Tong Engineering Invests in 6 kW Tube Laser to Raise Precision in Potato Handling Equipment
UK-based Tong Engineering has installed a new 6 kW tube laser that cuts complex holes, slots and profiles directly into tubular steel, aiming to increase the speed, precision and finish quality of its crop handling and grading machines.
Tong Engineering has invested in advanced tube laser technology, underlining its ongoing commitment to manufacturing high-quality crop handling and grading equipment for customers worldwide, the company announced.
The new 6 kW tube laser significantly increases the speed, precision and flexibility of component manufacture, enabling complex holes, slots and profiles to be cut directly into tubular steel with exceptional accuracy. The machine processes both mild and stainless steel, handling sectional materials up to 200 mm and circular sections up to 280 mm.
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Fewer manual operations, tighter assembly. As well as reducing manual drilling operations, the new technology allows Tong to incorporate advanced tab-and-slot locating features into machine designs. This improves manufacturing efficiency, increases assembly accuracy and delivers a higher quality finish across the company’s equipment.
“Continually investing in the latest manufacturing technology is central to our commitment to quality,” said Neil Martin, Operations Director at Tong Engineering. “This latest addition not only improves production efficiency but also enables us to manufacture even more accurately, ensuring every Tong machine is built to the highest possible standard.”
“Combined with our ISO 9001 accredited quality management system, investments such as this ensure we continue to deliver the precision and consistency our customers expect from Tong,” Martin added.
The investment forms part of Tong Engineering’s ongoing programme of continuous improvement, with the company continuing to invest in advanced manufacturing technology. Tong Engineering creates and manufactures grading, washing, polishing, sorting, conveying, bulk handling, box handling and complete potato and vegetable processing systems for the food sector.
Why it matters for the potato trade. Precision-cut tubular frames are the backbone of grading and handling lines that run for decades in packhouses. Tab-and-slot construction, which the laser makes practical at scale, reduces weld distortion and assembly variance — the kind of incremental gain that determines how consistently a grader holds calibration across a long harvest campaign. For packers and processors weighing equipment renewals ahead of the 2027 season, manufacturers’ investments in fabrication accuracy translate directly into uptime and grading consistency at the receiving end.
The move also reflects a broader pattern among British and Dutch equipment makers — from optical sorters to laser fabrication — of reinvesting in manufacturing capability as the industry prepares for the Interpom and Potato Show season, where new handling and sorting machinery will be on display.
For the trade, the detail worth watching is capacity as much as precision. Faster in-house cutting of tubular components shortens lead times on new lines and spare parts — a practical consideration for packhouses in regions where a failed component during harvest can idle a grading line at the costliest moment of the year. Manufacturers that internalise more of their fabrication chain are better positioned to guarantee delivery schedules, an increasingly decisive factor in equipment purchasing decisions.
Sources: Tong Engineering (company announcement); PotatoPro.
