Standen Engineering, part of the Richard Pearson group of companies, has launched a new fully automatic seedling transplanter, which is now being launched onto the market.
The potential cost and time efficiencies available to growers will be significant, compared to what they have been used to when using semi-automatic and manual methods, said Phillip Bosworth, export sales manager.
The Pearson Robotic Autoplanter is the product of 10 years of research and a £750,000 investment by the company. That level of financial input leaves a company with straightforward objectives, said Bosworth.
“The machine has to eclipse all others that have gone before it,” he said. “It has to look right, work right and deliver a rapid and noticeable return on investment. This is a market that needs fast payback and we have been fully aware of that throughout the development process.”
The machine, with one operator, can do the work of around 14 manual transplanters, he said, and with two operators it can cover 27 acres a day. The precision technology, smart software and state-of-the-art Mitsubishi industrial equipment have been used to optimise speed and accuracy of performance, which in turn will speed up the payback terms.
The cost savings have been calculated at £108,000 a year if used for 2,500 acres - which would equate to an 18-month payback period on a considerable initial investment.
The 1.5 tonne machine has gone into use in the last four weeks and is capable at its most efficient of planting four plants a second, although it can work at quicker speeds. “We have gone for the latest equipment which tends to be the most expensive,” said Bosworth. “It is the fastest and best machine available on the market - and of course, it’s British.”
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