SELECT Harvests has started constructing a second static dryer.
It will increase the company’s capacity to dry weather affected crop from 10 tonnes per hour to 90 tonnes per hour field weight.
General Manager - Almond Operations Dan Wilson said civil works started in early January and commissioning of the RMC pre-cleaner and Hoctors designed drying facility should be completed before the end of the 2025 processing season.
“Static drying is typically required only when the product has been impacted by a weather event during the harvest, however it has been necessary to apply it in most years, in some minimal application, particularly for the later almond varieties,” he said.
Select Harvests General Manager - Almond Operations Dan Wilson inspecting progress of the pre-cleaner and crop dryer building
Mr Wilson said Select Harvests recognises the necessity of upgrading and maintaining its Carina West processing site. Beyond the incremental increase of 10,000 metric tons in annual production volumes achieved through various optimisation projects within the existing hulling and shelling facility, further continuous improvement projects are underway to unlock additional production capacity.
A crucial factor in this process is the ability to effectively dry the crop when required, which is essential for positioning the company to deliver value to its shareholders.
“The field dryer cannot reverse quality issues; however, it is crucial to clean and dry the fruit before it deteriorates further during storage,” he said.
“Select Harvests pioneered the installation of a field drier in the industry in 2015 utilising equipment originally designed for the grain industry, and utilising redundant precleaning equipment relocated from an existing factory."