There’s no better sales aid than an endorsement from someone whose opinion commands respect. Don Uglow, Sortex’s US National Accounts Manager, was delighted when Gro Alliance offered to welcome guests at a presentation he organised in Dubuque, IA to its plant in Cuba City, WI for a live demonstration of the latest Z-1 model optical color sorter.

A large number of attendees, representing many different seed processing firms, from Ohio to Nebraska, were all corn and / or soybean seed processors.  Uglow, together with Jerry Vlach of O’Mara Ag. Service   (Sortex Mid West agents), Bill McVea, Sortex Field Engineer, and Paul Robertson of Gro Alliance, demonstrated vital Z-Series benefits.

“We showed the Z-Series’ unique Twin Camera solution that provides the cleanest possible accepts,” said Uglow, “and then demonstrated how it concentrated the rejects in just one pass, efficiently handling both low and high levels of input contamination, whether dark or light, whole kernels or splits.

The Z-Series range, from Z1 to Z4 – has a model that is right for any processor of any size. Importantly, we were also demonstrated how the Z Anyware software maximises up time by facilitating remote diagnostics and implementing long range solutions.”

The facts justify his enthusiasm. In live action, the Z-1 achieved a first pass accept stream of 99.5 % good and a reject stream of 1 good to 5 bad at a throughput of 9,240 lbs per hour on seed corn with an 8% incoming defect.

The performance record was maintained when the Sortex Team was challenged to sort 2 totes of in-shell sunflower seed on the Z-1.  Demonstrating the user-friendliness of the Z-1, Bill McVea re-calibrated the machine (from seed corn to sunflower seed) in about 20 minutes and sorted the sample, with an incoming defect of 16 %, at a rate of 2,300 lbs per hour. On the first pass, the accept stream was 99.2 % good and the defect stream 1 good to 1.6 bad.

“It was a hugely successful event,” said Uglow, “and the reaction to our demonstration made us even more enthusiastic about the sales potential of the Z -Series. We received expressions of immediate interest from 65 per cent of our guests and testimonials to the quality of our service from another 20 % who already use Sortex machines.”

It didn’t take long for the first firm sale to be booked. One of the attendees, signed up for a Z3 within two weeks.

As Uglow puts it, “We offer solutions – and seeing them in operation has the inevitable effect of delivering sales. As a result of this initiative, multiple sales opportunities are in the pipeline.”

Sortex, developers of the first optical sorters for the agricultural industry, was established in London in 1947.  Since then Sortex has grown to become the world's leading manufacturer of colour sorting machines, with clients operating across the full spectrum of food and agricultural products in more than 100 countries around the world.

The company is customer focused and employs R&D expertise in optical design, applied physics, electronic hardware, software design and mechanical engineering. Sortex are pioneering optical sorting technology, via an active research programme that is often carried out in collaboration with both industry and academic partners.

Part of the Swiss engineering group Bühler, specialists in the design and construction of plant and equipment for human nutrition, Sortex has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 1968, 1972, 1987, 2001 and again in 2005.