The facility employs hundreds of 920i digital weight indicators to control multiple processes, which are different for each type of fruit. When an apple is first received, it is cooled, sorted, and pre-sized until it can be processed. Pre-sized apples are then loaded into bins, which have a tare weight stored in the indicator. The 920i scale indicator automates the process and stores data in Stemilt’s elaborate database, which assigns the weighments to the appropriate grower.

After initial weighment, apples travel through a series of elevated waterways which zig-zag past machinery and around corners. Watching the buoyant fruit take this joyride is like watching speedy gondolas navigate the canals of Venice, Italy. The apples pass through automatic color sorters, which use a high-speed imaging system to analyze the color and compare it to a standard for each variety. The color sorters assign a value to the apple so similarly colored apples can be grouped together and distributed as necessary into various packaging options. Apples which don’t meet minimum color requirements are typically used for juice or sauce while the upper echelon are kept in whole form.

The cherries are then transported via water passageway to bagging or boxing stations, where another weight is captured. Finally, they travel across another custom fabricated 920i in-motion checkweigher which scans the package’s barcode, references its database for the acceptable weight tolerance, and either accepts or rejects the container based on the live weight. If rejected, the cherries are weighed on static checkweighers and product quantity is adjusted until the proper weight is achieved.

Based on the information retrieved from the scales, Stemilt provides reports for cull percentage, undersize percentage, under-color percentage, scrap percentage, and packed percentage. “The growers really appreciate the detail we provide them,” Nick explains. “This is their livelihood and they want to know everything about the products they deliver. Rice Lake scales help us provide that information in incredible detail.”

Currently, the cherry checkweighers are a hodgepodge of equipment, but Nick plans on upgrading it all with Rice Lake. “We’ve already implemented CW-90X checkweighers and I really like them,” Nick explains. “The CW-90Xs are fast and durable. I haven’t had any problems with them, the operators like them, and the equipment interfaces with our systems seamlessly.”

Especially true for cherries, it is essential for all the systems to be integrated. Stemilt is a paradigm of sophisticated data acquisition, utilizing data from scales to its fullest extent. “We weigh everything,” Nick says. “Weights equal money, and our ownership is committed to getting the most accurate weights. We weigh at every opportunity because we want to ensure the farmers get precisely what they have earned, and don’t want to pay for anything but the actual fruit; no dirt, no water, no leaves— just the fruit.”

Because the cherry season is short, it is a time of frenzy. “It’s a mad dash during those months,” Nick says. “Our equipment is designated for cherries, so it rests for most of the year and it’s my job to turn everything on a few weeks before the season and make sure it’s working correctly. Other scales generally need more attention than Rice Lake equipment. As long as the Rice Lake scales are kept clean, I can just hook them back up, turn the systems on, and they’re good to go. They are much more reliable than other scales we’ve used.”

Although they are run at a different plant, pears follow a similar system to apples. However, because they are high-value, pears are subjected to full and empty bin weights and a culling process. The pear culling system also relies on 920i digital weight indicators to control the lines and Rice Lake Summit floor scales to weigh the bins. Each pear is sorted, sized, and color-graded.

Pristine pears progress through the numerous checks and balances, ending up in grocery aisles. Imperfect pears are grouped and used for juice, and scrapped pears are also recorded in the company’s database. At any point, each package can be tracked back to the grower. This is essential for accurate billing, and the powerful 920i is integral in obtaining this data.

“Everywhere you look, there’s a 920i,” Nick explains. “I’ve spent a lot of years in this business and I continue to choose the 920i because it’s so easy to work with. It’s fast, reliable, and flexible enough to handle anything I can throw at it.”

“At times, keeping track of all the scale equipment can be as challenging as maintaining it,” Nick continues. “There are so many scales that it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack if we didn’t have everything mapped out.”