The UK's leading manufacturer of vegetable handling systems has recently completed one of its largest-ever polisher installations.

As part of a six-figure investment in its Lancashire factory, Huntapac is now operating four of Haith's range topping 18 roller RootVeg polishers for its carrot and parsnip lines, which will treble the company's washing throughput.

"The four new Haith RootVeg polishers are definitely our biggest single investment on our site," says Will Hunter, Operations Director. "We outgrew our previous polishers and needed higher capacity. We also wanted to be able to shut down one line for maintenance and still be able to feed the line fully.

"Compared to our previous belt-drive polishers, which were around 20 years old and showing their age, the Haith polishers are light years ahead. They offer us increased capacity, a better quality product for the customer and less maintenance thanks to the direct drive motor driven brushes."

Haith's award winning RootVeg polishers feature a high-efficiency drive mounted to each brush roller. The patented design eliminates roller slippage under load and a cartridge system means the brush rollers can be removed for maintenance in less than ten minutes.

As with all of the company's machines, Haith's designers have focused on maintenance and reliability when developing the polisher. A heavy-duty split top shaft reduces barrel and belt fatigue and Haith has also incorporated full-length raising inspection doors, giving Huntapac complete access to all moving parts for easy servicing.

"We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Huntapac since the 1990s when we designed and installed a trimming and packing line," says Haith's Sales Manager, Rob Highfield. "Huntapac has grown considerably since then, and this latest investment will allow them to take on additional capacity easily.

"As well as being one of our largest ever polisher installation, this project was one of our most challenging due to the factory's layout not giving us much space to work in, and we only had a two-week window in which to undertake the installation. Thankfully, by working in partnership with Huntapac, we hit the deadline.

Over the last 30 years, Haith has been involved in multiple improvement projects for Huntapac, including packing systems and trimming lines as the company has grown.

Established in 1942 and nestled in a small village in the heart of Lancashire, Huntapac specialises in growing, packing and distributing carrots and parsnips.

Originally, Huntapac supplied the local fruit and vegetable markets in Lancashire and Yorkshire. However, in 1967, a new packhouse was built to cope with the increasing demand for high-quality produce. Since then, the company and its factory have more than doubled in size, and today, Huntapac operates 24 hours, 364 days a year and employs over 500 people.

To find out more about Haith and its innovative range of vegetable handling equipment, visit www.haith.co.uk, email sales@haith.couk or call 01302 831911.