GTL takes mushroom packing automation to the next level

Labour availability remains one of the biggest challenges facing mushroom growers worldwide. While much of the industry’s attention has traditionally focused on automating harvesting, GTL Europe is now taking another important step in the process with its newly developed Packing Robot.

The system is designed to automate the transition from harvested mushroom to finished, ready-to-sell product. It forms the final link in GTL’s broader Swift Harvest concept, but can also be used independently by growers already working with GTL’s blue conveyor belt system.

From mushroom to punnet

Traditionally, packing still involves several manual steps. Mushrooms need to be assessed, sorted, weighed, trimmed where necessary and placed into the correct punnet or crate. GTL’s Packing Robot is designed to take over much of this work automatically.

After harvesting, mushrooms arrive at the robot without needing to be precisely positioned. Two vision systems guide the process. A first vision box integrated into the robotic arm identifies which mushroom should be picked next. While the mushroom moves towards the packaging, it passes a second vision system that assesses its quality, size and estimated weight, and determines whether the stem needs trimming.

Using this information, the system decides which punnet or crate the mushroom belongs in. If trimming is necessary, this is carried out immediately before the mushroom is placed into its packaging.

Vision technology makes the difference

An interesting aspect of the system is that mushrooms do not first have to be neatly arranged before the robot can handle them. Instead, vision technology continuously analyses the incoming product and determines the next action.

This may sound like a relatively small detail, but it is important for practical automation. Mushrooms are naturally variable products: they differ in size, shape and orientation. Being able to recognise and handle products while they are randomly positioned can simplify the flow between harvesting and packing considerably.

At the same time, automated inspection and handling should contribute to a more consistent final product and reduce unnecessary handling and product damage.

Part of a bigger rethink of harvesting

The Packing Robot becomes particularly interesting when viewed within GTL’s Swift Harvest concept.

Rather than treating harvesting and packing as two separate operations, Swift Harvest connects harvesting, product handling, cooling and automated packing in one integrated process. Mushrooms are harvested from the growing bed, transferred while maintaining their position, and can then move through cooling before robots select, trim and pack them.

Separating the moment of harvesting from the moment of packing could also give growers more flexibility in organising labour and production. Packing robots can continue processing product independently of exactly when the mushrooms were harvested.

First robot already in operation

GTL reports that its first Packing Robot has been operating successfully at a customer site since July 1, 2026.

And development is already moving further. The current machine works with GTL’s blue conveyor belt system, but the company is working towards a version that can pick mushrooms directly from the growing film and place them straight into the appropriate packaging without the intermediate conveyor belts.

For growers, that direction is perhaps the most interesting part of the development. Automation is increasingly moving beyond replacing one individual manual task. The focus is shifting towards redesigning the complete flow from growing room to packed product.

With labour pressure unlikely to disappear, technologies that combine product recognition, quality assessment and packing in one automated process may become an increasingly important part of the modern mushroom farm.

Read more about GTL and automating harvesting here.