BEIJING, Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Uni-orange Design, China's leading provider of integrated industrial design solution, recently revealed its first orchard operation machine to the public. The machine, Apfel AP150, is set to fill in the gap of China's orchard mechanization with its many unique selling points.
Aaron Cui, COO of Uni-orange Design commented, "It is quite common around the world that most spherical fruits are harvested by hand, which is extremely labor-consuming and the efficiency is low. Some countries with advanced agriculture are using fruit harvesting platforms to help pickers. However, these machines are usually so big in size that they are not suitable for a lot of the landscapes of orchards and prices are usually high."
Therefore, Uni-orange developed a semi-automatic operation platform for orchards in China and other countries with similar situations. Coming out with a relatively small size and more affordable price, the machine can handle most of the spherical fruits and a maximum of eight people can stand on the platform.
The platform is equipped with a conveyor that leads to the bucket. Once the picker drops the apples on the conveyor, no apple will touch another all the way to the bucket, which will largely reduce bruising.
The average production volume each picker can contribute in one hour is 300kg, which will generate an increase in productivity of five times compared with what is achieved by conventional harvesting methods. The machine can walk on a variety of landscapes such as highland and hill areas, with controllable walking speed.
In addition, AP150 also embeds the concept of modularity, which extends the functionality and allows more customized requests including spray, sack and more.
The operation platform has been well received since it rolled out. "There are not many tools like this unit from Uni-orange. It fills in a blank space in the industry and will make a splash when it hits the market, no matter at home or abroad," said Dong Xiao, an agricultural equipment expert during the product's exhibition in Shanxi province.
About Uni-orange
Uni-orange Design, founded in 2015, is an integrated solution provider focusing on industrial design that is dedicated to offering clients the best product design and technology. With project management, experts and platforms, Uni-orange Design engages in the energy, manufacturing, materials, I.T., healthcare and consumer products sectors.
