Fruit packing glossary: the words used in Mexico
The Spanish words you will hear on a packing floor in Mexico, with what they mean in English. They change from one region to another: if your packing house says it differently, let us know.
- Acomodo
- Pack pattern. How the fruit sits in the box: how many pieces, in how many rows and layers. The pack your customer asks for sets it. Pack pattern by size
- Altura de caída
- Drop height. The distance fruit falls at a transfer, from where it is released to where it lands. It decides the speed of the hit. Drop height calculator
- Bin
- A large field container holding hundreds of kilos, moved by forklift. Common in apple and citrus.
- Caja de campo
- Field crate. The plastic crate in which fruit travels from the orchard to the packing house. Also called reja, jaba or cajón.
- Calibre
- Size. The size of the fruit. In avocado it is named by the pieces that fit in a 25-pound box.
- Cama
- Layer. One layer of crates on the pallet. Agro's crate tipper takes the whole layer. Fruit crate tipper
- Celda
- Cell. The set of robot, tooling, belts and guarding that does one task on the line. Automated fruit packing line
- Clamshell
- A one-piece plastic container with a lid, for small fruit such as berries or cherry tomatoes.
- Corte
- Harvest. The harvest. In a packing house it also names the moment of the season: "en pleno corte" means in the middle of harvest. Some crops call it pizca.
- Cuadrilla
- Crew. A group of people who work together at a station or on a shift.
- Empaque
- Packing house. The plant where fruit is received, cleaned, sorted and packed. Also called empacadora.
- Encajadora
- Case packer. A machine that puts fruit in the outgoing box, in a pack pattern or by weight. Robotic case packer for fruit
- Encajillar
- To case pack. To put product in its box or carton. It is a general-use word in Mexico, mostly in footwear, contract manufacturing and consumer goods. At Agro we call the fruit case packer encajillador.
- Flow pack
- A continuous plastic wrap, sealed at the sides, for fruit on a tray or in a group.
- Góndola
- Gondola. A large truck box in which fruit arrives in bulk, mostly tomato and vegetables.
- Jornal
- Labor day. One person's work for one day. It is used to compare costs: days × shifts × people. Payback calculator
- Lote
- Lot. Fruit of the same origin and date, identified together so it can be traced.
- Masa acumulada
- Cumulative mass. The total kilos one person moves in a workday. NOM-036 sets 10,000 kg in 8 hours when the load is carried less than 10 meters.
- Merma
- Shrink. Fruit that is lost or drops in value during the process, from bruising, ripeness or rejection.
- Paletizado
- Palletizing. Stacking boxes on a pallet, with a set pattern and height. Fruit box palletizing
- Reja
- Crate. Another name for the plastic field crate.
- Tarima
- Pallet. The wood or plastic base on which boxes are stacked. Other countries call it palet.
- Tolva
- Hopper. The container that receives fruit at dumping and meters it toward the line.
- Vaciado
- Crate dumping. The stage where fruit leaves the crate, the bin or the gondola and enters the line. Fruit crate dumping
- Volcador
- Dumper. A machine that tips a bin or a crate to empty it. It is the most common name among manufacturers in Mexico.
- Volteador de cajas
- Fruit crate tipper. The machine that empties field crates onto the line. Also volteadora or vaciador de cajas. Fruit crate tipper
Missing a word?
Tell us what they call it at your packing house. It helps us speak the way you do.