SUCCESS is in the bag for turf-growing firm Rolawn of Elvington if this machine has anything to do with it.

The machine, which is the result of a six-figure investment, premixes and bags the topsoil, or blended loam, for which the company is also well known.

A public demand for blended loam in big cubic metre bags set the Rolawn engineers the task of designing and building a one-machine production unit.

Measuring 41 feet (12 metres) long by 26 feet (eight metres) wide and standing 16 feet (five metres) high the new plant premixes material and bags up to 250 cubic metre big bags an hour.

That is 2,500 tonnes per day or, put another way, nearly 500 full articulated lorry loads per week.

Terry Ryan, sales and marketing director, said: "Selling topsoil may sound easy, but providing a consistent, quality product that is safe and low in potentially toxic elements throughout the UK is a significant challenge.This machine gives us the opportunity to capitalise on our projections which indicate sustained growth in this market over the coming years."

Updated: 10:29 Tuesday, September 20, 2005