Machinery
Customer open day celebrates new building investment The new Tong factory on the outskirts of Spilsby, Lincs.
achieves product and service sales in excess of £20M, and machines are exported to more than 50 countries. “We are not just root crops,” explained sales director Charlie Rich. “We have a strong reputation in the vegetable handling and processing market too. Tong is regarded as a very good employer in the area which means that people tend to stay for longer, and the company benefits from their extensive experience.”
Vegetable and crop handling specialist, Tong Engineering, welcomed customers to two early July open days to celebrate the opening of its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. David Williams was there. Tong’s new 90,000ft2 factory is on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Spilsby, Lincs, just a short distance from the shop in the centre of the town where the business started in the 1930s, and which still displays the Tong trading name. The original product offering was modest, including simple but popular items such as sack
The large fabrication and machining area.
The Tomra Optical Sorter scans the crop and identifies anything that shouldn’t be present.
barrows and pig pens. During the 1950s, an old candle factory was purchased and manufacturing of potato graders commenced, reflecting the crop’s importance in the local area. Adjacent properties were added in the 1960s as demand for the products grew, and Ken Tong built the business to satisfy growing demand for a wider range of vegetable handling equipment. In 1972, Ken’s son Charles joined the business and by the 1980s the first Caretaker graders were introduced which remain market leaders today. Local competitor Peal Engineering was acquired in 2005, and a second factory premises at Wainfleet was rented allowing the product range to be expanded to include washers and polishers for potatoes, carrots and other root crops – sold under the Tong Peal trading name. Charles ran the business until 2015 when he became chairman, and his son Edward, who had gained experience working in several areas of the business and moved up through the ranks, took over as managing director. The company’s branding reverted to Tong. Demand for the products continued to grow and, in 2020, Tong purchased three hectares of land on a green-field site for the new factory. Building was completed by early summer 2022.
Not just root crops
In-house manufacture and design Almost every aspect of the machine design process is carried out inhouse, including electronic control panels which are also assembled on-site. More than 30 hoppers of various sizes are made annually. Metal grading screens have been manufactured by the company for more than 50 years, and more than 1,250 are made each year by hand. Tong has a very strong reputation for conveyor manufacturing too, and 5,000 roller barrels are made each year. Recent developments including changes to electronic control systems were highlighted. From manual two-way switches to electronic controls, then remote control and control through the
internet by app. As remote control has become more widespread, safety systems to prevent accidental machine activation have also been developed. Tong’s engineers highlighted that QR codes which must be scanned to prove that an operator is present to check a machine before it is restarted, are a potential solution.
Optical sorting Tong works with industry leaders in specialist fields to provide the very best sorting equipment. The open day featured the Tomra Optical Sorter, which uses an array of cameras and infra-red sensors to detect anomalies while automatically sorting the crop. For the demonstration a bin of onions was sorted – containing a large amount of soil and large numbers of stones and other debris. Anything that wasn’t an onion was automatically removed – even if it had a similar size and shape to the crop. “Automation is increasingly important when labour shortages are such an issue,” explained Tomra area sales manager Steven Skipper, “and we supply systems for integrating into the Tong grading lines.”
Top level back-up Tong wouldn’t have become such a success if it wasn’t for the excellent after-sales service available to its continued over…
Shropshire farmer Farmer Michael Bubb is pictured at the event. Michael trades as JM Bubb & Son, and Shropshire Petals, and farms at Newport, Shropshire. Potatoes are produced for contracts with McCain and McDonalds, and for the chip market. Combinable crops are grown as well as fresh flowers to make natural confetti. A Tong Caretaker cleans and sorts the potatoes straight from the field before they are put into store. “I like dealing with Tong as the company is British, the products are reliable and the Tong team is always interested in what we are doing and solving our problems,” Michael explained. “Like other businesses, we are affected by labour shortages so looking to the future; increased use of mechanisation must be part of the solution. “We already use a Tomra optical sorting system for potatoes and for our flower petal enterprise too. It stands alone but works in conjunction with Tong equipment.”
The current workforce of 175 people
74 www.farmersguide.co.uk August 2022
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