Growers United boosts blow-off quality and saves 34000 kWh a year with Windjet Air-knife blower Packages
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Kov. 26
PROBLEM
Growers United is a cooperative of dedicated vegetable growers, committed to helping consumers with healthy, reliable, and flavorful greenhouse vegetables - straight from the source - every single day.
Sustainability and transparency are central to Growers United’s operations. The organization is always looking for innovative ways to improve its processes and reduce environmental impact.
In this case, Growers United was seeking a more efficient method for removing light debris - such as twigs and leaves - from the tomato packaging lines. The goal was to ensure cleaner packaging and better product protection. Reducing energy consumption was a secondary, yet important, consideration in their search for improvement.
Each of the 15 packing lines was equipped with two compressed air nozzles. However, the airflow did not fully cover the width of the boxes, resulting in inconsistent debris removal and leftover material that could potentially end up in the tomato packaging. Additionally, the use of compressed air contributed to elevated energy costs.
SOLUTION
To improve the efficiency of debris removal during tomato packaging, Growers United partnered with Spraying Systems Co., who recommended WindJet® blower packages. Each system is equipped with a 200 mm stainless-steel air knife designed to deliver uniform, full-width airflow across the packaging line. This ensures consistent and reliable blow-off performance, effectively removing twigs and leaves.
In addition to improving the blow-off efficiency, the solution also contributes to lower energy consumption. By replacing compressed air nozzles with an energy-efficient blower system, Growers United was able to maintain high performance while reducing operating costs significantly.
To validate both the effectiveness and return on investment, Growers United first implemented the solution on a single packing line. After confirming positive results, the remaining 14 lines are now being equipped with identical WindJet® packages to ensure consistent performance across all lines.
RESULTS
Following the installation of the WindJet® blower systems, Growers United achieved reliable, full-width debris removal across all packaging lines. This consistent blow-off quality significantly improved product presentation and ensured a cleaner, more uniform packaging process - without compromising throughput.
In addition to the improved blow-off performance, the switch from compressed air to energy-efficient blowers resulted in a substantial reduction in electricity use. Annual energy consumption dropped from approximately 37.000 kWh to just 3.000 kWh - a savings of around 34.000 kWh per year.
This reduction in energy use translates to an estimated 8,5 metric tons less CO₂ emissions annually, directly supporting Growers United’s sustainability goals. Importantly, these environmental and cost benefits were achieved while maintaining high performance and consistent results across all lines.
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