Start with dispatch requirements and peak arrivals
A packhouse brief should identify produce types, incoming container sizes, seasonal peaks and the packs customers will receive. Daily average tonnage alone can hide a short harvest-time receiving surge. Write down when produce arrives and when packed orders must leave.
The fruit and vegetable packhouse scope can then be divided into receiving, preparation, sorting, grading and packing. State which operations are needed for each crop instead of assuming all produce follows one identical route.
Map the movement of produce and people
Sketch receiving, rejected-material collection, processing, packaging storage and dispatch on the available floor plan. Mark doors, columns, drainage points and utility connections. Ask suppliers to show operator access and maintenance space, not only the dimensions of each machine.
Identify every transfer between crates, conveyors, tables and packing stations. Each transfer creates a handling task that must be staffed or mechanised. A compact equipment footprint can still need substantial working space for incoming crates, empty containers and completed orders.
Select washing around the crop
Confirm with your postharvest process specialist which washing or preparation steps suit each crop. Where washing is required, trial representative produce on the proposed fruit and vegetable washer or batch washer. Assess cleaning and handling damage together.
Record loading and discharge methods, water requirements and how removed soil is collected. Ask what happens between crops and how the equipment is accessed for cleaning. A result demonstrated on firm roots should not be assumed to apply to delicate produce.
Size sorting and packing as working stations
Specify the grades to be separated and how operators will judge them. A grading brief should state whether the requirement concerns size, appearance or another agreed attribute. Include the route for rejects and lower grades.
For illustration, dispatching 2,000 kg in 10 kg crates requires 200 completed crates. If the dispatch window allows four packing hours, the average requirement is 50 crates per hour before interruptions. This is a planning example, not a claimed line rating. Include crate supply, weighing and labelling in the staffing plan.
Separate packhouse equipment from storage systems
Confirm whether cooling, cold storage, building work and transport are included, buyer-supplied or outside the project. Do not infer a complete cold chain from a washing-and-grading proposal. Crop-specific storage and handling conditions need a separate agreed basis.
- Crop list and peak receiving schedule.
- Accepted grades and damage limits.
- Incoming and dispatch container dimensions.
- Required preparation route for each crop.
- Operator positions and transfer arrangements.
- Storage, cooling and site-work boundaries.
Prepare a phased implementation plan
If investment will happen in stages, ask which equipment can be added without obstructing the existing route. Reserve working access and clearly define what the first phase can deliver. Avoid purchasing preparation equipment before the dispatch and packing requirements are understood.
Share the floor plan and crop schedule with AREIUM, and use the scope comparison checklist to compare proposals. The FAO planning guidance supports evaluating processing investment against the specific project rather than applying one standard layout everywhere.
