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SearchThe modernization of the Castelló de Rugat plant adds automation, a line for leafy mandarins and AI-assisted sorting; the company expects to strengthen its service to large retailers.
Jobarma, a Valencian company specializing in packing and marketing oranges and mandarins, has completed the renovation of its 14,000 m² plant in Castelló de Rugat after investing more than €2.4 million. The company reports that the upgrades have increased packing capacity by up to 30% and raised processing capacity to 50 tonnes per hour, almost twice the previous hourly volume.
The transformation combines new grading systems, production lines and automated packing. For retail customers, the practical benefit Jobarma is seeking is greater capacity and flexibility to organize supply programs, including private-label (PL) programs. The company says this infrastructure will make it easier to offer a consistent supply throughout the year; this is a stated commercial objective, not an independent guarantee that fruit will be available under all circumstances.
The new features include a dedicated line for processing leafy mandarins, as well as new packing formats. The plant also incorporates Globalscan G7 Viotec, a solution developed by MAF Roda, with Smart Citrus software based on artificial intelligence. According to information released by the company, the system combines optical and biotechnological analysis to assess each piece of fruit and support sorting by internal quality, color, morphology and taste.
Automation increases the volume that can be processed, while the sorting technology aims to make grading more precise. The sources do not quantify how much the system reduces errors, costs or losses, nor do they provide comparative quality results; therefore, these benefits cannot be measured from the published data.
The investment is also intended to strengthen Jobarma’s position as a B2B supplier to retail chains. The company says the new configuration will allow it to serve private-label programs and adapt formats and packaging to customers’ needs. It also expects to provide flexibility for its own brands, Caroline and Valentine.
In statements released about the renovation, CEO Pepe Malonda described the investment as strengthening the “Honest Agriculture” model and the company’s relationship with the region. Jobarma says the project was financed with 100% domestic capital and links it to rural economic development and local employment; the reports reviewed do not specify the number of jobs associated with the project.
Overall, the modernization expands industrial capacity and adds automation and sorting tools. Its commercial impact will depend on how Jobarma turns that capacity into supply programs and formats suited to each customer, in a sector where citrus availability is also affected by agricultural production.
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