P R O C E S S I N G
Forbes.
Robotics Plus was founded in
2013 by Steve Saunders and
Dr Alistair Scarfe to improve
the quality, productivity and
sustainability across multiple
agricultural sectors through
automation, via a suite of machine
vision, robotics and automation,
machine learning and AI, analytics,
software and control systems.
Mr Saunders, chairman and cofounder
of Robotics Plus, says:
“It’s a fantastic validation for our
talented team to be featured
in the Thrive Top 50 – they’ve
put in an enormous amount of
work over the past few years
to develop world-first platform
technologies that help solve
some really important food and
fibre challenges in agriculture.
We’d also like to recognise
our fantastic partners and
collaborators in the commercial,
research and Government sectors,
who have played a vital role in
our technology and company
development.”
SVG Ventures- Thrive is the
leading AgriFood innovation
ecosystem, comprised of top
agriculture, food and technology
corporations, universities, and
investors. To qualify for a Thrive
Top 50 listing a company must
have a product in market, have
received a minimum of series A
funding and be ready to scale.
Robotics Plus launched its award
winning robotic Āporo apple
packers commercially in 2018.
The technology, which identifies
and safely places up to 120
apples per minute in display trays,
is being marketed by Global Pac
Technologies, a Jenkins Group
(NZ/Australia) and Van Doren
Sales (US) joint venture. The
patented robotic apple packer is
the world’s first fully automated
packing solution that orients and
colour packs apples into trays for
export, and is already operating in
packhouses in New Zealand, USA,
and Europe.
In 2019, Robotics Plus launched
its industry-changing Robotic
Scaling Machines (RSM)
which automates the accurate
volumetric measurement of logs
on trucks and trailers, with Mount
Maunganui-based ISO Limited
commissioning the world’s first
automated logging truck scalers.
ISO now have seven robots
installed across the North Island
with further installations planned
across the country in the next 12
months. Approximately 25% of
New Zealand’s log exports are
currently measured through this
technology.
Robotics Plus has a range of other
technologies under development
to address major issues across
Dr Alistair Scarfe, cto and co-founder (L) and Steve
Saunders, chairman and co-founder (R) with Robotics
Plus’ UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle)
34 MARCH 2020