What a year 2004 is for change at Compac! New products, new factory, more staff and of course many new customers. There is nothing constant but change and we trust that the following information will assist you in keeping up with the latest in developments that may affect your business.

Enjoy!!

New Compac Factory Space



Compac now employs over 125 full time staff and we are all enjoying being in our expanded facilities. We have been looking for a new home for few years now and early this year secured the building behind our existing facilities. We are all now back on the one site and the extra space has allowed us to increase production to keep up with demand.

First Compac sizer rolls off the production line in Italy
The first sizer is now being installed after being completely fabricated by Compac Sorma Europe S.p.A. This was produced in a new factory next door to the Sorma factory in Cesena, Italy and is a joint venture company between Compac and Sorma to supply Compac technology to the European market. The machines from this factory will be identical to those built in New Zealand and our design teams are working together to ensure a top quality product. This compliments our existing manufacturing arrangement with Caustier of France, who manufacture mechanics of their own design with Compac carriers and technology to suit the specific requirements in France. We are proud of this new development in Europe and look forward to a successful future.

USA Tour for October
Based on the success of a tour we ran last year to California to view Blemish grading and pre-grading lines in operation, we have organised an expanded trip this year. This will include time in Washington State to see some of the largest and most impressive apple lines in operation, returning to California and finishing with the PMA show in Anaheim.
This tour is now full and we will report on this in the next Compac Innovations Newsletter. Keep in touch with your local representative
for details on the next available tour.

New Markets for Compac
Compac now actively marketing in 19 countries either directly or with our valued JV companies, agents and distributors. 2004 has seen some new markets develop and milestones reached as follows:

• The development of the Joint Venture with Sorma in Italy for the European market.
  
• Establishment of Compac USA with a new office in California and an expanded sales and service structure.
  
• Placement of a full time salesman in Florida. Mr Phil Jones, who has been based in Auckland, will be based in Florida from Oct 04.
  
• The first Compac sizer to South Africa to add to the many retro-fitted sites existing there.
  
• The expansion of Compac customers in Chile with 7 sites now and more on the books to be installed soon.
  
• The first Compac site in Argentina to be installed shortly.

Blemish Grading for Apples and Kiwifruit
InVision 9000 Blemish system.
Apples and Kiwifruit have been in commercial production through the 2004 NZ season providing definite commercial advantages for the four packhouses involved. Work continues on fine tuning these systems with new features to maximise profits for these customers for the 2005 season. Operating with Apples and Kiwifruit compliment the 200 plus lanes of InVision 9000 already performing beyond expectations for Oranges, Mandarins and Lemons.

Version 10 Sizer Software is now fully released and being shipped with all new sizers, upgrades and retrofits. This new generation software offers many benefits and too many “firsts” to mention. These include product based systems, dynamic fruit allocation, advanced labelling, grouping and sampling to name a few. For more information ask your local representative.

InVision 5000 version 2.1 is now available. This features the latest technology for improved backups and performance features.

Maintenance Tips: Software Backups

To protect your data - Compac software includes comprehensive
Backup functions. Backing up the software or the data saves a copy of the information. The saved backup file can later be used if there are any problems with the software installation; the data can be restored from the saved file. Restoring the data can return the database, the software installation, or both to an earlier, saved status. For every Compac computer, the Backup/Restore function is set up to automatically save backup data. Users can also run a backup manually.

With Version 9 of the Sizer software, pay attention when you are creating a backup or performing a restore. You do not want to accidentally run a backup when you are trying to create a restore; this will overwrite any previously saved backup data.

Compac now has an improved, easier to use Backup program. This is provided with Version 10 and the latest version of InVision, 2.1. With the new Backup program, multiple backups are saved on one Zip disk, and backups can also be saved on a central server. As well as running automatic, full software backups, you can create backup files that only include your system’s configuration, results database, and diagnostic information. Each of these can be useful records for your system’s secure operation.

Ask your Compac representative about the new Backup program and its instruction manual.

• Compac continues investment in home market
• Sun Pacific follow on Deal
• Americafruit press release March 04

• Dovex Expands Growth - GoodFruit magazine June 2004 new Compac sizer
  
• Seeka keeps an optical Eye on Golden Kiwifruit - BOP Times May 2004 Seeka Kiwifruit Blemish
  
• Carzalia valley produce installs state of the art Compac sorter
  
• Like a Dream Come True - BOP Times April 2004 Hume Pack and Cool Kiwifruit Blemish sorting
  
• Hume Pack-N-Cool upgrade
  Kiwfruit Magazine April 2004
  
• Sorting the kiwifruit pays off – NZ Herald article on Compac Jan 2004
  
• Compac outgrows premises – NZ Herald Jan 2004 re new factory

The assembly and installation team are hard to capture on film due installations occurring around the world. These guys are experts at assembling, packing, shipping and installing sizers in a tight time frame and have the Compac “do what it takes” attitude to get the job done.

For more information click here.