A Special Announcement: Why We Built the TOMRA 4C

Hello everyone! It's Kristof Franckx, and I am the Product Manager for TOMRA's Chute portfolio. Today, I am excited to formally announce the TOMRA 4C,  our most advanced optical sorting machine yet, optimized for both the nuts and IQF industries.
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As Product Manager at TOMRA Food, I’ve spent years working closely with nut and IQF processors, listening to their challenges and understanding what really matters on the sorting line.

From the beginning, our goal for the TOMRA 4C was clear: save operators time and simplify their daily tasks. To that end, the TOMRA 4C arrives pre-set and ready to integrate into any nut sorting line, eliminating the need for complex setup or constant adjustments. Whether it’s switching between machines or cleaning, every detail has been engineered to streamline operations and reduce downtime.

What sets the TOMRA 4C apart is its ability to achieve a false reject rate of less than 1%, while still detecting a wide range of defects and environmental foreign materials. This level of precision means processors can maintain high product quality without sacrificing yield.

Of course, none of this would be possible without TOMRA’s legacy of engineering excellence. 

In the TOMRA 4C, we’ve combined the latest generation of Pulsed LED sensors and artificial intelligence to deliver a machine that is not only powerful but also incredibly easy to use. 

And here is something I’m especially excited about: the TOMRA 4C will be the first bulk sorter to run the entire spectrum of artificial intelligence in tandem.

Soon, LUCAi will be available for Almonds. LUCAi arrives pre-trained on common defects, so operators can rely on consistent performance across batches and shifts, regardless of who is running the line. This marks a major milestone in bringing deep learning to the nut industry, building on the success LUCAi has already seen with apples, blueberries, cherries, and citrus fruits.

The TOMRA 4C is not just a machine. It’s a smarter way to sort. And it’s built to help processors save time, reduce costs, and raise the bar for quality.

If you’d like to see the TOMRA 4C in action or learn more, we have demo halls available in Leuven, Belgium; Sacramento, CA, USA; Bangalore, India; and Xiamen, China. We are also excited to bring it with us to Pack Expo 2025 in Las Vegas September 29-October 1, 2025.