This significantly reduces packaging waste, which supports sustainability and maintains the continuous production flow, notes Pengelly Technical Manager Ben Cavill.
Working with existing investments
Rather than taking a‘ scorched earth’ approach to existing infrastructure, Endoline instead treated the farm’ s existing equipment as a modular tech stack. This included maintaining brand interoperability between several equipment suppliers.
The Endoline 221 Case Erector and 613 Case Sealer were integrated into the existing packing area that already featured heavy-duty Haith multi-size graders and Tomra 3A optical sorters. The Case Erector was specifically selected for its compact footprint, allowing it to be slotted into the existing packing shed without requiring a costly facility expansion. By feeding the bottomsealed cases directly into the Newtec chute loader using an existing conveyor, Pengelly’ s achieved a seamless flow from potato grading to case filling.
“ Endoline Automation was extremely accommodating. Labour shortages meant we needed to automate this aspect of our potato packing line. But replacing our high end sorting and grading equipment was non-negotiable. Endoline worked around this. As a result, we are already exploring automating labelling and palletising with them,” comments Ben.
Consistent case seals
Transitioning from manual assembly to the Endoline 613 Fully Automatic Case Sealer ensures that every potato case arrives with the customer in the same condition it left the Helston packing shed. Automation provides mechanical consistency.
“ Handling 10kg boxes can be an arduous task. Manual sealing is often the first place where quality control on fresh produce packing lines slips, particularly at the end of a long shift,” highlights James.
Precision sensing governs the entire Pengelly packing process. Once the potatoes are washed and graded, they are dropped into a loading chamber. A signal triggers when the weight is exact, and each potato case is then vibrated. This vibration is critical as it settles the product below the scoreline, ensuring the top flaps can be closed and sealed by the Endoline 613 machine without obstruction.
The future proof farm
The strategic investment in automation, combined with a 2022 expansion of an 1,800-tonne cold store, has brought Pengelly Farms’ total chilled storage capacity to 10,000 tonnes. This allows the farm to manage its 16,500-tonne annual yield with unprecedented control, keeping potatoes in peak condition to ensure year-round availability.
By simplifying once-laborious tasks by automating case erection and sealing, the farm continues to shield itself from labour shortages while increasing its production
capacity.“ Through automation, Pengelly is ensuring we preserve our Cornish farming heritage for years to come,” concludes Ben.
For further information on any of Endoline’ s extensive range of machines, please contact Endoline on Tel: + 44( 0) 1767 316422, email: sales @ endoline-automation. com or visit the website at www. endoline-automation. com
The Endoline 221 Case Erector uses dual opposing vacuum technology to reliably form heavy-duty twin-walled cases, helping Pengelly Farms automate the handling of 10kg potato boxes.
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