Thanks to a technological and sales partnership with Sicma srl, Dieci is proud to present a new version of our efficient and versatile telehandlers that is designed specifically for harvesting olives and hanging fruit. We talked about it with Francesco Carchedi, administrator of Sicma srl.
SICMA srl was founded in 1991 based on expertise acquired by the owner and technical staff in the agronomic, mechanical and hydraulic fields, as well as in the field of mechanised olive harvesting. Building on this experience the company produced the first vibrating olive picking heads, which are designed to be paired with a tractor. It also began producing “inverted umbrella” catching frames that collect the fruits, as well as the first specialised self-propelled units. Today SICMA products are sold and used successfully in over 20 countries, not only for olive harvesting, but also for picking different types of hanging fruits.
With a business philosophy of continuous innovation closely mirroring that of DIECI, and with both companies specialising in agricultural mechanisation, some form of partnership was bound to develop sooner or later.
Francesco Carchedi told us the details of this partnership:
“Today the two companies share an exclusive agreement for the use of SICMA T213, T214 and T216 vibrating heads in a specific kit for the Agri Farmer 28.7 GD and Mini Agri 26.6 Agricultural Telehandlers, thus creating two dedicated vehicles for harvesting olives and hanging fruits which, at the end of the harvesting campaign, have the advantage of being easily convertible to normal agricultural use.”
“… Agricultural mechanisation is undergoing a phase of renewal in which multifunctionality and versatility often determine the choices of the new millennium’s agricultural entrepreneurs.
The expertise of the staff and the commercial vision shared between the two companies gave rise to this agreement, which will see Sicma technology adopted exclusively on DIECI agricultural telehandlers…
Flexibility, reliability and professionalism. These are the three key principles that guided Sicma in choosing not only a business partner but above all a technology partner, with the aim of offering something new, functional and flexible. The Dieci brand embodies these three principles… It wouldn’t have made sense to install a harvesting kit on a telehandler that failed to meet the performance standards that have always been the hallmark of Sicma. The other advantages that Sicma appreciates in Dieci agricultural telehandlers are their compact dimensions (that enable the vehicles to pass through orchard rows), comfort and leading-edge technical solutions.”
We asked Mr Carchedi to tell us more about the technical features that distinguish his Vibrating Heads and about their associated benefits: “… All our picking heads boast the same double-jaw technological solution adopted throughout the New Generation series, which is characterised by high frequencies and double vibration speed. The callipers are also all self-centring and self-braking.
“The T216 is the largest of the machines and has the widest opening jaws, which enable it to grip larger trunks and branches. The important thing is not only to hold the trunk firmly (which is too easy from a construction point of view!). The challenge we are pursuing is to make it vibrate effectively to reach fruit drop rates close to 100%, within a time that doesn’t normally exceed 10 seconds.”
And how about other types of hanging fruit?
“… Sicma technology was developed for olive harvesting,” replied Carchedi, “but has already been successfully used for picking walnuts, almonds, pecans and macadamias.
“We have recently tested our machines in the harvesting of cherries, plums and apples for industrial processing, with equally successful results. We are also testing the effectiveness of our solutions on other species… The project has started and the early feedback is positive. We’re not taking anything for granted.”
He concluded: “The goal is to strengthen our relationship by involving the sales network of both partners, and even to organise joint demo events, including in overseas plants. I’m also not ruling out the possibility of extending the agreement to other vehicles in the Dieci range.”
When we use the terms “efficiency”, “versatility” and “reliability” to describe our agricultural telehandlers, we do it with all the facts and testimonials to hand.
The Agri Farmer and Mini Agri fitted with Sicma equipment are highly specialised and high-performance telehandlers when it comes to olive harvesting, as well as multifunctional vehicles that can be used for many other farming activities.
