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Automation is helping oyster farmers navigate soaring energy costs, a strong labour market, and market volatility. The requirement for oyster farmers to innovate their farms through technology is under the spotlight. Many are embracing new digital technologies to improve the overall performance of their operation.
Automation of the oyster grading system is having a significant impact on oyster farming efficiencies and profitability. While farms adopt digital technology that oversees the oyster growing operations and assists farmers in making critical decisions on the health of their crops, automating the labour-intensive process of oyster grading is a seamless fit into these types of innovation.
Harvesting precision is now at the fingertips of early adopters of oyster farming software. The ability to immediately grade, sort, and bag the harvest without complex staff scheduling perfectly complements commercial oyster farming operations. By employing automation technology, oyster farming aligns with the advancements made in other primary producer sectors such as agriculture and livestock.
How does the SED vision oyster grader improve the farm's productivity?
The SED vision oyster grader has an advantage over its competitors through its size-based grading approach rather than relying on weight. Traditional weight-configured graders often suffer from wide tolerance margins, leading to potential losses in sale value.
Historically, smaller farm operations have borne the brunt of this; however, with the increasing professionalisation of farming practices and the digital monitoring of system efficiencies, minimising losses has become imperative to sustain margins.
“We’ve observed several farms in our vicinity utilising weight-configured grading machines. While suitable for individual operations, they simply aren’t viable for us,” notes James Buchan from OysterLife, a commercial oyster farming operation with 30 aquaculture leases in South New South Wales, Australia.
“Given that our market prioritises size overweight, investing in size-based grading technology aligns perfectly with our strategy. This shift has significantly mitigated our loss of saleable-sized oysters and enhanced the consistency of our product, instilling greater confidence in our customers.”
As the farm has experienced exponential growth over the past three and a half years and continues to pursue expansion goals, Jamie emphasises the necessity of investing in vision oyster grading machine technology.
“With our farm’s rapid expansion, we must rely on automation equipment that is not only dependable but also highly efficient,” Jamie concludes, underlining the farm’s commitment to sustained profitability and operational excellence.
Vision oyster grading is fast, efficient and cost-effective
Investing in technology and innovation must create cost-benefit results. The SED vision oyster grader has been engineered for speed and efficiency and to drive down operating costs, mainly labour.
The SED vision oyster grader can be operated single-handed. This alone saves labour costs and scheduling complexities while enabling essential staff resources to remain in their roles.
The SED vision oyster grader is fast and can grade, sort, and bag an average of 4-8 adult oysters every second or between 14,400-28,800 per hour. This replaces up to 13 experienced graders doing the same task manually.
The SED vision oyster grader offers a comprehensive solution for oyster farmers, from separation and cleaning to measurement, sorting, counting, and bagging. Its innovative use of cushioned air, backed by scientific evidence proving its superior gentleness compared to manual sorting, ensures an impressive accuracy rate of up to 99% in oyster counting.
SED Graders provide customisation options with the SED Vision Oyster Grader. We allow for tailored configurations to meet specific production needs. Select from four-, six-, or eight-grade exits, and adjust bag sizes and quantities to align with your output requirements. Our customisation includes a full suite of accessory options and superior after-sales service, and we can manufacture, deliver, commission and provide training and ongoing support anywhere in the world.
For 20 years, SED Graders have been manufacturing and commissioning innovative automated oyster grading solutions for oyster farms worldwide.
SED Graders is an Australian, family-owned company.
For any inquiries or when contemplating the acquisition of a SED Graders oyster grading machine or upgrading your existing equipment, we invite you to contact us. Our expert team is poised to offer tailored solutions aligned precisely with your unique requirements and operational goals.