Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. May 2023 Issue
      2. April 2023
      3. Tyres & Tracks April 2023 Supplement
      4. March 2023
      5. February 2023
      Featured

      May 2023 Issue

      By Matthew TiltMay 3, 2023
      Recent

      May 2023 Issue

      May 3, 2023

      April 2023 Issue

      March 31, 2023

      Tyres & Tracks April 2023 Supplement

      March 31, 2023
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Arable & Agronomy

    Automated cart system from WEG and Technidrive

    Meghan TaylorBy Meghan TaylorOctober 6, 20225 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    WEG, Technidrive and John Gabbie & Sons' automated cart system for plant propagation

    The technological innovation company WEG has partnered with industrial drive solutions provider Technidrive to supply the equipment needed for an automated cart system for plant propagator John Gabbie & Sons.

    John Gabbie & Sons, based in County Down, Northern Ireland, are a propagator firm who germinate and grow plants until they are large enough to handle, when the plants are then distributed to farmers to continue growing and then sell to supermarkets and so on.

    To germinate seeds, the firm has several glasshouses that are up to half an acre in size and split into bays, which can be up to 10 metres wide and 16m long, with walkways in between for the forklifts and tractors.

    When the seedlings are ready for distribution, an operator will drive a tractor or forklift along the walkway to move bays of plants out of the glasshouses. The plants are then physically carried to the end of the bay before being boxed up and sent out to farmers; a very labour intensive task. Therefore, John Gabbie & Sons approached WEG’s premier distributor Technidrive to develop an automated solution.

    For the project, Technidrive asked WEG to supply two braked motors and a variable speed drive (VSD), with a braking resistor and safe torque off (STO) – an emergency stop function.

    With the equipment sourced, John Gabbie & Sons now just needed to put it all together. However, they did not have an exact cart system design in mind. Instead, they focussed on the requirements of the equipment: to save space, increase efficiency, and remove as much physical labour as possible, which, in turn, led to the development of phase one of the project.

    Phase one

    Phase one of the project consists of an automated cart system that runs along railings in each walkway of one of John Gabbie & Sons’ glasshouses. The cart also includes a sprayer that is mounted on the cart, to feed the plants during cultivation.  

    The cart being placed on railings removes the need for a walkway inside the glasshouses, which ran along the centre of the glasshouse. Instead, the cart carries a trolley to push onto the bay. Each bay is 9m wide and carries several trays of plants, preventing an operator from needing a tractor or forklift to reach the seedlings.

    To make this feasible, Technidrive developed a control panel for the automated cart system. This includes a joystick, to drive and steer the cart, that allows an operator to control the motion of the cart when manoeuvring around the glasshouse. There are also switches on the panel for additional controls, such as lock in pins to stop the cart at a bay.

    The automation enables an operator to move a batch of plants from the middle of a bay, without the physical labour of carrying them. Now, an operator can drive the cart along the railings, before using the lock in pins which extend in to the ground to park the cart at a specific bay. The operator can then push the 9m-wide trolley to lift the seed-trays and put them onto the cart – for distribution or repositioning in the glasshouse.

    “Technidrive has been working with WEG for years, so as soon as we knew the equipment requirements of the John Gabbie & Sons project, it was a case of getting in touch and sourcing the motors and variable speed drive,” explained Gary Kernaghan, automation manager at Technidrive. 

    “Phase one is now complete and the plant propagator is reaping the rewards of a more automated process.  The next phase is to ensure we implement this application to all the glasshouses at John Gabbie & Sons. However, the glasshouses are not all built parallel, and the ground isn’t level either, so each phase will require a slightly different process. We’ve already started to look at phase two in which we will need to drop the cart almost two metres, while also adjusting the angle to put it on another set of rails.”

    “The phase after that is to make this a fully automated system, meaning the operator selects the stock and the cart fetches it automatically. We will require the expertise of WEG before it’s all commissioned,” Mr Kernaghan added.

    Trevor Gabbie, farmer at John Gabbie & Sons noted: “Technidrive and WEG couldn’t be more helpful. WEG even rang me up to talk through the specifications of the motors, they’re dedicated in what they do, and we trust them to provide quality products.”

    “Automating this process is highly valuable, because we sell over 52 million seeds a year to farmers. I’ve seen a similar application at other propagators but wanted to build it my own way to ensure it’s perfect for our glasshouses. From January to June, we sell seeds every single week in a demand driven market — and Technidrive and WEG’s solution will allow us to keep this momentum for years to come.”

    For more information on WEG’s motor supply for farming and agriculture projects, please visit www.weg.net. 

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleSouth East Water boosts post-maize grass funding
    Next Article Arla announces sustainability incentive for farmers
    Meghan Taylor

    Journalist. Graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English and Art History. When not working I can be found riding my horses on the Ashdown Forest, reading, shopping, or cooking!

    Read Similar Stories

    Challenges ahead for key flag leaf spray applications

    May 24, 2023

    Warnings to not ignore lemon blossom midge this season

    May 23, 2023

    New wireless crop moisture and temperature probe launched

    May 22, 2023
    Most Read Stories

    Challenges ahead for key flag leaf spray applications

    May 24, 2023

    New tyre sizes in the Alliance range for agri-transport

    May 24, 2023

    Turning in the centre – telescopic wheeled loaders

    May 24, 2023
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2023 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo