In response to the 13th National Five-Year Plan - part of a series of Chinese social and economic development initiatives - to promote the potato as a staple food and modernize the potato processing industry in anticipation of demand growth, Kaida, a Chinese vegetable and fruit chips exporter invested in two large agricultural product processing plants in Beijing and Inner Mongolia. The ambition of Kaida is to lead the industry through technological innovation, and champion automation in the industry.

After thorough investigation and evaluation, Kaida decided to choose one of TOMRA’s steam peeling and optical sorting solutions. Kaida reported that with TOMRAs help the company saw a stabilization in processing efficiency and a boost in automation levels. Furthermore, it was effective in quality control and yield improvement.

Speaking on the partnership with TOMRA, Wang Haitao, project manager for Kaida’s new potato processing base in Beijing: “Consistently high sorting and peeling efficiencies, alongside stable performance, are two of the reasons why TOMRA is widely trusted by large food brands around the world."

"TOMRA’s intelligent sorting solutions can effectively sort against criteria including size, color, whether there are any blemishes or damage, subtle defects and foreign materials in potatoes, French fries and potato chips. At the same time, TOMRA technology ensures the waste of good product is kept to minimum."

“TOMRA’s steam peeling technology boasts a four to six percent peeling loss, a number significantly lower than the average industry level, and is the optimal solution combining efficiency with low energy consumption. We didn’t make the decision overnight. We undertook in-depth research on various potato peeling technologies, including abrasive peeling and steam peeling, and compared the solutions offered by several suppliers."

“We also visited several French fry and potato chip processing facilities, owned by global brands, which enabled us to see with our own eyes TOMRA’s steam peelers, dry peel separators, whole potato sorters and French fry sorters in action. We were also able to learn from their experience of using the sorters.

“We were impressed by what we saw and heard during our research. We then took the evaluation to the next level and conducted a peeling test at a flakes manufacturer. The results were convincing; with relatively low quality potato input, TOMRA’s peeler still managed to keep the peeling loss below six percent, which is very impressive. Our OEM customer who also has a TOMRA peeling line confirmed that steam peeling will not affect the taste or quality of the final products. By then, we had more than enough confidence in working with TOMRA, and believed their solutions were the most suitable for our production lines.”

In October 2016 the commissioning and installation of a complete TOMRA peeling and sorting line was launched in Kaida’s Beijing potato processing line. The line consists of an Orbit steam peeler, a Titan whole potato sorter and a Genius French fry sorter. Since its launch, the line has been delivering a stable performance, at an average output of six tons per hour.

Liu Chang An, Kaida CEO and chairman further commented: “The consistently high performance provided by TOMRA, combined with a higher yield than the industry average, helps Kaida to achieve substantial raw material savings. Compared with the 10-30 percent peeling loss with mechanical peeling, Kaida’s new facility in Beijing has a six percent loss, which will generate an additional 1,150 – 6,900 tons of raw material savings per year.

“We undertook on-site tests at the facilities of various steam peeling solution providers, and these test results showed clearly that TOMRA’s technology generates between two and four percent material savings, which means we can produce more French fries with the same amount of raw potato materials.

“In the long term, the gains we make will be remarkable. Moreover, TOMRA sorters are very effective in sorting out all kinds of defects and foreign materials, ensuring consistently high product quality. This is exactly what we need to build a strong brand.”