Farming Monthly National April 2016 | Page 26

| Root Crops Tong partners up Tong announces broader vegetable processing portfolio through partnership with Marcelissen. ong Engineering has announced a new range of vegetable processing equipment, to be added to the company’s existing portfolio of processing machinery. The addition of specialist processing equipment is the latest development to the company’s product range, following their partnership with Netherlandsbased food processing equipment manufacturer, Marcelissen. The new range of equipment will enable Tong to integrate additional processes within its vegetable handling lines, including crop peeling, cutting and slicing, as well as slither removal and optical grading of peeled product. “With the prepared produce market continuing to experience growth in-line with ongoing consumer trends towards convenience products, Tong has seen an increase in demand for turnkey vegetable peeling and T processing installations," explained Charles Tong, Chairman at Tong Engineering. "With this in mind, we made the decision to identify a reliable partner who could offer us a broader range of equipment specifically designed for the peeling and processing sector." "Marcelissen were a natural choice for us as we have worked with their peeling and processing equipment previously, and are now very pleased to be appointed UK distributor of their highly-respected machines," added Charles. "From a range of vegetable peelers, to cutting machines, slither removers and optical grading equipment designed specifically for peeled crop, the new additions to our existing processing range will bring our customers even more processing options when they choose Tong." "Built to the highest standards, our equipment ensures the highest yields for customers, with minimal waste and exceptionally low Haith Multi-wash e at Haith are constantly working on new designs which will not only improve pack out and quality, but also give reduced energy costs lower water usage and save labour,our latest concept the Haith Muli-wash ticks all the boxes and with our all in one process transfer of vegetables from one section to the next is very gentle. Haith Multi-Wash System offers De-stoning-barrel washing and brush polishing all in one unit, the latest and important upgrade is the split barrel which allows the washing section to rotate in the W cutting machine to suit all types of vegetables." Removing 'slither' from crop after processing helps to ensure crop is in optimum condition prior to packing and the company's slither removers are capable of effectively processing up to 20 tonnes of crop per hour. "We are well-known for our grading expertise, and Marcelissen's optical grader for peeled product, which sorts crop on size, quality and shape, will complete our grading capabilities in all crop situations, from dirty through to peeled," added Charles. "We very much look forward to offering our vegetable processing customers an even wider product range that adds value to their crop." For more information on Tong’s complete range of vegetable handling equipment visit www.tongengineering.com or call +44(0)1790 752771. In the ever demanding vegetable packing industry companies are always looking to increase margins by reducing the amount of waste while improving the quality of the product supplied to the end user. opposite direction to the polishing rollers there is a separate inverter speed control on each section giving more flexibility and control over the amount of washing and polishing required. included in the system is a waste removal tank with water recycling, the compact all in one plug and play design makes installation and set up very simple, there are a number of options and configurations available to suit your specific requirements. There is a feature on the control to allow simple and fast emptying of the system when changing verieties. This new vegetable washing 26 | Farming Monthly | April 2016 maintenance," said Bob Treuen, Sales Manager at Marcelissen. "What’s more, our peelers not only enhance the finished appearance of crop, but also help to double or even triple product shelf life." The vegetable peelers are suitable for use on a wide range of crop including potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips and more. The company's drum roller peeler gives customers a perfectly round peeled finish with minimal waste. Finished quality is controlled and fine-tuned within the machine’s controls, where peeling time, peeling intensity and rotation settings can be adjusted for the best possible results. Another popular peeling option is the knife peeler, which gives a high quality hand-peeled finish, making the peeled crop look more authentic. "As well as reliable peeling equipment, we are happy to offer vegetable cutting machinery that keeps apace with today's prepared produce requirements," said Charles. "Dicing, slicing and stickcutting is increasingly popular, and Marcelissen offers a number of vegetable cutters that suit a wide variety of throughput requirements. From high capacity hydro cutters, to 3D cutte