Second award for Doncaster engineering business

Haith, which designs and manufactures vegetable handling equipment at its Doncaster factory, has been recognised for developing a unique and market-leading machine for emptying vegetable storage boxes – the Rota-Tip box tipping system.

First manufactured in 2011, Haith’s Rota-Tip Up-Eject is used at the start of food processing lines and produce grading systems to transfer fresh vegetables onto washing, sizing and packing lines.

The Rota-Tip Up-Eject is the second Haith machine to receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation. The company’s Root Veg Polisher was recognised in 2010.

“Haith was established in 1964 by the late George Geoffrey Haith, who, as a very talented engineer, always tried to find a way to help his farming customers to do things more effectively,” says Duane Hill, Haith’s managing director.

“Mr Haith was a fantastic problem-solver and a great innovator. These traits have been an integral part of the business ever since and have formed the foundations of the company’s growth.

"Today, our company is renowned around the globe for our innovative vegetable handling systems.

“The Rota-Tip Up-Eject, which has been recognised today, and the Root Veg Polisher that received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise 12 years ago, show that Haith’s approach to helping its customers has not changed.

"We are always looking to find better ways of doing things and providing solutions that are efficient, incredibly well made, priced competitively and backed up by the best customer service we can offer.

“Today’s recognition is excellent news for our team, a reward for their hard work, and a testimony to our customers who involve us in their businesses and trust us to develop solutions to enhance their business. Everyone at Haith is very proud to be recognised by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for a second time.”

Haith’s Rota-Tip Up-Eject was designed at the request of food packers and processors who experienced oil leaks, high energy use and instability when using traditional hydraulic box tipplers.

Haith innovated the design by replacing the hydraulic motors with all-electric drives, which use less power and prevent oil leaks. Haith also developed a new, safer, and more effective rotating system that can handle larger box volumes than older designs.

Since introducing the Up-Eject system, Haith has sold over 180 machines to most of the UK’s leading food suppliers and exported them to Europe, Japan, Israel, Canada and the United States.

In the UK, Mr Hill estimates that 95% of the UK’s supermarket potato suppliers use the Haith Rota-tip, meaning the vast majority of potatoes sold in Britain will have been handled by Haith’s award winning machine.

Incorporated as a limited company in 1964, Tickhill Engineering, which trades as Haith, is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of vegetable handling equipment.

The company employs more than 120 people in Armthorpe who design and manufacture a comprehensive range of vegetable handling machines, spanning grading, washing, bulk handling, weighing, pre-pack systems and water treatment solutions.

Haith’s machines are relied upon by some of the world’s largest food producers and packing companies, along with farmers of all sizes in the UK and overseas.

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