Marco is well known for its operator-friendly, precision weighing solutions which provide real-time data insights. As businesses face mounting challenges in sourcing labour and managing increasing costs, many are now having to refocus their labour in the field, prioritising the urgent need for fruit and vegetable harvesting!
"The feedback we have received from our clients, especially small-medium size growers, is that they are finding it more difficult to invest in packhouses together with recruiting enough labour to work in them. When growers have labour constraints, they must prioritise the labour in the field to pick the fruit," explains Jack Lidiard, Sales and Marketing Director at Marco. "Marco is known for market-leading packhouse solutions, which we've continuously refined to meet our customers' evolving needs, providing the same level of control and accuracy in the field or greenhouse."
Marco has developed the Field Scale, a ruggedised, portable smart weighing system engineered specifically for the challenging conditions of the field. This new product extends the precision and control typically found in the packhouse to any location, offering unmatched accuracy, durability, and user-friendliness.
Integrated with Marco Yield Control Software, the Field Scale provides a reliable solution to monitor and manage yield data, ensuring optimal performance and real-time insights wherever they are needed. Designed for grapes, soft fruit, mushrooms, or tomatoes, accommodating various packing forms from 100g punnets, clamshells, or bags to 12kg trays.
"We offer a rugged central control system to capture, track, and record employee productivity—monitoring both work speed and duration—while ensuring precise weighing accuracy. It is paramount our solution seamlessly integrates with growers' current processes. We have listened to customer feedback and given flexibility to pack in the field, wherever the customer needs it."
"For a real-life example, California Grape growers typically achieve 0.5 clamshells per minute in the field, with up to 12% overfill in every pack! Our Field Scale and Yield Control Software has proven to triple the packing speed and improve yield by up to 10%."