Flikweert Vision Brings 30 t/h AI QualityGrader to the North American Market

Dutch sorting specialist Flikweert Vision is introducing an updated AI-powered QualityGrader for potatoes and onions in North America, with up to 30 tonnes per hour capacity, to be shown with partner Volm Companies at the IFPA show in Orlando, October 14–16.

Текст (EN)

Flikweert Vision, the Dutch specialist in optical sorting of potatoes and onions, is introducing its latest QualityGrader optical sorting system to the North American market, citing increased capacity, new configurations and greater flexibility for sorting operations. The company will showcase the updated machine alongside its North American partner, Volm Companies, at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida, scheduled for 14–16 October 2026, at booth #2332.

The update targets a set of pressures that packers and processors on both sides of the Atlantic will recognize: quality defects that vary from batch to batch, customer specifications that keep tightening, rising capacity requirements and chronic labor availability problems. The further-developed QualityGrader combines camera technology with artificial intelligence to automatically inspect and sort potatoes and onions against quality requirements. The system identifies defects such as greening, rot and damage, as well as foreign material including stones and clods.

The updated machine comes in two working widths — 1.0 and 1.5 metres — with a sorting capacity of up to 30 tonnes per hour. Depending on configuration, six or nine cameras inspect the product from multiple angles. New configuration options extend the machine’s flexibility: an optional second rejection unit allows product to be sorted into up to three separate streams, and an optional RejectSeparator divides stones and clods from rejected produce — a feature aimed at operations that re-work or re-sell rejected fractions.

Flikweert says it has also optimized the machine for accessibility and ease of maintenance, intending to simplify upkeep and integration into different processing and packing environments. Configurations cover washed and unwashed potatoes, seed potatoes, fresh-market potatoes and onions.

The configuration choices map directly onto commercial realities. A single-reject machine fits a packhouse separating marketable produce from waste; the three-stream option lets an operator split premium, processing and reject grades in one pass — valuable when customer specifications diverge. The RejectSeparator speaks to a very 2026 problem: with drought-hardened clay soils sticking and clodding in this year’s Northwest European harvest (see our harvest report in this wave), separating stones and clods from rejected but saleable potatoes decides whether the reject stream is a cost or a recoverable product. Flikweert Vision, which describes itself as a specialist in optical sorting of potatoes and onions with an agricultural background, is positioning the updated machine as practical line equipment rather than a technology showcase.

The North American push places Flikweert in direct competition with the established players in optical grading — a segment where AI-based defect detection has become the technological frontier, as evidenced by fellow Dutch manufacturer Ellips presenting its True-AI platform at the same Orlando show circuit this month. For buyers, the practical comparison points will be capacity per euro invested, detection accuracy on difficult defects such as internal discoloration, and the cost of the labor each machine actually removes from the line.

Источники

• PotatoPro (первоисточник: Flikweert Vision), 11.10.2026 — https://www.potatopro.com/news/2026/flikweert-vision-introduces-ai-powered-qualitygrader-faster-potato-and-onion-sorting (QualityGrader: до 30 т/ч, ширина 1,0/1,5 м, 6 или 9 камер; дефекты — зелень, гниль, повреждения, камни, комья; опции — второй отбраковочный модуль, 3 потока, RejectSeparator; применения — мытый/немытый/семенной/продовольственный картофель и лук; IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, Орландо, 14–16.10.2026, стенд 2332, партнёр Volm Companies)
• Контекст по Ellips True-AI — наша статья от 12.10.2026 (результаты/2026-10-12_статьи_20/17_ellips_true_ai_grading_gpfs.md, по релизу Ellips на PotatoPro)