A specialist manufacturer of pea viners based in Norfolk has become part of a transatlantic alliance that aims to supply specialist vegetable crop harvesters into new markets around the world.

PMC Harvesters builds two models of self-propelled pea and broad bean viner, and a green bean and soya harvester, at its design, engineering and assembly works in Fakenham, Norfolk.

Once owned by FMC Corporation, the business is now part of the Dutch specialist harvester group Ploeger Agro, which has just merged with its US distributor to form the Ploeger Oxbo Group.

“The new group will build on the individual companies’ strengths after almost 20 years of co-operation distributing each other’s products,” says Ad Ploeger, general manager of Ploeger Agro. “It will allow us to freely exchange technology and product information to give us new capabilities, and we will co-operate in offering our products in new countries.”

The new group plans to launch an export drive in China, Brazil and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe while continuing to serve its traditional markets in Western Europe, North America and Australasia.

Oxbo International, which makes harvesters for fresh market produce and top fruit, contributes more than 400 employees in three US manufacturing facilities to the Ploeger Oxbo Group, which has its headquarters in The Netherlands.

How it works: Pods gathered by the stripping reel (up to 3.8m wide) are conveyed to a threshing drum where five beaters (one central plus four satellite units) remove the peas, which fall through the perforated rotating drum to be conveyed through a four-stage cleaning process that removes any pod debris. Peas are then stored in a tipping hopper before being discharged into a trailer running alongside.

Ploeger Agro itself has around 140 employees in Europe, including 37 staff at the PMC Harvesters factory where the innovative PMC 989 pea viner is being built.

“The 989 still uses our long-proven five beater threshing system but the machine is unique in having front and rear axles that both steer,” says Morris Holl. “It gives the big six-wheel machine a tighter turning circle and better manoeuvrability, which results in improved productivity.”

The steering layout and bigger front wheels, which help spread the machine’s weight more effectively, required a number of changes to the regular layout, including an offset location for the Claas Vista cab, alterations to the 12-litre 422hp Deutz engine installation and a redesign for the hopper that has variable tipping height from 2.8m to 3.5m.

Load-sensing hydraulics have been added and there is an updated Harvest Vision system for monitoring performance and adjusting settings on the machine.

“We’ve had five out this year in addition to the prototype now operated by a grower and they’ve performed really well,” says Mr Holl.

The UK remains PMC’s biggest market but with harvesters dispatched to individual growers and co-operative groups across Europe and in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, there is an international dimension to the business.

Watch the PMC Harvesters in action