Specialists in the design & manufacture of vegetable processing machinery

“Some people think Haith are only interested in working with the really big boys, but they’d be wrong,” says Jonathan. “We found them to be really passionate and committed to delivering the best solution possible and they took the time to visit us, learn about our business, our needs and come up with a solution which is perfect for us. Before this line, we were relying on a wash line that must have been 25 years old. It was obviously showing signs of wear and was never going to be as efficient as the modern line that Haith have designed and installed. The quality of our finished produce is so much better now. The new wash line from Haith has increased our flexibility, and it definitely helped us secure our contract with Morrisons. Supplying fish and chip shops is still our largest area, and we’re benefitting from increased throughput and better quality, which is fantastic!”

“I was speaking to a gentleman named Jim Miller, explaining that we needed to develop a proper line for our small potatoes. He asked me to take a trip out to England with him so that he could introduce me to the Haith. He’d been working with them for ages and only had good things to say about them. So that’s what I did. When I was over there, Chris Haith and Duane Hill took me to several factories and showed me their machinery in full swing. I was impressed! I was blown away by just how much they knew! They completely understood our needs and our business. They listened to what we wanted, and they assured us that they could deliver upon our request.”

“We knew that Haith’s approach would help us achieve our objectives,” says Jason, who oversaw the project with Haith. “We have worked with them for many years, in which time they’ve shown their reputation for building innovative, effective and quality machines is well-founded. We knew they would deliver for us and I’d go as far as saying that Haith is probably the only company that could have done what they did.”

“The entire Haith team did a fantastic and professional job,” says Julian. “The project was undertaken in one of the most challenging harvesting seasons we have ever experienced. The amount of mud we were bringing back to the packhouse was unprecedented, and without the new Haith equipment, we wouldn’t have been able to keep up the supply to our customers. Not only did the new line enable us to keep up with demand, but it also allowed us to give our customers a cleaner washed product than before.”

“Back in early autumn last year, the management team decided that we needed to automate the process in order to speed things up and reduce the labour we needed in that particular area,” says Ricky Gallon, Engineering Manager at The Jersey Royal Company Ltd. “Having never bought a destoning machine before, we undertook quite a bit of research and shortlisted Haith along with two other companies. We visited them all, but it was Haith’s machine that stood out. We were really impressed with the quality of Haith’s machine. In fact, they took us to see one of their machines in action, and it removed every single stone from a 10-ton batch, and not one potato came out with them!”

“We went out to the market and shopped around. In the end, though, we decided to stay with Haith and asked them to develop a new line for us,” says David. “Haith wasn’t the cheapest, but they offered the best value for money, and the advice they gave us was spot on. I guess it’s like buying a car; some people are happy with a Ford; we wanted a Mercedes though! Haith wasn’t the cheapest, but because of the build quality, the years of good service we’ve had in past and Haith’s close proximity to us in terms of location meant they were the best choice for us.”

“This is a new water recycling installation to replace another type,” he said. “Our objectives were, of course, to save water, to put cleaner water into the system and eliminate soil damage to bearings and machinery from soil recirculation. We are now removing 99% of soil and debris. The complete installation process took just four weeks from start to finish.” Alan continued, “I am pleased to say we’ve greatly reduced our downtime hours, production has increased by 10-15% as there’s no longer any need to keep stopping to clean out. We’re noticing that as the new system settles its effectiveness is increasing, and our water quality continues to improve.”

“The smooth installation and reliability of the graders meant that when it came to changing our washer, Haith was the obvious choice. They have always listened to what we want and their after sales support has always been excellent” said Graham White. “We wanted a washing system which could keep up with the grading line and had seen how good other Haith washing machines were at getting the product clean. We have been delighted with the new washing system, especially the wash quality of the beetroot and the gentle handling through the line,” said Graham White. “One of the key features to us is the ease of control we get with the entire line being touch screen operated.”

“This new polisher has made a big difference to the maintenance of the line. We don’t have to worry about belt tension or pulley alignment and the machine has not required any attention in the past six months.” It was this success with the first machine that led Stuart to make the decision to replace his other polisher with a 3.5 metre direct drive model. “We are always keen to reduce costs even if it requires some initial investment” said Stuart. “and by purchasing the latest technology we can be sure that we are producing a top product.”

“Our old line was starting to show its age and was nowhere near as effective as this new Haith line,” says Joe. “Demand for homegrown produce has rocketed in the last couple of years, and we needed to invest in a new line to keep up. Haith has an excellent reputation, and we’ve never had a problem with the box fillers that we bought from them last year, so it was an easy decision to put our trust in the Haith team. We’re really pleased with the new line, and it’s made a real difference in just a few weeks of running it.”

“Improving the efficiency of a factory while at the same time lowering operating costs and reducing the impact on the environment is something a lot of businesses are trying to achieve. At Puffin Produce, though, thanks to our close working relationship with Haith and their talented team, we have been able to achieve that. It is fantastic that we can operate more efficiently, have the capacity to handle even more produce in the future and can lower both our utility costs and impact on the environment.”