For a complete tracking of the potato supply chain, the Dubrulle group acquires Saalto, a French business that specializes in the automatic management of boxes. After completing the transaction, the Saalto team joined the Dubrulle group.

The professionalization and digitization of farms, the labor shortage, the adherence to codes of good agricultural practices, as well as the upgrading of the industry, are some of the issues that potato farmers are currently facing. In this situation, an autonomous management solution for the potato supply chain is ideal to deal with these changes.

Thanks to a proprietary, creative, and effective method, Saalto is a pioneer in controlling, monitoring, and automatically tracking potato boxes. The box detection is automatic and doesn’t need the operator to manually intervene because it is based on several algorithms. All box movements are managed, recorded, and analyzed by the Saalto solution. The manufacturer can obtain real-time information on the stock condition and localization as well as the many daily movements thanks to this easy and user-friendly technology. With a high degree of client satisfaction, Saalto has already demonstrated the viability of this solution.

The Dubrulle group has played a significant role in the potato and other vegetable sectors since 1973. A pivotal move for the firm was the acquisition of Downs in 2006, a producer of receiving and storing solutions for potatoes. The building of a factory in Sainte Marie Cappel, in the north of France, the establishment of a design office, the expansion internationally, and more generally, an upgradation at all levels came next. With the introduction in 2021 of the Downs CropVision®, the first optical sorter for unwashed potatoes, this upgrade is now primarily technological. It enables the mechanical separation of desirable potatoes from undesirable potatoes (green, chopped, or unfortunate), clods, and stones.

The buying of Saalto continues the Dubrulle group growth strategy while bringing in new skills and technologies. The combination of the technological and human know-how of Downs and Saalto will lead to new developments and new integrations to offer always more innovative and efficient solutions to our customers.