The journey from harvest to oil

Cost-effective design 

It was a rapid turnaround. When Trelleborg began planning the redesigned belt at the end of 2023, as well as giving the product a new name, it decided to stop using the distinctive neon green color of its previous conveyor belt model, Carrygreen, enhance the conveyor belt's design, and alter the materials used to make the belt more cost-effective.

"We wanted to visually split the old generation of belts from the new generation," Silc explains of the shift toward a more neutral olive color.

While developing the new design, Trelleborg worked with its Spanish distributor to enhance the olive conveyor belt to meet customer requirements even more closely.

One issue with the previous generation belt was that it could trap olives and drop them on the ground on the underside of the belt. To counter this, Trelleborg shortened the gaps between the raised chevron sections in the middle of the belt from the 16 millimeters used for the Carrygreen belt. 

Silc adds; “The color change was about more than signaling a new generation. It requires lower quantities of pigment and it is less sensitive to dirt, making it easier to manufacture. It also has a higher proportion of silicone filler, again saving on more expensive polymer.”

The team also added a tackifying resin to make the olives stick better to the belt, as well as kaolin, an inactive filler, to improve processability on the calendaring line, where the material goes through heated rollers to produce the belts. 

Once developed, Kovacic’s team adjusted the curing process and other aspects of manufacturing.

Ozone and UV-resistant 

The new conveyor belt compound no longer contains natural rubber (NR), instead consisting of a blend of two synthetic polymers, Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber (SBR) and Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer rubber (EPDM). 

“As natural rubber is sensitive to ozone and UV light, the new belt is more resistant to the harsh Spanish sun, a significant advantage over other belts,” says Kovacic.

Overall changes to the compound made the conveyor belt more cost-effective and in a price-sensitive market like Spain’s olive industry, this could make a difference. 

"The majority of purchasing decisions for belts are made on a combination of performance level and price," Kovacic explains. 

"We still need to offer technical benefits, because this is something end customers and their distributors are looking for. However, we still want to be cost-effective," Silc explains. 

The belts have Slovenian authority approval for US, EU and German federal food processing standards, and are now in the process of being assessed by the Spanish authorities.

As well as the greater resistance to UV, Carryolive is also highly adaptable. The chevron belts have different segment molds, allowing Trelleborg to offer different assemblies. 

"You can put them together a bit like playing with Lego blocks," Silc explains.

He says that the company's ability to manufacture custom-made belts is one of its key advantages. 

Kovacics believes this more bespoke approach is the future, with the company increasingly moving away from standard conveyor belts and instead aiming to be a niche producer.

Happy harvest 

Trelleborg launched Carryolive at the Expoliva olive fair in Andalusia, Spain, in May 2025. 

"The six or seven major equipment manufacturers in the Spanish market all came to our booth and started talking with us," Silc says. "They were really happy with the belt, and we are now receiving orders." 

In October and November, the new Carryolive belts went into action for the first time to carry olives for processing and harvesting across Spain. Trelleborg intends to launch the belt in other olive markets such as Greece, Italy, North Africa, Turkey, the US and Australia. 

As each belt typically has a life of between five and ten years before replacement, it will be some time before the belt's performance advantages over competitor products become clear. After the reception at Expoliva, however, Silc is confident that the new generation of olive conveyor belts will be well-received. 

“We presented the product, people saw it and they are really happy about it, and we will see what the future brings."

From branch to bottle

Conveyer belts feature in various stages of olive harvesting and processing:

In olive groves, conveyor belts carry olives from the nets that catch them as they fall off the olive trees when they are shook mechanically, up a ramp into a trailer. They also take them from the trailer to a silo or other storage area.

In processing plants, they transport olives for washing and crushing into oil, and then, at the end of the process, remove the waste olive paste.

Learn more about solutions for food & beverages at Trelleborg.com.