August 22, 2023 – Key Technology, a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, introduces the all-new COMPASS® family of food optical sorters. Powered by next-generation inspection technology as well as a new sort engine and ergonomic user interface, COMPASS is the easiest to use optical sorter on the market, achieving consistently accurate foreign material (FM) and product defect removal and simplifying system operation, sanitation and maintenance. COMPASS helps processors automate and improve quality management of their food products, while maximizing yield and increasing profitability.
“Optical sorting technology has developed significantly over the last decade. Until now, more advanced sorting capabilities meant a system that was also more complex to operate and costly to maintain. COMPASS is the first sorter that breaks that paradigm – it offers consistently high sort accuracy, a compelling ROI and significantly simpler and more intuitive operation than any other food sorting system,” said Jack Lee, Duravant Group President - Food Sorting and Handling Solutions. “Available alongside our industry-leading VERYX® and ADR food inspection systems, COMPASS expands our product portfolio and ability to help each customer find the solution that is truly best for their needs.”
COMPASS is ideal for sorting processed, frozen and pre-processed vegetables and fruits, nuts, leafy greens, potato chips, confections and other food products. Thanks to its advanced sensors and lighting technology, as well as Key’s powerful new NEXT sort engine, COMPASS accurately identifies and separates plastic, glass, paper and other organic and inorganic FM from the line, in addition to sorting the specific product defects each processor wants to manage to deliver its customers the product quality grade they expect.
Key designed COMPASS for extreme ease of use. Its highly-intuitive user interface mimics the navigation of smart device apps and enables an operator without any technical background to quickly become proficient in using the sorter. Operators can quickly create and edit COMPASS sort recipes to ensure consistent performance on every product run.
COMPASS features Key Discovery™, a powerful data analytics and reporting software that turns the sorter into an IIoT-connected device, delivering a wealth of product quality and sort process information that gives food processors valuable insights into the operation of their line.
COMPASS is offered in a configurable range of system types and sizes to meet individual customer application and capacity requirements. Key is first introducing chute-fed COMPASS models, to be followed by belt-fed variants of the sorter. COMPASS can be installed in line at the start of the process to sort incoming product, after critical transformational processes on the line or at the end of the food processing line to ensure final product quality and safety prior to packaging.
Key supports its customers worldwide through an extensive sales network and its global SupportPro service team.
For more information, visit www.key.net.
About Key Technology, Inc.
Key Technology is a global leader in the design and manufacture of automation systems including digital sorters, conveyors and other processing equipment. Applying processing knowledge and application expertise, Key helps customers in the food processing and other industries improve quality, increase yield and reduce cost. Key manufactures its products in Walla Walla, Washington, USA; Redmond, Oregon, USA; and in Beusichem, the Netherlands. Key offers customer demonstration and testing services at five locations including Walla Walla and Beusichem as well as Hasselt, Belgium and Sacramento, California, USA, and Key maintains a sales and service office in Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico. Key is a Duravant Company. For more information, visit www.key.net.
About Duravant
Headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, Duravant is a global engineered equipment company with manufacturing, sales and service facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Through their portfolio of operating companies, Duravant delivers trusted end-to-end process solutions for customers and partners through engineering and integration expertise, project management and operational excellence. With worldwide sales distribution and service networks, they provide immediate and lifetime aftermarket support to all the markets they serve in the food processing, packaging and material handling sectors. Duravant’s market-leading brands are synonymous with innovation, durability and reliability. For more information, visit www.duravant.com.
Buffy Hagerman
Key Technology
150 Avery Street
Walla Walla, WA 99362 USA
Tel: +1 509 540 7415
[email protected]
www.key.net
Lene Boes
Key Technology
Bedrijfsstraat 6b
B-3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 11 26 70 38
[email protected]
www.key.net
Cat McBride
McBride Public Relations
527 27th Street
Richmond, CA 94804 USA
Tel: +1 650 384 5727
[email protected]
www.mcbridepr.com