Heidesand's €30M Expansion: Automated Packaging Plant to Boost Potato Business
The future Heidekreis Clinic (HKK) is set to have a hefty price tag of 278 million euros. Meanwhile, Heidesand, a prominent Raiffeisen wholesale cooperative, is expanding its news operations with a new hall for its potato business. The cooperative, with over 1,000 members and around 200 employees, aims to modernise its packaging processes.
Heidesand, which markets between 70,000 and 80,000 tons of potatoes annually, primarily through its Neuenkirchen location, is relocating its potato business from Delmsen. The first phase of the new construction, slated for completion in 2024, will provide a spacious 10,000 square meter hall for this purpose.
The cooperative is investing 30 million euros in a new packaging plant, which will feature automated processes. Robots will handle the placement of finished bundles into boxes, streamlining the packaging process. The sorting of potatoes will also be modernised, using photo-optical systems instead of manual labour. This new facility is expected to be ready for use much earlier than the new HKK, which is scheduled to start operations in late 2028.
The expansion of Heidesand's news operations and the construction of the new HKK are significant developments in the region. While the HKK's completion is still some years away, the cooperative's new packaging plant is expected to be operational much sooner, bringing modernised processes and increased efficiency to the potato industry.
