Apulia is the most industrialised region of southern Italy, a place which, through the ages, has been able to perfectly reconcile tradition, history and production with innovation and technology.
The agricultural sector has always played a major role in Apulia’s economy. One of the driving forces of the region is the great variety of crops grown there, which has knock-on benefits for other sectors, including industry, gastronomy and services.
Olive oil, table grapes and fine wines are just some of Apulia’s best-known and universally appreciated products. Other major crops includes durum wheat, tomatoes, vegetables, almonds, and in recent years also kiwifruit, peaches and other types of fruit.
Thanks to its agricultural biodiversity, Apulia has been able to exploit its productive capacity and variety of crops to obtain goods, resources and services.
A company that fits perfectly into this scenario is fruit and vegetable wholesaler SEM S.n.c..
SEM S.n.c.: an important resource for the Apulia region
SEM S.n.c. is located in Canosa di Puglia (BT) and specialises in the production and distribution of agricultural produce. It owns olive oil mills and wineries, where fine local wines are made.
The company is particularly busy during the productive season, which runs from July to January.
It begins with harvesting: the grape harvest takes place from July to October and depends on a series of factors such as climatic conditions, the type of grape and the wine to be produced.
From November it is time for pressing: in fact, until January the fields are still a hive of activity, as first table olives and then those for making olive oil are harvested.
During this season, operators and machinery used for harvesting fruit and handling produce work in close synergy.
The products arrive at the processing centres in large quantities and need to be stored and processed very quickly to uphold and comply with quality standards regulating the finished product, as well as to avoid damaging raw materials.
In such a hectic context, it is essential to have machinery that offers the best characteristics in terms of versatility, efficiency and reliability.
The activities carried out by an agricultural telehandler
To handle wine and oil products inside its centres, SEM S.n.c. needed a vehicle that would meet certain requirements:
- High load capacity, power and speed
- Multi-use: for both load and unloading vehicles
- Versatility: a single vehicle for carrying out diverse jobs
- Greater reach for depositing raw materials in the company’s silos, winery warehouses and oil mills
These were the main reasons why SEM S.n.c. opted for the Agri Plus 40.9 VS EVO2 telehandler. Among all the models of DIECI agricultural telehandlers, this vehicle delivers the best speed-power ratio, providing excellent manoeuvrability and millimetric precision in small movements.
After the harvest season, the Agri Plus telehandler is put to work on another task, collecting, storing, sorting and loading the waste material from olive and grape production, which is used for creating by-products.
The olive waste is used to make pomace, which in turn yields exhausted pomace and pomace pits, both of which are used in biofuels, or for the production of biodegradable plastics.
Similarly, the grape residues are used to obtain grape pomace, which is sold to make alcoholic drinks, in addition to being used for biofuels and biodegradable polymers.
Technical features of the agri plus telehandler
The Agri Plus 40.9 VS EVO2 telehandler has certain characteristics that cater specifically to the agricultural sector:
- Facilitates the transport, lifting and positioning of both light and heavy loads
- Lifts loads of up to 4000 kg
- Can handle loads even in confined spaces
- Reaches heights of over 9 metres
This model of telehandler has a fixed boom designed to lift very heavy loads, as well as a series of features for operator comfort, including:
- Extra legroom
- Heated seat
- Soundproof cab
- Shock absorption system to reduce bumps and jolts
- Double air filter to protect against dust and odours
The combination of all these qualities makes the Agri Plus telehandler the perfect agricultural vehicle for SEM S.n.c. and all other farm operators.
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