Bühler Expands Optical Sorting Application Capabilities in North and Central America

To support the growth in their markets in North and Central America, Bühler is expanding its optical sorting testing and applications capabilities in the region. The expansion includes a new location for the current Stockton, CA lab, as well as new centers in Cary and Charlotte, NC, Plymouth, MN, and Saskatoon, Canada. These new centers will join existing labs in Temecula, Mexico, and Guatemala. All application centers will also act as training centers for the company’s various sorting solutions.

The application center in Stockton, CA, focused on the tree nut market, will be moving to a new shared location, still in Stockton, with Bühler’s west coast channel partner, West-Link.

The new lab space will contain several current sorting platforms as well as the new SORTEX H with MerlinAI. The H platform opens up a new level of performance for nut processors by using artificial intelligence to significantly improve reject concentration as well as the operator experience, making running the new platform much easier than previous user interfaces.

This location will also feature the new SORTEX N with ColorCam+ and InGaAs HD for next-level shape detection. Along with the latest sorters, the new lab will have the capability of showcasing Bühler’s digital products for optical sorting, including the ability to visualize sorter performance data.

Relocating to the new location combines the product and process expertise of the existing location with the portfolio and market knowledge of West-link, delivering a more complete and convenient customer experience.

“We’re incredibly proud to be able to serve the tree nut industry in the region,” says David Riley, Bühler’s Director of Single Machine Business.

“We have a very long history in the nut industry, and it’s great to be able to partner so closely with our customers to innovate and provide them with a more complete offering.”

The expansion of the California capabilities is further supported by new application capabilities within the existing Cary, NC Drying Application Center, a new location in Charlotte, NC, and the new Food Application Center in our North American headquarters in Plymouth, MN.

The new nut sorting capabilities in Cary, NC, focused mainly on peanuts, will prove convenient for growers in the Southeast, where a majority of peanuts are grown.

The application center in Charlotte, NC will be focused on the plastics recycling industry. This center will be hosted by Pellenc ST, Bühler’s channel partner for the plastics recycling industry.

Bühler’s recently opened Food Application Center will provide a range of sorting capabilities focused mainly on the wheat and rye milling industries, along with optical sorting for all types of agricultural seeds and specialty milling applications including pulses, corn, oats, and ancient gains. These capabilities will also be supported by Can-Seed, Bühler’s Canadian channel partner in their facility located in Saskatoon, Canada.

The existing application centers in Temecula, Mexico, and Guatemala provide optical sorting testing and training for grains, rice, seeds, pulses, and coffee for their respective regions.

“The expansion of these capabilities will make it more convenient for processors across a number of industries in North America to test our different optical sorting capabilities,” stated Laurenz Bay, Head of Sales for Bühler’s Digital Technologies.

“By having access to a greater testing footprint along with our industry-leading process knowledge, our customers can more quickly perfect their processes and bring their products to market.”

For more information on Bühler’s optical sorting technologies, please visit the Bühler website.