Potato Review

62 POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2021 INDUSTRY UPDATES RG Produce Ltd of Wereham, Norfolk is a family-run business, and for around 40 years has been a grower and contractor around the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire border. Wayne Garrett has taken delivery of 2x New ScanStone EcoStar destoners this season. “Our current brand of machines were starting to cost us an awful lot of money each year to maintain. We looked around most of the major brands and liked the look of the ScanStone machines, mainly due to the simplicity and they also looked strongly made. Due to the varying amounts of stone and flint, and the different soil types we work with, a star style machine was the way to go for us. The EcoStar has a bank of six stars before going onto a long rear web.” He said the machines’ performance and running costs exceeded his expectations. “The beds are a nice shape and the machine is doing a great job of separating. We will be putting approx. 600 acres in total through the two machines this year and so far, we are well on track to do that. The uptime of both have been fantastic.” www.scanstone.co.uk +44 (0) 1842 861 911 / +44(0) 7377 877 189 CROP Systems Limited, which moved into its new factory at Happisburgh, Norfolk just two years ago, is expanding its team and factory operations, having seen major business growth. The designer and installer of box and bulk potato stores has just appointed a new sales manager and is seeing a surge of interest in products like the SmartStor controller and CoolStor glycol fridges. SmartStor enables storeowners to monitor and manage their stores remotely, and now includes a function that helps users plan sprouting suppression application sequences for DMN, mint oil and ethylene, while the CoolStor glycol fridges require much less coolant than conventional models according to Managing Director Ray Andrews. The company has just appointed Tony Barnes as sales manager, who has more than 35 years’ experience in the potato sector. HUNTAPAC, which specialises in growing, packing and distributing potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables, reported an 12% increase in volume in December with 10 million packs leaving its Lancashire factory for customers across the UK in the run-up to Christmas Day. The fourth generation family-owned business met increased demand for its wonky carrots thanks after investing in new machinery during 2020, which included adding four new packaging machines to its end of line operation. GIC installed two of its GIC4100 vertical form fill and seal packaging machines in November 2020 as Huntapac added the 12th line to its Preston factory. The pair of GIC4100s are fed by a Newtec weigher which delivers packs to two lanes bagging 40 packs per minute. Will Hunter said: “Christmas 2020 was our best ever festive period, and thankfully, due to our investment over the last few years, we were able to meet the increased demand comfortably.” CHANDLERS FarmEquipment Ltd. (Chandlers), a third-generation family business selling agricultural equipment, operating primarily across the Midlands and Lincolnshire, has acquired the AGCO division of Lister Wilder, doubling the size of its operations, and expanding its territory significantly across the UK to become AGCO’s largest UK dealership. Chandlers, an AGCO dealer, was established in Grantham in 1935. The principal business activities are the supply and aftersales service of new and used agricultural tractors and farm equipment. Chandlers is a main dealer for AGCO, (Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Valtra), Manitou telehandlers, SsangYong vehicles amongst others. AGCO represents more than 4,200 independent dealers and distributors of agricultural machinery and equipment. Similarly, Lister Wilder, a family run business also in its third generation was established in Reading in 1947. The company has evolved to become a well-known and well-regarded name within the industry, having expanded both organically and through acquisition over the years. A great job of separating’ More call for storage solutions leads to expansion Chandlers acquires Lister Wilder Gic helps huntapac enjoy its best ever Christmas