Insort Gmbh signed a strategic partnership with market leader Key Technology

The highly innovative Austrian company Insort GmbH and its mother company EVK DI Kerschhaggl GmbH have set an important milestone towards worldwide expansion of the “Sherlock Sorting Lines” and its “Chemical Imaging Technology” (CIT). 

“Chemical Imaging Technology” (CIT) makes it possible to sort and classify food according to its chemical composition in real time on the basis of spectral analysis. Insort’s “CIT” has enabled Insort to become the worldwide technical leader in this segment. 

Insort and EVK have signed a worldwide license agreement with Key Technology for use of Chemical Imaging Technology in proven Key solutions provided to the potato industry. Key Technology, based in the US, is worldwide market leader in the field of digital sorting technology in the potato industry. 

In addition, a sales and service agreement has been signed for purposes of distributing the Sherlock Sorting Lines “Separator” and “Observer” in North America and among select global corporate customers. 

This is a classical win-win situation”, explains DI Matthias Jeindl, Insort’s General Manager. “Insort will be provided with a sales and service network for its Sherlock Sorting Lines for North America as well as global corporate customers. Key can give even more technological lead to its sorting lines, which are highly developed even now, on a short-term basis. The industrial customer can benefit from Chemical Imaging Technology throughout the potato line - from the raw unpeeled potato to the ready cut processed product. At any rate, the customer will be the biggest winner.” 

As agreed, Insort will autonomously be in charge of the further development of the segment of overall potato sorting using “Sherlock Separator” and “Sherlock Observer” in terms of chemometric monitoring and sorting of foreign bodies. Key Technology will integrate and optimize “CIT” on the proven Key belt sorters for cut potato products and the unique “ADR” (Automatic Defect Removal) in license cooperation with Insort. 

“Partnering with Insort and EVK will allow us to leverage CIT on new sorters and upgrades for Manta®, Tegra®, and Optyx® strip sorting systems and ADR® potato defect removal systems to deliver new value to our strategic partners in the potato industry,” said Louis Vintro, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Global Operations at Key. “On our ADR systems, CIT will enable making yield-maximizing decisions to remove only those defective portions of the potato strip as identified by the processor. By bringing Insort and Key together to pursue common goals, our customers get the best of both worlds – the most innovative new technology from an established global supplier.”