieved a step change in the quality of product that we deliver.

Morrisons |

I found that Brillopak were really focused on doing the job professionally. They also remained on site to make sure all of our people understood the systems before they left.

McVities

We were looking for a supplier who could meet the specification, contribute ideas and also offer the flexibility to modify their machines to work with our environment. Brillopak was a good fit.

Morrisons

PPMA Winner

Processing & Packaging Machinery Association

Innovation Award 2021

Robotics & Automation Excellence

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Fresh Produce

Fresh Produce Automation Built Around the Product, Not the Machine

The Challenges Fresh Produce Manufacturers Face

How the UniPAKer Handles It

The UniPAKer handles

For lipped box applications,

The system handles

Brillopak offers

The Range of Products We Handle

Top fruit:

Soft fruit:

Other fruit:

Stone fruit:

Citrus:

Root vegetables:

Pre-prepared:

Customers We Have Worked With

What Our Customers Say

Download Your Crate Destacker Brochure

Gain valuable information about our Crate Destacker. To find out if this is right for you, download our brochure to discover:

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Why Brillopak for Fresh Produce

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Trusted By Food Manufacturers Across The UK

What Our Customers Say

Let's Talk About Your Packing Line