Cultivators must be accurate, efficient, and capable of scaling up while maintaining consistency. To stay competitive in an evolving marketplace, growers need to automate their operations with reliable technology.
From trimming to packaging, automation is necessary at every stage of the pre- and post-harvest process. To serve this need, High Tek USA used its two decades of experience in the food industry to create solutions based on best practices in food production while simultaneously catering to the unique needs of cannabis.
Companies that are new to automated operations require the expertise of those accustomed to dealing with standardized and heavily regulated production. When legalization began trending in the United States, High Tek President Jason Sigman recognized an unfulfilled need. Many companies were trying to use equipment that was designed for other industries, so High Tek began designing technology to address cannabis producers’ unique needs.
Within three years, almost half the orders High Tek received were placed by cannabis companies. Through customer testimonials and word of mouth, High Tek has built an esteemed reputation in the industry. Products like the High Tek Mini Weigher, jar indexing lines, pouch machines, and feed systems can work together to automate packaging efficiently.
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High Tek USA mini weigher with jar lane and bucket elevator.
The company’s weigher was born in response to a request from a cannabis producer who needed equipment that was user-friendly and adaptable. Unlike food producers, cannabis companies often are not equipped with full-time maintenance teams, so High Tek ensured troubleshooting tasks and the complexity of equipment operation were minimized. “The Mini Weigher is specifically designed for cannabis processing,” said Sigman. “We implemented key features that were not present in competitors’ designs and focused on ease of use.”
Before equipment is shipped to a customer, High Tek can pre-load the machine with settings to address the customer’s operating environment, personalize the equipment with the customer’s branding, and modify the machine’s profile to accommodate specific facility requirements. Once the equipment arrives at its destination, High Tek spends four days on site making sure customers are adept at using, maintaining, cleaning, and adjusting their new acquisition.
One mark of a good equipment provider is ongoing customer service. Quality support can help companies keep profits up, avoid long interruptions in operations, and scale equipment to increase capacity. With potential supply-chain issues looming over numerous industries, top-notch customer support is essential for consistent production. High Tek provides around-the-clock tech support, and the equipment manufacturer has spent the past two years building its inventory to ensure customers get the parts they need without critically disrupting operational flow.
“High Tek has always made service and support its number-one focus and an integral part of its business structure,” Sigman said. “We don’t cater to one size or one specific industry. We treat all customers and industries the same, no matter the size of their business. Our support structure is like no other.”
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High Tek USA mini weigher.
Speed and accuracy are the hallmarks of efficient manufacturing, and the digital control screen on the High Tek Mini Weigher makes controlling both easy. The system can be used to weigh flower and edibles, making it particularly useful for operations with dual needs and limited facility space. Operators can adjust the machine to weigh and dispense flower in one- to twenty-eight-gram portions at an accuracy within a hundredth of a gram. At its most efficient, the Mini Weigher can perform up to sixty weighs a minute, a task that would take an individual multiple hours to perform by hand.
Because industrial weighers have been present in food production for years, High Tek did not have to reinvent the wheel for cannabis. Instead, the company produced specialized versions of existing equipment fine-tuned to meet the standards of cannabis production. Fully cleaning the Mini Weigher takes only sixty minutes, and a quick wipe-down can be completed in fifteen minutes. An integrated kief screen on the Mini Weigher feeder unit collects and minimizes kief, and polycarbonate enclosures keep kief in the machine. Operators can zero-adjust the machine at the start of each session to ensure accuracy. “All the equipment is modular for upgrades down the road to help our customers scale their production even further,” said Sigman.
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High Tek USA mini weigher.
Some equipment available in the market is flashy but lacks functionality, Sigman said. Building quality automated systems for cannabis production requires attention to detail, engineering expertise, and knowledge of practices in similar industries. As an expert in food-production equipment, High Tek was able to modify the technology used in its original industry and adjust aspects to create a pharmaceutical-grade design for cannabis production. Successful operations require reliable and durable integrated automation, and High Tek helps optimize those systems.
Although sales have declined recently, long-term growth remains in the forecast. Analysts predict more than a dozen U.S. states will legalize the plant for medical or adult use over the next seven years. As the marketplace increases in size, adaptability will be key. Those with highly functional automated operations will have a big advantage.
