Apr 15, 2020

Munckhof chooses partner to supply the controls for its Pluk-O-Trak

An adequate harvesting workforce and a speedy response to new customer requirements. These are the current challenges for businesses that grow fruit, nuts and olives.

According to a news release, Munckhof Fruit Tech Innovators aims to help its customers more effectively and faster in the future by offering innovative and reliable spraying and harvesting techniques. Last month the company signed a new partnership contract with RIWO, a well-known and experienced supplier of (mobile) machine control systems.

Munckhof’s Pluk-O-Trak, which first appeared 50 years ago, is a versatile harvesting aid that is used to rapidly, efficiently and economically harvest fruits such as apples, pears, citrus fruits and cherries. The pickers work at ground level or, when standing on the horizontally and vertically mobile harvesting platforms, at more than up to four meters of tree height. They place the fruits on narrow movable conveyors, which feed the fruits to the crates.

Working with the Pluk-O-Trak results in savings of up to 30% in labour costs and an improvement in the quality of the fruit thanks to reduced harvest damage. Munckhof intends to develop its Pluk-O-Trak further to create a reliable, self-driving harvesting machine that performs tasks extremely efficiently and automatically gathers extensive cultivation and harvesting information.

To achieve this, Munckhof set out to find a new automation specialist with a high development capacity and extensive knowledge and experience in this field. A partner with an existing client base in the agribusiness sector that is already involved in similar developments. Having found this partner, Munckhof expects to benefit from the ongoing rapid developments in automation, robotisation, navigation and camera technology.

New partner for development of the Pluk-O-Trak

RIWO specialises in automating and robotising (mobile) machines and industrial production processes for companies such as Trioliet, Sieplo, Vredo and Emsflower. With its workforce of 70 people, RIWO also has a high development capacity. The new partnership with RIWO is an important and positive development for Munckhof and its customers.

The collaboration between the two companies in recent months has already led to a completely redesigned control system and new software for the Pluk-O-Trak. RIWO uses well-built Western European control components to increase the reliability and operating availability of the Pluk-O-Trak.

Thanks to RIWO, the Pluk-O-Trak now features a clever, variably adjustable straight-line control that keeps the machine centred even if the trees are not upright, or the machine has to operate on sloping ground. This feature is extremely useful when pruning from one side. Machine operation has been further simplified by adding robust push-buttons and a joystick so that everyone can operate the machine. The new control system has been extensively tested under all conditions and is available for the 2020 harvest season.