IRISS Universal sorting machine taken in use for sprayroses: “You no longer have to worry about what your employees are doing.”
Updated: Oct 8
Anyone who sorts flowers with several employees on a daily basis knows how much time goes into monitoring quality, distributing the workload and repeatedly explaining the same sorting criteria. With the IRISS Universal Sorting machine, 4More Technology aims to make this daily process simpler and more consistent.
When sorting manually, each employee ultimately decides for themselves what they consider to be, for example, ripe, long enough or large enough. Especially when several people are working at the sorting table, this can lead to differences. As a result, the manager or owner regularly must intervene and make adjustments.
Eveline: “If you have six people sorting the same product in the same way, you will always get differences.” On top of that, employees become tired during the day, while the product itself can change throughout the season. A sorting method that works well at the beginning of the season does not necessarily produce the same distribution later on.
With a machine, sorting programs and categories are created in advance. The grower determines the limits for the various sorting settings, and the software ensures that these choices are applied consistently.
Eveline: “During the day, you can easily adjust the settings if necessary. Normally, you have to keep a close eye on the composition of the crop and guide your employees in how it should be sorted. Now, that data comes directly from the machine. You can respond to it much more precisely. And where it can normally be difficult to see whether your employees are following your instructions immediately, the change is now implemented consistently, and the machine’s data allows you to see the effect of your adjustment straight away.”
For a grower, this does not mean that all labour disappears. The crop still needs to be loaded onto the machine and further processed after sorting. But the most difficult part, grading and sorting the product, is taken out of their hands.
Tim: “As a grower, you can focus on other important tasks within the business with peace of mind.” At many nurseries, the owner still actively monitors the sorting process because they want to be sure that the product is being processed correctly. When the machine takes over the sorting, they can step back from this control and rely on the machine’s precision.
Better logistics, less training
The logistics surrounding the sorting process also play a role. Anyone manually creating nine different sorting categories has to make different batches on the sorting table. Product is placed down, moved and sorted again. The crop is handled unnecessarily often and, especially when several people are sorting, a lot of space is required.
A sorting machine brings structure to the process because the product is automatically directed to the assigned sorting output. It makes the entire process more organised and transparent.
Another practical advantage is seasonal labour. Crops with a short harvesting or processing period often require seasonal employees. These employees need to be trained, which means sorting does not run smoothly from day one. Sometimes the season is so short that by the time employees are fully trained, it is already coming to an end.
Tim: “Almost anyone can load the crop onto the machine.” The principle remains simple: place the product in a tray and take the sorted product out of the correct compartment. The knowledge required for sorting is built into the machine.
What is the composition of the crop?
The IRISS Universal Sorting machine uses extensive data collected for each individual product to provide insight into the composition of the crop. This can create new opportunities for growers.
For example, a grower may have a sorting set for 90 cm flowers. If there are only a few of these flowers on a particular day, the grower can choose to add them to a lower sorting category by assigning both categories to the same output. Because the machine still recognises these flowers as 90 cm, the grower can review at the end of the day exactly how many flowers met this length.
Tim: “You can reassess the situation every day. Based on today’s data, you may see that it is worthwhile to create a separate 90 cm category, so that is what I will do tomorrow.” In this way, the sorting process also becomes a tool for gaining a better understanding of the crop. Not only how many flowers there are, but also which sizes, qualities or other characteristics are present.
Changes can also easily be made to the sortings during the day. The effect of a particular adjustment can then be seen immediately. For example, how many additional flowers enter a particular sorting if the minimum amount of required mature buds is lowered.
In addition, accurate measurements can ultimately help growers extract more value from their product. One example is a flower that falls just below a specific length threshold. With manual sorting, the reasoning can quickly become “too short is too short.” With machine sorting, however, the margins can be set much more precisely. For example, a grower may decide that a flower measuring 59.5 cm is still long enough to be classified as 60 cm.
One machine for multiple crops
The machine was not developed for one specific crop. Tests have been carried out with, among others: sunflowers, roses, peonies, ilex, snowballs, spray roses and thistles. Software has also been developed for rootstocks.
The way the product is sorted varies from crop to crop. With spray roses, for example, the number of buds and maturity can be considered. For Ilex, berry coverage can be assessed, while for rootstocks, factors such as curvature and root volume can be measured.
Wouter: “We train the software based on the specific characteristics of each product. We use AI and machine learning for this.” For a grower cultivating several different crops, this means they don’t need a separate machine for each crop. Multiple crops can be processed on a single machine. Switching between sorting programs takes just a few mouse clicks.
The machine is also built on a modular design. A grower can start with a smaller number of sorting outputs and expand the system at a later stage.
The first machines have now been installed at several nurseries. At present, 4MT is focusing on optimising the sorting of spray roses. In the coming period, they plan to further develop the machine and expand into international markets. Thanks to its modular design, the machine is relatively easy to transport. An internet connection also makes it possible for 4MT to remotely monitor the system and provide support.
More information about the IRISS Universal sorting machine can be read here
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