The UK’s leading manufacturer of vegetable handling equipment has this month marked a significant export achievement, supplying its first ever machine to India.
Haith Group, which received the order via its European representative SWP Machinery, shipped the custom-designed Cassava Root washing system to Shri Varalakshmi Foods in the city of Namakkal, where it will be installed in a brand-new factory, currently under construction.
Cassava is extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its starchy root tuber, from which Shri Varalakshmi Foods create Sabudana, a staple food in India consumed during festivals and fasts, and Tapioca, which is boiled and often eaten with fish or beef curry.
Shiri Varalakshmi Foods currently processes more than 550 metric tonnes of Tapioca tubers each day to produce 130 tonnes of Sabudana, though this will increase dramatically once its new factory is operating.
“We were approached by Shiri Varalakshmi Foods’ Joint managing director, Shri S Vimalkumar, who, after extensive research, identified Haith as the perfect company to develop the custom machinery he was looking for,” says Krijn van Groningen, owner of SWP Machinery. “As well design and manufacture, Shiri Varalakshmi Foods was looking for an installation partner, which is where our engineers come in. Like Haith, this order is the first one we have received from India, and we are very much looking forward to next month when we will be visiting Namakkal and starting the installation.”
The development of the Cassava Root washing system was overseen by Haith’s sales manager, Rob Highfield. “As well as being our first order from India, this is also the first time we’ve developed a system to wash Cassava. Our design team have combined an Evolution multi-separator and adjustable coils to remove soil and waste prior to entering a Cyclone Stone Separator. The crop is then washed through a high-capacity 5m x 1500mm barrel washer with spray wash system and then peeled with a Haith Root Veg Peeler before going on for further processing.
“The Cassava tuber is quite unusual, and we’re very proud of how our design team rose to the challenge of working with a brand new type of produce. It will be very rewarding to see the machine operating in the new line.
“This order is also very rewarding in terms of helping us meet Haith’s ambitious export targets. As Haith is already very well-known and extremely successful in the UK, Haith’s senior management team is keen to increase our overseas sales. Obviously, India offers huge opportunities, with UK exports to the country surpassing £16 billion in 2023.”
Established in 1947 and employing more than 120 people, Haith has exported nearly one thousand vegetable handling machines to customers across Europe, Japan, Israel, Canada and the United States.
