R.G. Impianti installs new potato sorting line in Algeria

A sorting and grading line for potatoes and onions in Algeria is one of the latest orders for R.G. Impianti, an Italian company which has been developing vegetable processing systems for over 30 years.

Ruggero Ricci, designer and son of owner Riziero:
 

“The line is 30 metres long and 15 metres wide. It actually consists of two separate lines, one for onions and one for potatoes, which converge into a single sorting and grading line.”

“The machine was assembled for a large company in Boufarik, 30 km from Algiers.”

The potato line starts with sorting for washing or dry brushing, then there is a manual pre-sorting phase. This is followed by mechanical grading. The grader is equipped with adjustable guides that convey the fruit to belts. This machine enables producers to achieve high outputs yet requires rather simple maintenance.

Packaging is carried out by semi-automatic weighers (5 to 25 kg sacks) or by automatic packagers (1 to 5 kg). Alternatively, the product is placed in 1 ton jumbos.

The system is roughly the same for onions, although bulbs are descaped first. R.G. has had contacts in North Africa for quite some time and, in this case too, the sale was made thanks to an Algerian contact.

Ruggero Ricci:
 

“We worked hard and finally managed to export our technology to North Africa.”

“Vegetable production is increasing in the region and quality is improving too.”

All R.G. machines are assembled on-site and tested before the client. They are then disassembled, packaged, shipped and re-assembled at the client's facility. This enables them to shorten final assembly times.
 

Left to right: Peter Calisesi, Riziero and Ruggero Ricci.