The new Wyma Vege-Polisher is a big hit.
The new Wyma Vege-Polisher™ was made available to growers in New Zealand and Australia early last month during a launch at their head office and manufacturing facility in Hornby, Christchurch. The demand for the new root vegetable polishing machine will keep the engineering and manufacturing firm busy well into the new year.
Subsequent to the launch, a handful of Australian customers are revisiting their carrot processing plant layouts in order to integrate one to two more polishers into their production lines, while a local Canterbury farmer is looking at a complete new potato washing, polishing, sizing and packing line.
Customers were pleased to see a good emphasis the design team had placed on labour efficiencies, hygiene and safety standards as well as data traceability (machine running hours, water usage etc) – as this is the way they are being driven by their buyers (supermarkets).
The side doors have been re-shaped to remove catch points and minimise risks for food waste accumulation. Consequently, the internal wash area can be easily hosed down and debris is guided to the recycle base underneath the machine. The side doors and drive guards have been completely re-designed to provide full access without the need for tools, reducing cleaning and maintenance time.
The new automated touch screen machine control (also able to be remote controlled via smart phone, tablet or desktop) ensures precision farming goes beyond just harvesting equipment into processing machinery. Automation features include drive torque measurements, favourite settings, data logging, service and cleaning reminders, automatic brush reversal and rinse cycles to prolong the life of the bristles, and connectivity to the Wyma After-Sales Team for online service and technical assistance.
Peter Knotts, Engineering Manager at Wyma explained, “It’s pleasing to be delivering new features that you know the customer has specifically asked for.” Wyma’s Research and Development Team worked extensively with their existing customers in Europe, The Americas and Australasia to establish a specific design brief for the new machine.
The new machine is now being shipped offshore, one to the US and one to Europe, in time for global trade shows in early 2015. American growers and packers will have their first opportunity to view the new Vege-Polisher at Potato Expo in Orlando, 7 to 9 January 2015, whereas the European market will see the new features for the first time at Fruit Logistica, Berlin, 4 to 6 February.
Wyma design, manufacture, distribute, install and service post-harvest vegetable equipment in over 35 countries. Their customer base mainly consists of root vegetable farmers, however they also supply processing equipment for a range of other produce including walnuts, cherries, brocolli and pumpkins. 97 percent of sales are exported with 50 percent into the European market. Wyma has two offices, one in New Zealand and one in the Czech Republic. Territory managers are domiciled in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Czech Republic, Germany and most recently China. Dealer/agent networks are also established throughout the world.
For more information visit: www.wymasolutions.com
