CMA, innovative technologies for apple harvesting

Unlike many manufacturers of agricultural machinery, which established themselves after the Second World War thanks to the systematic mechanisation of Italian agriculture, the company CMA- Carpenterie Metalliche Anaunia began operating more recently. The Trentino company - based in Sarnonico in the Val di Non - opened its own production facility in 1989, devoting itself mainly to carpentry activities, relating to the production and processing of sheet metal. This, however, is not the only production branch of the Sarnonico company, which also manufactures fire doors alongside carpentry and frames for third parties. CMA's entry into the agro-mechanical sector, a sector far removed from its original one, is linked to its collaboration with another Trentino company, the FAE group, which is also based in Val di Non (in Fondo). The partnership with one of the leading manufacturers of machinery and equipment for forestry thus allows Carpenterie Metalliche Anaunia to consolidate its position on the market, but it is thanks to the collaboration with Marco Marini, a farmer from Val di Non, that the company developed specific know-how in the construction of mechanical means for agriculture. The paths of CMA and Marini crossed when the latter designed a mechanical platform - the future Compact V11 model - intended for harvesting apples on his own plot of land. The machine's performance was so high that it attracted the attention of other local farmers. They, of course, also asked to use the platform made by Marini. Thus began the marketing of the Compact range, designed to meet the specific needs of farmers in the Val di Non. Offered in electric or hybrid versions, the Compact platforms lend themselves to different types of set-up, based on the work that the operator is called upon to carry out. Indeed, the platforms can be used not only for pruning, thinning and maintenance work on hail nets but, thanks to the special belt kit, they can be used also for apple and, more generally, other fruit harvesting. The range consists of two main models, Compact V11 and Multiplex, which can be adapted and customised according to the different working user needs. The first model, the V11, is mainly intended for agricultural producers in Trentino, who find themselves working on difficult terrain, with slopes that are often very pronounced (they can be as steep as 40%). On these soils - CMA explains in a technical note - the Compact V11 platform is popular for its stability and safety features, which make harvesting operations much easier for farmers. A distinctive feature of the Compact Multiplex models is the great freedom of customisation. The platform can be equipped with two or four-wheel drive, two or four-wheel steering and can also be fitted with automatic longitudinal levelling technology. It is thanks to the versatility of this second machine, expressly designed by the Trentino-based manufacturer for the foreign market, that the CMA brand has been able to conquer market shares in Europe (Austria, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, among others), Australia and North America.