SCEA Leborgne’s experiences with washing potato boxes with the ProCleaner C100 robot

At SCEA Leborgne (France), Arnaud Leborgne grows 100 hectares of seed potatoes and 10 hectares of carrots with a team of five employees.
In seed potato production, hygiene is essential: potatoes remain stored in boxes for several months, and thorough cleaning is necessary to prevent any contamination.

To save time and improve working conditions for his team, Arnaud chose to invest in the ProCleaner C100 washing robot.

Washing storage boxes: an essential but demanding task

For Arnaud, the situation is clear:

“In seed potato production, hygiene is very important.”

The storage boxes are kept for five to six months, which means starting from a clean base every time they are refilled. Until recently, this cleaning was done entirely by hand.

The 1.40-meter-high boxes are difficult to wash using a high-pressure lance:

“A 1.40-meter box is immediately very complicated to wash. It’s high, and you have to hold the lance at arm’s length. .”

Washing several hundred boxes in a row quickly becomes a long and physically demanding task. Fatigue can also lead to inconsistent results.

To improve working comfort for his team and ensure proper hygiene of these storage boxes, Arnaud therefore looked for an automated washing solution.

A robot to improve consistency and ease the workload

Arnaud chose the ProCleaner C100 robot because it met his expectations: a machine that is easy to use and delivers high-quality washing results.

“The robot really provides consistent washing. We can wash between 25 and 50 boxes per hour, depending on the type of boxes and the harvesting conditions from the previous season ,” says Arnaud.

The process is straightforward: once connected to the water supply and the high-pressure pump, the operator creates a program adapted to the dimensions of the boxes and starts the robot. The C100 then moves independently along a guiding rail, advancing and reversing at a constant speed, always performing the same washing motion.

During this time, the operator places and removes the boxes using a forklift. This organization helps maintain a steady pace while significantly reducing physical strain.

The nozzles, adjusted at the correct angle, ensure uniform washing—essential to maintaining a hygiene level that complies with the “Comité Nord recommendations,” (French organization) as Arnaud points out.

A significant but well-considered investment

Purchasing a robot represents a real cost for a farming operation. But for Arnaud, the investment is justified by what it brings to production:

“It is a significant investment for the farm, but the consistency and quality of the washing are so important that we don’t mind paying a bit for the extra assurance.”

By improving washing quality, sanitary safety, and working conditions at the same time, the robot has become a sustainable solution within SCEA Leborgne’s organization.