Kiwi fruit industry trials air-shot labels

The air-shot application allows the non-contact labelling of produce of differing shapes and sizes, including the previously difficult to label banana.

The system blows the labels directly onto the product using JetStick’s patented high speed application, without the labeller ever coming into contact with the fruit.

Kiwi-fruit trials are taking place with Zespri International at the EastPack, OPAC and Punchbowl pack houses in South Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.

The trials have been so successful for the local manufacturer that three of the larger pack houses in the Hawkes Bay province are now using JetStick labellers commercially, as is Abbotsleigh, an Australian citrus packer located near Bundaberg.

Mr Apple, New Zealand’s largest apple company is currently in trial, and using the labellers commercially.

Those trials have led to the appointment of agents in Central and South America, where avocado packers in Mexico, banana packers in Costa Rica and citrus packers in South Africa are all in trialling the system or using it commercially.