18-09-2026
Flier and Machinnova automate rootstock grafting
For years, grafting stayed manual work while the rest of propagation automated around it. The Smart Grafting Automation CutClip (SGA-CutClip) is the answer to that. Flier Systems and Machinnova Group are bringing the machine to market together: cutting and clipping rootstocks for fruity vegetables, fully automated. Machinnova builds it, Flier brings it to market.
The operator sets a tray in the machine. The SGA-CutClip does the rest, plant by plant: top leaf off, stem cut, clip placed. No manual steps in between.
The cutting and clipping units clean themselves after every tray, which limits cross-contamination. Capacity: up to 5,000 plants per hour, one operator. Growers can keep using their existing clips and knives.
The real difference is below the surface. The plants never leave the tray. Other methods lift young plants out and put them back; the SGA-CutClip works in place, so the root system stays intact.
Noordam has been running it for a year and calls that the clearest gain: undisturbed roots, less stress, a more even crop after grafting.
The partnership doesn't stop at bringing a machine to market. Flier's PLC technology is built into the machine, so operators work with the interface and the logic they already know from other Flier equipment. There's a camera in it too. Flier's service engineers use it to look in remotely, see what the grower sees and help without getting in the car first.
The SGA-CutClip becomes part of the Flier range.
"This partnership shows where we are heading in young plant automation, and specifically in the fruity vegetable market. We don't believe we need to do everything ourselves. By working with the right partners, we can combine expertise and technology to accelerate automation across the propagation process. What we deliver, we also have to be able to service. That is why the control runs from Flier, and why there is a camera in the machine. We can look in remotely and help quickly," says Ad Kranendonk, Commercial Director at Flier.
"The enthusiasm was there from our first conversation with Ad. What mattered to us from the start was that Machinnova keeps building the machine. That is how it will work: we build, Flier takes it to the market and backs it up with service," says Luuk Pardoen, Engineer at Machinnova Group.
The sum is simple. The SGA-CutClip turns a labor-intensive job into a consistent, repeatable process. Tray after tray.
Machinnova showed the machine at Propagate! at RDM Next in Rotterdam, themed around labor in propagation this year. Fitting.
The SGA-CutClip becomes available through Flier in the coming months. Interested?
