5 tips for a better harvest
For many producers Harvest is the busiest time of the year. It is no surprise then, with so many other pressures converging on this narrow window, that the role played by material handling equipment is often something that gets overlooked or left until the last minute. However, it is worth remembering that the machines that help lift, grade, transport and store the produce present a meaningful opportunity to increase the efficiency of the harvest process and can reduce overall cost.
Impact Handling, the leading material handling specialist, who has long served the UK agricultural sector, shares its top 5 tips to help farmers optimise the performance of their handling fleet during this important time.
1) Get your priorities right
Space is often at a premium during the high volume production of harvest season, so how that space is used should be considered very carefully. Used well, it could be an opportunity to increase capacity, speed up throughput and reduce cost. Challenge your handling supplier to come up with better ways to use your space, including improving how you store and move boxes or pallets. The latest generation of equipment can, for example, stack higher and operate in tighter spaces.
Emissions, both in terms of their wider global impact and the more immediate working environment, are becoming increasingly important for producers and farmers. Today there are many innovative and capable solutions that allow companies to hit their green targets without compromising on their site productivity. Again, make sure your priorities are extended to your material handling partner. If they are not able to support you, there are others who can.
Always think about what you want your handling equipment to do, rather than what you can do with your handling equipment. Challenge your equipment supplier to find better solutions that fit around you.
2) Select the right equipment
A good supplier will be able to offer you a very broad range of equipment from a number of specialist brands. As produce handling presents its own unique challenges, look for a dedicated or custom solution specific to your needs and ambitions, rather than a generic solution. You will be surprised how much advantage this can bring.
The latest generation of 3.5 tonne diesel machines from CAT® Lift Trucks, for example, are available with 6m triple masts able to carry two standard potato boxes at a time and stack seven high at a height of 6m, all within a remarkable aisle width of just 3800mm.
Attachment technology has come a long way too with versatile rotators suitable for box tipping and grading available for many machines. Think about future plans as well, such as moving to larger boxes, and make sure your equipment can grow with you.
When looking at your material handling you need to think about your end-to-end flow, from the initial lifting of the harvested crop through to the loading and unloading of transportation. A good handling supplier will be able to identify areas for improved efficiency and cost reduction throughout the chain, or perhaps suggest a more efficient approach. At Impact, for example, we have worked with 100s of producers so have very broad real world experience of best practices and have created many ingenious solutions to handling challenges. Make sure you take advantage of your supplier’s expertise.
Sourcing all your handling equipment from one supplier can be a further opportunity to reduce cost and streamline your operation, not to mention outsource the maintenance of the fleet. A good supplier should carry a full range of ride on and walk behind equipment, to cover all your needs.
3) Choose the right power source
This is the area where agricultural material handling is currently seeing the biggest change. Traditionally, diesel and gas have been the go-to power source for farming and largely still are. However, electric powered machines have finally come of age, often exceeding the performance of their IC counterparts, particularly in restricted space environments.
The latest CAT Electric 3.5 tonne machines, for example, offer useful additional handling capability, with a lifting capacity of 2.7 tonnes at 6.5m, when specified with wide stance tyres, enabling stacking of larger box sizes up to seven high, while lifting 2 boxes at a time. A useful advantage over the equivalent diesel model – itself a market leader in terms of its performance and lifting capacities.
Previously this lifting capability was only available by increasing the machines’ chassis to a 4 tonne size, which is inherently larger, more costly and less manoeuvrable.
Technological advances have also brought new intelligent electric charging solutions that can help manage shift patterns, charging schedules and maintenance – removing yet further barriers. The machines also bring welcome fuel cost savings and carbon reduction benefits too.
This is particularly beneficial to indoor food production locations where the ‘no direct emmissions’ nature of electric machines safeguards air quality for both the produce and the operational team. Where sites have their own solar or wind energy generation, there are even further savings to be found.
Power supply to the site can in some cases be a challenge. At Impact we can advise customers through the process and structure contracts to help mitigate initial set up costs, be sure to explore your options.
While most of the limitations of electric machines have now been addressed, make sure your handling supplier responds to your individual needs and preferences, Diesel and LPG are still the right solution for many sites.
4) Start planning at the right time
Although the harvest season may be a few months away, it is never too soon to start planning. Remember, your handling fleet can help you maximise your productivity, save time and reduce cost. It is worth allowing extra time to get it right. Your handling supplier will also need time to explore – and even create – unique solutions to optimise your operation.
Bringing in short term hire equipment is a popular option during harvest, act early and you will be able to negotiate the best deals and access the widest choice of equipment.
5) Find the right partner
Although your handling equipment won’t be your first priority during your harvest season planning, it does have the potential to be one of the biggest headache should it not go to plan – If you are unable to move produce the whole production chain can grind to a halt.
This is why identifying and appointing the right handling partner, who has the infrastructure to respond rapidly, is critical to the effectiveness of your operation during this time. The sooner this is in place the better.
At Impact, we take a consultative approach with our customers. Listening carefully to their priorities, we offer impartial advice and conduct thorough site surveys to ensure that we recommend the most efficient possible handling solutions. Ones that are exactly right for the customers specific operation. We always aim to use as few machines as possible, designing and engineering bespoke solutions where necessary, to extract every last possible efficiency from the facility.
We hold a huge stock of machines specified to the unique needs of food producers ready for the harvest season, including customised lift trucks, attachments, pallet trucks and even cleaning equipment, almost all of which is available on a purchase, rental or short term hire basis, giving our customers the flexibility to scale their needs, when they need it.
Not only do we help our customers achieve their commercial and sustainability goals but, through our training division, we can also ensure they meet their accreditation objectives too.
Whoever you end up choosing to work with, make sure they are willing to go that extra mile, you will reap the rewards come harvest time!
