The traditional destination of Spanish citrus, the fresh market, has been mostly of those harvested by hand. Currently, this practice is one of the main added costs of field production and the commercialization process. However, the recent installation of juice processing companies has led to modern plantations of high yielding quality oranges for processing. The competitiveness of these plantations is enhanced through mechanized harvesting as a priority strategy to reduce production costs and to improve competitiveness. © ISHS 2012.