Well maintained, consistently available equipment and facilities that are fully operational are instrumental to the daily efficiency and success of our operation here at Pine Island Cranberry Company. Our goal is to have all facilities and equipment ready when needed. While this is a top priority throughout the year, it becomes even more essential as harvest time gets closer.

It is important to make sure all of the equipment has been properly maintained well in advance of the harvest: the boom, boom reels, harvesters, et cetera. The boom is taken out and checked for any repairs that need to be made, and so is the reel.

The harvesters are brought in and serviced at our shop. We also look over and repair as needed the blowers, elevators, trucks and tractors for each harvesting crew and ensure we have all the tools and safety supplies necessary to get us through harvest.

At the packing house, we do a test run on our blowers and elevators:

At the same time, we also look beyond the harvest. Getting a head start on bog renovations for 2013, Joan Dominguez and Emmanuel Colon are working on building replacement pipe gates for flooding for our Oswego renovation project.

As we’ve mentioned in a previous entry on bog renovation, we’ve been replacing our wooden floodgates with a newer PVC design for greater longevity. They are also easier to install and repair.

Doing whatever it takes to efficiently prep for our busiest time of year helps us realize our mission and our vision and exceed even our own expectations.