How the right picking bucket or picking box helps with an efficient, comfortable and durable harvest
The picking season is just around the corner. There are plenty of challenges: the harvest period is short, fruit must be picked at the right moment, labour is scarce and every picker needs to work as efficiently as possible. That is why good picking materials are important.
Efficient harvesting starts with the right tools
NPI is an official dealer of Heijmul, who has been producing professional picking buckets and picking boxes for 77 years. A big advantage of Heijmul picking materials is that growers can harvest up to 30% faster compared to using only collection bins. This means you need fewer people to do the same work. In this way, we help growers get the fruit off the trees as quickly as possible. Labour shortage is and remains a general problem in Europe.
Picking bucket or picking box
We sell many picking boxes and picking buckets. The biggest difference is that the picker does not have to carry the box all day. Heijmul makes the bucket as light as possible, but it still needs to be carried. The box hangs on the collection bin, so the picker does not have to carry it. The downside is that the picker must constantly turn from the tree to the box, which is not needed with a bucket. This makes harvesting slightly faster with a bucket than with a box.
In the end, the choice is personal. Some growers are used to working with boxes, others with buckets. We also see differences per country: in Eastern Europe almost everyone uses boxes, while in Western Europe most growers use buckets.
Configuration for efficiency
Growers can configure Heijmul picking buckets in many ways. For the inside, they can choose a PVC or PA bag for the fruit. PA is a light, flexible material that is easy to use but very smooth. Because of that, it can slide under the elastic more easily when the bucket is heavily loaded. This can happen sometimes with pears. PVC is heavier and stiffer, but also rougher. It gives more grip on the elastic and can handle heavier weights.
Comfort options
Heijmul also offers a choice between the standard cotton shoulder strap and a comfortable strap with shoulder pads. We see that the cotton strap is still used mainly in the Netherlands and Germany, but in most other countries growers choose the comfort strap.
Durability
Heijmul aims for the longest possible lifespan for all their products. Growers can also choose options that extend the lifespan. For example, a red strip can be added to the bottom of the bucket to give extra strength. This strip directly increases the lifespan of the picking bucket.
Replaceable parts
Durability also comes from replaceable parts. Heijmul offers almost all parts of the picking box and bucket separately. If something breaks or wears out, growers can easily order new parts. We see that parts are often bought, so luckily many parts are being replaced. It is much more sustainable to replace parts than to buy new products.
The future of harvesting is changing
Robot fruit picking is developing quickly. It can help solve the growing labour shortage and make the sector future‑proof. For now, automation still has many challenges, and picking buckets and boxes remain perfect choices for low‑cost harvesting. Another advantage of buckets is that you can quickly scale up the number of pickers and buckets when more or faster picking is needed. With machines, you depend on the number of machines available and cannot easily change picking speed.
Everything for an efficient harvest season
An efficient harvest starts with good picking materials that fit the grower’s way of working. Comfort, speed and durability all play an important role.
Besides Heijmul picking buckets and boxes, NPI also offers other picking materials such as picking ladders, picking wheelers and fruit sizers.
Would you like to learn more about our picking materials? Contact us!
