Tecnofruit Harvesters are taking over the UK!

8 Tecnofruit Harvesters built and ready to be delivered to UK Fruit Growers! 🎉

With labour shortages being a constant battle with UK growers, Kirkland UK have researched & sourced incredible machinery solutions for this ongoing issue. Tecnofruit Harvesters are the ideal machine for commercial orchard use. Available in 2 models with various options including self-levelling and a semi-automatic bin trailer.

Why choose a Tecnofruit? Unique from other harvesters on the market, the Tecnofruits comes with incredible features:

+ No Binning Out! Load & unload your harvester from the rear using either a rough terrain forklift or our unique Z4 bin carrier. This means the harvester is the first machine to pass down the row therefore not driving in ruts especially in a wet season.

+ 24/7 Aftersales Support- Harvest is a hectic time for every grower, that’s why Kirkland are proud to support UK Fruit Growers with their 24/7 aftersales support during harvest alongside their huge supply of parts available for any breakdown.

+ Cost Effective- The harvesting labour cost can be reduced by up to a half, with estimated savings of about EUR 15,000 for 10 ha (data recorded in CCA) thanks to a smaller number of operators with a higher yield per person compared to traditional harvesting systems and waste reduction.

+ Future Proof – Tecnofruit manufacturer Darwin Harvest Group alongside Tevel Aerobotics Technologies have joined forces to create the world's first fully automated harvester. Providing real time information on quantity, quality, size, weight, and colour of the fruit picked. Also available as a “Bolt on” solution – where you can upgrade your current Tecnofruit fruit picking harvesting system.

Hadlow College are one of Kirkland’s customers and are excited to be part of the future of harvesting:
“Hadlow College is delighted to be working with Kirkland UK on our new orchard and vineyard project. We chose the Tecnofruit Harvester as it perfectly matches our needs and allows our students to be hands on with some of the latest automation available to the industry. It was available in different sizes which meant we could pick the one suitable for us, and will also have a camera system retrofitted later this year. This camera system will allow us to scan all the picked fruit and our staff and students will then link these data with information gathered throughout the growing season from environmental sensors and drone footage giving us a complete picture of fruit production.
We’re excited to be part of the future of fruit growing. Kirkland have been very supportive, explaining and demonstrating all the options available and helping us to select the most appropriate equipment. We’re delighted to have such partners in the industry.” Zoe Smith, STEM Lead, Engagement and Finance

Prime Produce are another one of Kirkland’s customers that are extremely impressed with the Tecnofruit Harvesters:
“Prime Produce already operate 12 Tecnofruit machines across two farms. The machines help us work faster, smarter and in a less expensive way than traditional hand picking, laying out bin system. Positives include:

• No laying out of bins in the orchard, all bins arrive on one trailer to the field and leave on the same trailer having been filled and back to the farm, trailer on a constant loop picking up and delivering bins.
• Bin team have shorter days, no laying out of bins to the orchard days before picking and as the last machine finishes for the day the last bin is loaded on to the trailer.
• Each picker is pulled along to the speed of the machine, no one person can slack without being noticed within the team.
• Teamwork is built just by using the machines, one team leader per machine helps keep the machine working at maximum efficiency all 8/9 hours of the shift.
• Less overtime due to the better use of all the pickers time, all pickers working at the same speed and general team efficiency.
• Quality control is essential in this business and with one QC working across 6 machines, being able to see the picking, apples travelling to the bin, bin filling and being able to look over the bins as they dropped off the back of the machines. As the QC is moving between machines being able to assess what fruit is left on the trees plus any fruit that is on the floor can be assessed.
• Being able to have all 12 machines working at full capacity, having the option to use the machines for two 8 hour shifts per day (not having to pay overtime) if we need to bring harvest end date forward is a massive plus for our business. “ John Clark, Head of Farming Operations, Prime Produce