For almost 75 years, edp Australia has been meeting the exacting standards of its customers. Its fresh fruit and vegetable preparation and packaging machinery is proudly designed and manufactured here in Australia. In an age when time is money, edp’s locality is one of its biggest advantages.

Innovation has been at the core of edp Australia since its founder, Eric Douglas Parsons, designed and hand-made a three-legged orange fruit picking ladder from a mobile workshop in the early 1950s. That ladder became an industry icon, sighted on orchards across the east coast of Australia for generations to come.

Parsons went on to establish a permanent workshop in Mooroopna, beginning the edp brand. The business – now owned by Ian and Helen Parsons – is still located on the same site in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley region.

Remaining local has been to a key to the business’ success.

“We can build full turnkey projects within 12-16 weeks and have them installed and operational five or six days later,” edp General Manager Ray Thrum says.

“When you compare that to a machine built overseas, you’ve got a three-month build followed by another three-month wait to have it packed and shipped. Then you wait for a service technician to travel over and install it, so you’re looking at a 12-month turnaround after you place the order.”

Business operations

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in July 2022, edp’s wealth of knowledge and experience is evident in the workmanship that goes into its range of machinery including grading and sorting lines, bin tippers, carton fillers, pre-pack bagging equipment and power ladders.

“We have the know-how to deliver turnkey projects for a wide range of fresh produce, including potatoes, broccoli, Swedes, sweetpotatoes, onions and carrots, to name just a few,” Mr Thrum says.

“Our drafting team uses Solid Edge 3D drawing, and we have a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that allows us to build custom designs according to our customers’ needs.

“Once we finish a build, the customer can visit our workshop to trial and fine tune their machine. It means that once the installation is complete at their facility, all they need to do is turn the key and away they go.”

The ability to adjust on the run has served edp well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to consult face-to-face, the company has used Microsoft Teams to communicate with its customers and ensure it remains connected to projects.

A trailblazer in packaging  

A compostable bag.

edp also sells a wide range of packaging materials under its consumable’s portfolio. It is the Australian agent for Giro, the Spanish-based world leader in net packaging and machinery. It also represents fellow packaging solutions provider Daumar.

The company’s Retail Packaging Division Manager Robert Marsters says it is well-positioned to meet emerging packaging trends in the Australian market.

“There’s a big push to reduce the amount of plastic in packaging, with leading supermarket chains taking this direction in order to be seen as good corporate citizens,” Mr Marsters says.

“Consequently, we’re seeing more demand for knitted net packaging, as companies look to move away from extruded net. For comparison, Giro’s market-leading kitted net has six grams of plastic per metre, while extruded net has between 22-25 grams per metre.”

Mr Marsters says Giro is also leading the development of clipless packaging solutions, with a number of options currently being trialled.

Best-in-class palletising solutions

The company has also brought IPLA’s range of specialist automatic box and RPC/tray palletising machines to the Australian market.

A plate palletiser.

Having already installed a number of these palletising lines, edp Business Development Manager Michael Schirmer says these automated solutions are overcoming labour shortage problems, while also improving the presentation of the finished stacked pallets.

“Having the ability of a specialist palletising company gives us a lot of confidence as a distributor to work with our customer and get the right result,” Mr Schirmer says.

“Throughout the sales process, we engage live via Microsoft Teams meetings with IPLA in Spain and our customer. Together, we sell the solution live to the customer – whether it’s exchanging drawings, showing videos or offering solutions, we’re both involved in the whole process.

“That’s the difference in dealing with a specialist palletising company versus a non-specialist – you get that ability to customise your solution and have complete confidence that it will meet your needs.”

Find out more

Please visit edp.com.au or phone 03 5820 5337.