The UK's leading manufacturer of potato handling equipment will kick start the new year by putting the spotlight on three new innovations at Potato Expo 2024.
Visitors to Haith's booth (802) at the Austin Convention Center Jan. 10-11 will be the first people in the United States to hear about Haith's new potato dryer, the ProDry, the latest version of its Queen's Award-winning Rota-Tip and the QuantaFill box filler.
The Haith ProDry uses an innovative fan and belt system to speed up the drying time of potatoes. As well as being quicker than conventional sponge dryers, Haith's new system eliminates any potential bacteria build-up which can occur in other drying systems.
Haith's ProDry complements the company's range of sponge roller dryers. The innovative solution conveys washed wet potatoes through a drying tunnel where a combination of fans dry the whole surface area of each tuber.
Haith's 2024 version of its market-leading Rota-Tip box tippler has been enhanced by introducing an in-feed and out-feed box stacking and de-stacking functionality, which speeds up the box emptying process and dramatically reduces forklift movements.
Haith's Rota-Tip PRO gently empties potato boxes quickly and reliably, even in harsh conditions. As the tippler is rotated around a centre pivot, the weight of the box is never lifted, and the machine is not put under pressure, which eliminates fatigue or prevents damage to both the machine and the box.
The absence of hydraulics also removes the chance of oil contamination, and as Haith only uses high-efficiency motors, which only run during the tipping sequence, the Rota-Tip offers exceptional power consumption.
Hydraulics are also absent from Haith's third new product – the QuantaFill box filler.
The QuantaFill features an innovative in-feed conveyor that gently layers the crop into a buffer bunker, which is then lowered into the box. Active discharge doors then open to transfer the crop into the box, simultaneously raising as it fills. The process ensures that the weight of the box is never lifted and the machine is not put under pressure, which eliminates fatigue or prevents damage to both the machine and the box.
The additional box handling functionality allows the operator to place stacks of empty boxes into the machine, which are then automatically de-stacked and transported to the filling module. After being filled, the boxes are re-stacked for the operator to remove from the line.
"Potato Expo is the largest trade show for the American potato industry, and as such, it is one of the most important events of the year for us," says Rob Highfield, Haith's sales manager. "We always enjoy visiting Potato Expo as it gives us a great opportunity to meet up with existing customers and meet new ones. We're confident that our three new, innovative time and labor-saving machines will attract a great deal of interest and kick off 2024 in a fantastic way!"
For more information, visit www.haith.co.uk.