In the coastal landscape of Helston, West Cornwall, Pengelly Farms has spent over half a century perfecting its potato harvest. Established in 1967, this family-run operation has evolved from a local grower into a premier UK producer of premium salad potatoes. Managing 1,200 acres, they supply approximately 16,500 tonnes of produce annually to UK and European supermarkets, wholesalers and high-end restaurateurs.
Credit: Endoline Automation
Pengelly Farms manages 1,200 acres of potato production in Cornwall, supplying approximately 16,500 tonnes of premium salad potatoes annually to UK and European customers
However, as the Red Tractor and LEAF-accredited farm scaled its infrastructure, it encountered a classic industrial friction point: the high-speed potato packing bottleneck.
Following the recent modernisation of its processing line with a high-speed Newtec chute loader, Pengelly Farms identified an opportunity to optimise its downstream packing operations. The manual assembly and sealing of heavy 10kg boxes presented a significant operational challenge, as this consistently struggled to keep pace with the upgraded system.
The traditional manual processes were no longer aligned with the performance of advanced grading and sorting technology. As a seasonal operation, Pengelly Farms recognised that increasing labour alone would not deliver the long-term efficiency gains required. Instead, they partnered with UK end-of-line packaging specialist Endoline Automation.
Dual vacuum solves box assembly issues
To transport potatoes across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, Pengelly Farms utilises heavy, twin-walled cardboard cases. Although these provide the structural integrity for a 10kg potato payload, they can be notoriously difficult to automate. Stiff, heavy-duty cardboard often resists opening. In a standard automated system, this can lead to bridging, tearing or recurrent machine jams.
The solution lies in the ‘dual opposing vacuum technology’ unique to Endoline. Rather than attempting to pull the box open from a single direction, the system applies force symmetrically.
“The dual opposing vacuum technology is especially beneficial when forming heavy-duty boxes. It works by clamping each side of the case during the forming process, applying the same amount of pressure to simultaneously open it from both sides,” explains UK Sales Manager James Saywell.
From a technical standpoint, this is a masterclass in using physics to bypass mechanical resistance. Neutralising the inherent stiffness of the twin-walled card by applying equalised pressure, the compact Endoline machine eliminates the physical strain of manual manipulation.
This significantly reduces packaging waste, which supports sustainability and maintains the continuous production flow, notes Pengelly Technical Manager Ben Cavill.
Working with existing investments
Rather than taking a ‘scorched earth’ approach to existing infrastructure, Endoline instead treated the farm’s existing equipment as a modular tech stack. This included maintaining brand interoperability between several equipment suppliers.
The Endoline 221 Case Erector and 613 Case Sealer were integrated into the existing packing area that already featured heavy-duty Haith multi-size graders and Tomra 3A optical sorters. The Case Erector was specifically selected for its compact footprint, allowing it to be slotted into the existing packing shed without requiring a costly facility expansion. By feeding the bottom-sealed cases directly into the Newtec chute loader using an existing conveyor, Pengelly’s achieved a seamless flow from potato grading to case filling.
“Endoline Automation was extremely accommodating. Labour shortages meant we needed to automate this aspect of our potato packing line. But replacing our high-end sorting and grading equipment was non-negotiable. Endoline worked around this. As a result, we are already exploring automating labelling and palletising with them,” comments Ben.
Consistent case seals
Transitioning from manual assembly to the Endoline 613 Fully Automatic Case Sealer ensures that every potato case arrives with the customer in the same condition it left the Helston packing shed. Automation provides mechanical consistency.
“Handling 10kg boxes can be an arduous task. Manual sealing is often the first place where quality control on fresh produce packing lines slips, particularly at the end of a long shift,” highlights James.
Precision sensing governs the entire Pengelly packing process. Once the potatoes are washed and graded, they are dropped into a loading chamber. A signal triggers when the weight is exact, and each potato case is then vibrated. This vibration is critical as it settles the product below the scoreline, ensuring the top flaps can be closed and sealed by the Endoline 613 machine without obstruction.
The future-proof farm
The strategic investment in automation, combined with a 2022 expansion of a 1,800-tonne cold store, has brought Pengelly Farms' total chilled storage capacity to 10,000 tonnes. This allows the farm to manage its 16,500-tonne annual yield with unprecedented control, keeping potatoes in peak condition to ensure year-round availability.
By simplifying once-laborious tasks by automating case erection and sealing, the farm continues to shield itself from labour shortages while increasing its production
capacity. “Through automation, Pengelly is ensuring we preserve our Cornish farming heritage for years to come,” concludes Ben.