- The Application: GoFa™ cobots automate the sealing wax application process on the stems of premium pear variety.
- The Challenge: Achieving precise, consistent waxing on uniquely shaped pear stalks previously impossible through manual process.
- The solution: A customized line developed using ABB GoFa™ cobots and Conkreta’s vision technology to ensure fast, clean, and uniform wax application in just one second per fruit.
At OP Kiwi Sole, one of Italy’s leading fruit cooperatives, the future of agriculture is unfolding with technological advancements in the most unexpected place: the tiny wax seal on a premium pear variety. What was once a slow, meticulous manual task is now executed with split-second accuracy thanks to an intelligent AI-powered automation line designed by Italian Start-up Conkreta Robotics and powered by ABB cobots. Using computer vision to identify each pear and its unique stem, AI-driven algorithms calculate the exact dispensing trajectory and adapt it in real time, while inline quality checks ensure perfect coverage on every piece of fruit By merging the collaborative GoFa™ robot with advanced dispensing technology, OP Kiwi Sole’s production line has evolved into a smart, fully automated system that applies the iconic wax seal on each Angy’s pear with flawless consistency.
“With ABB’s GoFa™ cobots and Conkreta’s technology, we’ve been able to automate a task oncethought impossible ensuring precision, consistency, and efficiency, all while maintaining the eleganceof the final product,’’
Mattio Caraveta, Production Process Manager at OP Kiwi Sole
From Challenge to Innovation
Each pear is unique and fragile with a stalk that varies in length, shape, and orientation. Automating such a process requires advanced vision and high precision. With ABB’s GoFa™ cobots at the heart of the line, the waxing process now takes just one second per fruit (depending on the type of fruit, e.g. melons, pears, watermelons), delivering an exact dosage and uniform coverage that manual methods could never achieve. GoFa™ ’s precision and repeatability with pose repeatability of ±0.02 mm and a TCP speed of up to 2.2 m/s perfectly complement Conkreta Robotics’ advanced dispensing technology, ensuring controlled wax application, clean and residue-free dispensing, and an elegant, refined finish for each fruit.
“The biggest challenge was the variability of the stalk, thanks to ABB’s GoFa™ Cobot, and the integration of AI and vision systems, we achieved automation of a task that, until a few years ago, seemedimpossible to mechanize.”
Alberto Calzoni, CEO of Conkreta Robotics.
The choice of ABB’s GoFa™ cobot was driven by its performance in terms of speed, tracking accuracy, and a new RAPID® module developed and refined using ABB RobotStudio® that brings powerful queue management and object-handling intelligence to the line, allowing the cobot to identify and pick irregular objects without complex programming. With RobotStudio® acting as the engine behind thisinnovation, the team simulated and optimized the entire line before implementation, reducing commissioning time, minimizing risks, and ensuring seamless integration into Op Kiwi Sole’s production flow.
Looking Ahead
For OP Kiwi Sole, this innovation is just the beginning. With AI-powered automation proving its value on something as delicate as a wax seal, the company envisions expanding these smart solutions across its production processes, shaping the future of fruit preservation where technology safeguards the natural purity of every harvest.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). www.abb.com
ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation as one of the world’s leading robotics and machine automation suppliers, is the only company with a comprehensive and integrated portfolio covering robots, Autonomous Mobile Robots and machine automation solutions, designed and orchestrated by our value-creating software. We help companies of all sizes and sectors - from automotive to electronics and logistics – to outperform by becoming more resilient, flexible and efficient. ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation supports customers in the transition towards the connected and collaborative factory of the future, operating leaner and cleaner for a better future. The business area employs approximately 11,000 people at over 100 locations in approximately 53 countries. go.abb/robotics
OP KIWI SOLE is an agricultural cooperative that brings together about 260 farms and growers across Italy. Founded with the goal of representing kiwi producers in the provinces of Latina and Rome, it later expanded its membership base to regions in both Northern and Southern Italy. It operates through three main facilities located in:
- Sala Bolognese (BO): storage and packaging of pears, apples, and plums; 27 refrigerated cells and a waxing line.
- Santa Maria Codifiume di Argenta (FE): 41 refrigerated cells for kiwis, apricots, peaches, and plums.
- Borgo Carso (Latina): storage and preservation of kiwis.
The cooperative markets high-volume, high-quality products to specialized partners and large-scale retail chains both in Italy and abroad. opkiwisole.org
