Mashruuc $20 Milyan oo Robot ah oo Ku Dhufanaya Shaqaalaha Avocado-ga Waqooyiga Australia
Shirkadda Avocado Collective ee Magaalada Manjimup, 300 kiiloomitir ka fog Perth, waxay ku guuleysatay inay ka bedesho qayb ka mid ah shaqaalaha fudud ee shaqada iyadoo isticmaashay toban robot oo Japan ka soo jeeda, taas oo ka dhigday inay laba jeer kor u qaaddo baahida maalinlaha ah.
Beddelka Shaqaalaha iyo Koritaanka Nidaamka
Shirkadda Avocado Collective waxay ku bixisay $17 milyan oo dollar si ay u soo saarto toban robot oo Japan ka soo jeeda, taas oo beddelay 40 ilaa 50 shaqaale oo fudud. Tani waxay ka dhigantahay inay hal mar kor u qaaddo baahida maalinlaha ah, iyadoo saddex qodob oo shaqo ah oo dhan la beddelay.
Waxaa sheegay madaxa nidaamka Craig Boyce inay robot-yadaagu u shaqeeyaan maalin kasta, aanay u baahnayn caafimaadka, isla markaana ay kordhiyaan nidaamka shaqada. Wuxuu intaas ku daray inay u baahan yihiin shaqaale kale oo maamul iyo ilaaliyaal ah, laakiin waxaa jira kordhin weyn oo ku saabsan kharashka shaqaalaha.
Xaaladda Shaqaalaha iyo Nidaamka PALM
Magaalada Manjimup waxay ku xiran tahay shaqaalaha dibadda ka yimaada nidaamka PALM, iyadoo 400 shaqaale oo dibadda ka yimaada ay ku shaqeeyaan meesha. Shirkadda Avocado Collective waxay sheegtay inay u baahan tahay inay ka fogaato nidaamkaas, iyadoo robot-yadaagu u bedelayaan shaqaalaha dibadda ka yimaada.
Waxaa sheegay Dean French, oo ah mid ka mid ah hantiyayaasha avocado-ga, inay robot-yadaagu u bedelayaan shaqaalaha dibadda ka yimaada, laakiin wuxuu intaas ku daray inay u baahan yihiin shaqaale kale oo maamul iyo ilaaliyaal ah. Wuxuu intaas ku daray inay u baahan yihiin shaqaale kale oo maamul iyo ilaaliyaal ah.
Fikirka Ururada iyo Xukuumadda
Ururka UnionsWA waxay sheegtay inay robot-yadaagu u bedelayaan shaqaalaha dibadda ka yimaada, laakiin wuxuu intaas ku daray inay u baahan yihiin shaqaale kale oo maamul iyo ilaaliyaal ah. Wuxuu intaas ku daray inay u baahan yihiin shaqaale kale oo maamul iyo ilaaliyaal ah.
Xukuumadda Australia waxay sheegtay inay diyaar u tahay nidaamka PALM, isla markaana ay diyaar u tahay inay ilaashato caafimaadka iyo nolosha shaqaalaha. Wuxuu intaas ku daray inay u baahan yihiin shaqaale kale oo maamul iyo ilaaliyaal ah.
The Avocado Collective in Manjimup, Western Australia, has installed nine Japanese-made robots that halve its casual workforce while doubling output, as part of a $20 million automation push amid rising labour costs and uncertainty over overseas worker schemes.
Robots slash staff, double production
The Avocado Collective, which describes itself as Australia's largest packing facility, has replaced between 40 and 50 casual workers with nine Japanese-built machines at its Manjimup site, 300 kilometres south of Perth. Operations manager Craig Boyce said the robots now handle pallet stacking, scanning and forklift driving, roles that previously required human staff. The machines cost $17 million and are part of a broader $20 million investment in automation across the facility.
Automation has allowed the collective to more than double its potential weekly output from 1 million kilograms to 2.52 million, with three quarters of operations now automated. Mr Boyce said the shift was driven by escalating labour costs and the difficulty of recruiting local workers, noting that management and maintenance roles still require people. 'You'll never replace everyone because you still need a level of management and maintenance,' he said, adding that the cost of labour is 'an ever-increasing phenomenon.'
Reliance on migrant workers under pressure
Manjimup has become heavily reliant on migrant workers through the federal government's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme, with an estimated 400 working in the region. Pemberton grower and collective director Dean French said automation reduces dependence on the scheme, though PALM workers remain welcomed. Fellow grower George Ipsen said the industry imports labour from the Pacific Islands and East Timor, and warned that changes to the PALM system could 'destroy the industry here.'
The Australian Government provides employers up to $600 for each PALM worker for job-specific training and said it remained committed to the scheme and to ensuring the safety, welfare and wellbeing of workers. Mr Ipsen expressed concern that the government could alter the PALM system after it slowed backpacker visas, while the collective noted that local recruitment remains difficult. 'We find it very difficult to get locals to work,' Mr French said, highlighting the ongoing tension between automation and labour supply.
Mixed reactions from unions and experts
UnionsWA secretary Rikki Hendon called for greater guardrails to protect workers, saying automation 'may make businesses more profitable, but much of the evidence points to it making our communities poorer.' University of Sydney work and labour market professor Chris Wright accepted that automation could ease health and safety concerns but warned it could eliminate jobs and affect livelihoods, particularly for casual and PALM workers.
Despite concerns, the collective said automation created opportunities for local staff, moving them from forklift driving to robotic technician roles. Avocados Australia chairman Brad Rogers said the PALM scheme would remain important, noting that 'physical labour is going to be around for a very long time.' The Australian Government said it remained committed to the PALM scheme and to ensuring the safety, welfare and wellbeing of workers.
