What Tong Engineering does

Tong Engineering Ltd is a UK-headquartered, fourth-generation family-owned manufacturer of vegetable handling and grading equipment, founded in 1930 in Spilsby, Lincolnshire and operating from a new state-of-the-art production facility completed in 2020. The company designs and manufactures custom-built equipment for the vegetable and recycling industries — including the flagship Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Grader (80-100 tons/hour throughput), EasyClean Separators, barrel washers, pre-soak tanks, destoners, optical sorting integrations, infeed hoppers, box fillers, tippers, conveyors, and store loading systems — serving vegetable growers, packers, and processors handling potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, beetroot, swedes, and apples across the UK and internationally.

The company's underlying technology stack is rooted in mechanical engineering rather than software: proprietary Blue Inverter Technology delivers over 50% energy savings versus standard mechanical drives; Auto-Touch HMI Controls with Pro-Series diagnostics enable instant machine adjustment, fault detection with precise location information, and predictive maintenance scheduling; EasyClean separators feature auto-reject foreign object removal with electric direct drive motors on every shaft; Category 3 Safety Systems and multi-camera monitoring provide operational safety and visibility. Equipment is integrated with third-party optical sorting systems (TOMRA 3A, TOMRA Sentinal II, Visar Sortop, MAF Roda) and Tong distributes complementary brands including Verbruggen palletisers under UK distribution agreements. The Tong SwiftLift sub-brand covers store loading elevators and conveyors, and TongHUB is an online portal providing customers with digital access to operator manuals and spare parts specifications.

Tong operates a sales-led go-to-market with direct sales from its Spilsby headquarters, a dedicated Tong USA subsidiary (Fremont, Michigan), and an international dealer network covering 50+ countries. Revenue derives primarily from custom-built hardware sales priced on a per-system basis (with multi-year contract structures and bespoke quotes), supplemented by spare parts (same/next-day delivery), aftersales and emergency service, and equipment finance solutions. Disclosed annual revenue exceeds £19 million, headcount is 165+ employees, and the customer base includes Morrisons, Branston, Kettle Chips, Albert Bartlett, Produce World Group, Barfoots, Scattered Acre Farms, Cherry Hill Coolstores, and Aspall Cyder. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification through BSI (certificate FS 790443) and employs three wholly-owned subsidiaries (Tong USA, Tong SwiftLift, and the legacy Tong Peal brand).

Name

Tong Engineering

Legal name

Tong Engineering Ltd

Website

https://tongengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tong Engineering is a UK family-owned manufacturer (founded 1930) of custom-built vegetable handling and grading equipment — including its flagship Caretaker Mobile Grader — serving growers, packers, and processors across 50+ countries with proprietary energy-efficient automation and integrated optical sorting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Equipment — Vegetable Handling and Grading Machinery

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF)

Keywords

• Vegetable handling equipment
• Potato grading machinery
• Agricultural washing equipment
• Optical sorting systems
• Box filling equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Spilsby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom-built vegetable handling equipment sales: Sale of bespoke vegetable handling machinery including graders, washers, cleaners, conveyors, tippers, fillers, hoppers and complete turnkey handling lines. Equipment ranges from single machines to integrated systems. Revenue model is primarily one-time hardware sales with customization.
2. Spare parts and aftersales service: Comprehensive range of spare parts for grading, washing, and all vegetable handling equipment. Parts available for same or next day delivery, with ability to manufacture parts to customer specifications or source from other manufacturers. Aftersales service including installation, maintenance, and out-of-hours emergency support.
3. Finance solutions: Equipment financing options offered to customers to support purchase of vegetable handling machinery

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tong Engineering is a UK-based manufacturer that designs, builds and supplies custom-built vegetable handling and grading equipment — including mobile graders (Caretaker), cleaners, washers, destoners, hoppers, tippers, conveyors, box fillers, elevators and complete turnkey handling lines — for vegetable growers, packers and processors across more than 50 countries. The portfolio spans single machines to fully integrated handling systems with proprietary Blue Inverter Technology and Auto-Touch HMI controls, complemented by spare parts, aftersales service and equipment finance solutions.

Product overview

Tong Engineering is a UK-based manufacturer of vegetable handling equipment with over 90 years of experience (founded 1930). The product portfolio centers on the Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Grader as the flagship product, complemented by a comprehensive range of handling equipment including cleaning systems (EasyClean Separator, Adjustable Coil Cleaner, Star Cleaner), washing equipment (Vegetable Barrel Washers, Pre-Soak Tanks), grading lines (EasyGrade, Lift Roller Graders), and material handling (hoppers, conveyors, elevators, box fillers, tippers). The company operates the Tong SwiftLift sub-brand for store loading elevators and conveyors. Products integrate third-party optical sorting solutions including TOMRA 3A/Sentinal II and Visar Sortop. The portfolio includes distributed products (Verbruggen palletisers, MAF Roda sorting equipment) where Tong acts as UK distributor. An online TongHUB portal provides digital documentation access. Equipment features proprietary Blue Inverter Technology and Auto-Touch HMI controls for energy efficiency and advanced operation. Products are available as custom-built systems, stock machinery for immediate delivery, or used equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tong SwiftLift: Quality store loading elevators and conveyors brand
• TongHUB

Products and services

• Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Grader Worldwide best-selling mobile vegetable grader for gentle, efficient grading of potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips and beets. Custom-built widths from 1.2m to 2.4m, throughputs up to 80–100 tons per hour, with optional EasyClean separator, advanced Auto-Touch HMI controls, TOMRA 3A optical sorting and all-electric Blue Inverter drive.
• EasyClean Separator Market-leading cartridge-style crop cleaning separator with auto-reject foreign-object removal and Blue Inverter electric direct drive on every shaft for unrivalled cleaning in all soil conditions.
• EasyGrade Screen Grading Screen grading system designed for gentle handling and accurate grading of vegetables.
• Adjustable Coil Cleaner Cleaning system with polyurethane or steel coil rollers in 4, 6 or 8 rows, suitable for light soil conditions; can be fitted after EasyClean for sizing crops between 15mm and 55mm.
• Vegetable Barrel Washers High-capacity barrel washing machines in stainless or mild steel for potatoes, carrots, parsnips, swedes, beetroot and celeriac, with throughputs from 1.5 to 30 tons per hour and optional integrated destoners.
• Vegetable Pre-Soak Tank Pre-soak tank with integrated destoner for heavily soiled vegetables, with optional fresh or recirculated water rinse bar and floating debris remover.
• Vegetable Destoners Destoners using water-destoning design where stones sink and crop floats; available as integrated in barrel washer tanks or standalone cyclone/flume destoners.
• Vegetable Grading Lines Complete grading lines for vegetables including lift roller graders for larger grade-band requirements such as swedes.
• Lift Roller Grader Grader with forward-moving grade rollers and height-adjustable top rollers designed for larger grade-band requirements such as swedes.
• Infeed Hoppers Heavy-duty mild-steel or stainless-steel hoppers for receiving bulk loads of vegetables, with flow control sensor for continuous feed into processing lines.
• Even Flow Hopper Hopper designed for even, continuous flow of crop into handling systems.
• Tong SwiftLift Interstore Mobile Elevators Quality mobile elevators for store loading operations under the Tong SwiftLift sub-brand.
• Tong SwiftLift Interstore Mobile Conveyors Mobile conveyors for interstore and crop handling operations under the Tong SwiftLift sub-brand.
• EasyFill Box Filler Box filler for gentle, even filling of boxes; available in Midi version.
• UniFill Big Bag and Box Filler Dual-purpose filler for big bags and boxes with HMI touch-screen controls.
• MonstaFill Box Filler Twin-head high-capacity box filler for gentle, even filling of 1- or 2-ton boxes, designed to minimise forklift movements and nearly triple throughput.
• Jetfill Big Bag Filler Next-generation big-bag filling solution launched in 2022 for high-capacity filling operations.
• E-TIP Box Tipper Next-generation all-electric box tipper for vegetable handling operations.
• Storemaker Bulk Handling System Bulk handling system for store loading and field loading operations.
• Water Treatment Systems Water treatment and recycling systems for vegetable processing facilities that maintain water freshness, reduce consumption and minimise equipment wear.
• TongHUB Online Portal Online operators manual platform providing customers with a personal online equipment library including user manuals and spare parts specifications, accessible via PC or mobile device.
• Stock Machinery Pre-built machinery available for immediate delivery, including EasyFill box fillers, UniFill big bag and box fillers, Storemaker bulk handling systems, soil elevators, box filler elevators, box tippers, bins and skips.
• Used Equipment Pre-owned vegetable handling equipment available for purchase.
• Spare Parts Comprehensive range of spare parts for grading, washing and other vegetable handling equipment, available for same- or next-day delivery, with capability to manufacture custom parts and source difficult-to-find items.
• Finance Solutions Equipment financing options offered to customers to support purchase of vegetable handling machinery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy savings of over 50% with Blue Inverter Technology compared to standard mechanical drive systems
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VerbruggencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial UK distributor of Dutch-manufactured Verbruggen palletising solutions. Designed for quality and durability, Verbruggen palletisers deliver an incredibly stable stack and consistent performance.
• MAF Roda AgroboticcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench machinery manufacturers supplying fully-automated fruit and vegetable sorting machines worldwide. Tong is the UK distributor of MAF Roda optical sorting equipment.
• VisarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss manufacturer of Visar Sortop optical potato and carrot sorters. Utilising unique 360 degree infrared vision, the Visar significantly increases percentage of saleable crop. Tong is the UK's sole distributor.
• TOMRAcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with TOMRA for optical sorting solutions integrated into Tong equipment. TOMRA 3A optical sorter and TOMRA Sentinal II available as integrated options within Caretaker grader and washing lines for automated removal of stones, clod and debris.
• Dobmac MachinerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial dealer for Tong Engineering in Australia and New Zealand. Handles sales, installation, and support for Tong equipment in these territories.
• Modern Produce EquipmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS East Coast dealer for Tong Engineering. Collaborated with Tong on potato washing facility installation for Scattered Acre Farms in Pennsylvania.
• AGRISEPminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor for AGRISEP clod separator equipment, expanding Tong's product portfolio for handling solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Haith Group: UK-based manufacturer of vegetable and root crop handling equipment including washers, graders, and box handling systems. Directly competes with Tong across the UK grower and packer customer base and shares much of the same product portfolio structure.
• Wyma Engineering: New Zealand-headquartered manufacturer of post-harvest vegetable handling equipment including washing, grading, and conveying systems. Competes with Tong internationally, particularly in Australia, New Zealand, and North American potato and carrot packhouses.
• Kiremko: Dutch manufacturer of potato processing equipment including washing, peeling, and cutting lines. Overlaps with Tong in potato processing customers in Europe and increasingly in North America, particularly for integrated French fry and chip processing lines.
• Tummers Machinebouw: Netherlands-based manufacturer of potato processing equipment including washing, peeling, drying, and de-stoning machinery. Comparable to Tong in product scope and customer base among European potato processors.
• Dykstra: Netherlands-based supplier of vegetable processing and handling equipment including washing, grading, and inspection systems. Competes with Tong in European root vegetable and onion processing markets with comparable product offerings.
• Sormac: Dutch manufacturer of vegetable processing machinery including washing, peeling, cutting, and drying systems. Directly comparable to Tong in product category and European customer base across fresh-cut and pre-pack vegetable processors.
• A & K Development: UK-based designer and manufacturer of potato and vegetable handling equipment including graders, washers, and complete handling lines. Competes with Tong head-to-head in the UK potato and root vegetable packhouse segment with similar bespoke-build model.

Broad incumbents

• TOMRA: Global sensor-based sorting and food technology company and Tong's optical sorting partner. While Tong distributes TOMRA products in the UK, TOMRA also competes as an integrated turnkey line supplier in produce sorting globally, making it both a partner and a partial competitor.
• MAF Roda Agrobotic: French manufacturer of fully-automated fruit and vegetable sorting machinery and a Tong distribution partner. Operates globally with broader scale than Tong and competes for integrated packhouse contracts, particularly in apples, citrus, and tomatoes.
• Bühler Group: Swiss global food processing equipment manufacturer with extensive reach in grain, food, and advanced materials. While not focused on fresh produce, Bühler competes for integrated food processing capital projects and has the scale and R&D resources to enter adjacent markets over time.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tongltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/tongltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tong-engineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tong Engineering