CTI Foodtech, a leading international fruit processing machinery manufacturer with more than 150 patents filed in more than 20 countries around the world, presented the results of the “STRATER” (Strawberry Stem Remover) project, an innovative strawberry processing system that can meet the needs of producers of processed and preserved fruit, in an industry where 75-80% of fruit processing is still done manually.
What does the “STRATER” (“Strawberry Stem Remover”) project consist of – The “STRATER” project aims to build a new model of strawberry processing machinery that will enable the system, thanks to new and optimized vision technology, to increase the production of cut fruit, reduce waste and, overall, increase the processing speed of the machine. The aim of the project is, therefore, to develop an intelligent strawberry handling and cutting system supported by a computer vision system applied to the recognition of the position of the fruit petiole. Currently, there is no system for automatically locating and placing strawberries in an industrial process (an operation entirely delegated to labor). To convey the scope of the project, suffice it to say that 95 percent of misoriented fruit is read by the vision system “recycled” into the machine process, with a production capacity of about 280 fruits per minute.
The press conference and results dissemination seminar was attended by: Alessandro Crescenzo, CTI Foodtech R&D Team Leader, who presented the company, the background and the R&D structure of CTI Foodtech; Biagio Crescenzo, CEO of CTI Foodtech and Project Manager of the “STRATER” Project, who described the project, the state of the art in which it fits, the objectives and results achieved, both in terms of production and with respect to sustainability issues; Antonio Pietrosanto, Full Professor of the Department of Industrial Engineering/DIIN of the University of Salerno and Performance Manager of DIIN in the STRATER Project. Conclusions by Valeria Fascione, Councillor for Research, Innovation and Startups of the Campania Region.
The seminar to disseminate the results of the STRATER Project was held as part of the Public Notice for the Support to Campania MPMIs of the Realization of Technology Transfer and Industrialization Projects Priority Axis 3 – Specific Objective 3.1 Action 3.1.1.
“Last year the Campania Regional Government launched this important call for as much as 100 million, dedicated to SMEs that wanted to support industrialization processes and to put innovative products on the market,” said Councillor Fascione. “In less than two months funds were allocated to about 120 companies. Agritech is an important sector that contributes significantly to exports. CTI is to be applauded for a propensity for innovation, internationalization, sustainability and skills and for the enhancement of young talent in our area. Today we have told a beautiful story of innovation that is the result of a vision and an approach that networks institutions, companies and universities.”
“STRATER was born in response to a market need and from a comparison with our international customers,” said Biagio Crescenzo. “We worked on the project, in synergy with Professor Pietrosanto of the DIIN of the University of Salerno, with the aim of developing a technology that can perfect and make efficient the processing of strawberries through an automated process, despite the many difficulties including the irregularity of the fruit. Thanks to Councillor Fascione for her attention to our project and for attending the dissemination meeting.”
“Innovating for CTI is a key aspect,” said Alessandro Crescenzo, “We have already filed the patent for such a machine, the last of more than 150 patents filed worldwide, demonstrating the broad value the company places on its R&D department. Although CTI has 98 percent of its turnover coming from abroad, it also shows how it is possible to create business while remaining in Campania. A message to all the young talents in our area that, in an increasingly connected world, they can establish themselves even a short distance from home.”
“The Campania Region has been investing a lot in recent years, with the launch of numerous calls for proposals, to encourage public-private collaborations,” said Professor Pietrosanto. “The STRATER project is a clear example of how two realities can coexist: the entrepreneurial one such as CTI Foodtech and the public one with the University of Salerno, particularly the Department of Industrial Engineering.
Numerous international clients of CTI Fodotech followed the seminar from a distance, paying close attention to the new technology created by the company, which has always been a national and international example of a smart, research and development-oriented SME.
