Pretoria nursery excels in organic compost production

Lubbinge explains that the nursery, which trades as Bark Unlimited Organics, was originally a wholesale nursery which decided to make its own compost owing to rising prices in the mid-80s. "Our original intention was to make an organic product that would be purely for our own use. However our customers liked what they saw and insisted that we supply them as well."

From these low-key beginnings, Varing Kwekery has grown to become a major supplier of 100% organic compost to the horticultural and landscaping industries. Increasing demand saw Lubbinge buy a truck, which subsequently became a fleet of trucks, to bring in sawdust from Mpumalanga mills as well as horse, kraal and chicken manure from local farms and stables.

Investments in plants paid off

The initial operation was highly labour intensive but as the business expanded it had to mechanise to keep up with demand. This led to its investment in a Pilot Modular plant in 2007. The original plant included a Pilot Modular GFH560 grizzly feed hopper, a Pilot Modular DD2412 double-deck screen and two Pilot Modular MC600 13 meter conveyors and has operated faultlessly since.

The plant is used to screen material once it has composted. Grizzly bars in the feed hopper remove oversized material and the feeding conveyor takes the compost mixture onto the screening deck, removing any residual larger matter which is recycled back into the composting process down one of two stacking conveyors. The finished product is transported down the remaining conveyor for packaging or to be put into storage for bulk transportation.

"The plant is very simple to use, requiring just one operator and can be activated with a single push of a button," says Lubbinge. Pilot Crushtec director sales Graham Kleinhans believes that the long-term relationship between customer and supplier has been highly beneficial to both parties.

"By taking careful consideration of our customer's needs we have been able to provide them with a plant that has delivered the goods, not only in terms of output and reliability, but quality as well. When Varing Kwekery decided to streamline its production by adding another conveyor its immediate choice was Pilot Crushtec."