A new palletiser wasn’t actually planned on yet, but when Marco de Vries from Vriemex heard about Solidtec’s new machine, it was an easy decision to make. “The carrots are not just stacked quickly, but also very neatly.”
Vriemex, active in the storage, processing and trade of carrots, sells and buys carrots for export. The company from Nagele can also wash, brush, sort and pack the carrots, mostly of the Nerac variety, if desired. “We supply carrots year-round, both summer and winter carrots of Class I B carrot quality. Important destinations for us are countries in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe,” says Marco de Vries. Besides conventional carrot, Vriemex also trades in organic carrots.
Marco de Vries en Edwin Moerdijk.
Poland important carrot market
Years ago, Marco took over the company from his father. He previously had an arable farm with his brother in Poland. The carrot company from the Noordoostpolder has been in the De Vries family for years, and consists of Vriemex and cooling company De Vries. Vriemex trades in carrots, and the cooling company stores the carrots, and takes care of the washing, brushing, sorting and packing. Both companies use each other’s services. “The carrots primarily come from the Noordoostpolder and Flevoland. Part is bought in advance through contract farming and the rest is bought on the free market during the season. We work with permanent growers a lot, of whom we know the products. They are farmers who really take care of their land,” he explains.
The carrot market is calm early January. According to Marco, other production countries also have a lot of good-quality carrots. “In the past, demand started much earlier than nowadays. Everyone now has plenty of own production. The increasing production in Poland is also something to bear in mind. They are working very hard over there, and we have noticed that. Perhaps we should start looking for new markets, such as destinations farther away. Those could definitely offer opportunities, but even more attention would have to be paid to quality then.”
Cooling company De Vries has a capacity of 17,000 crates, all of which can be processed, in principle. The processing of carrots has experienced quite a development in recent years. In 2000, 700 tonnes of carrot were processed, but in 2007, that number had risen to 11,000 tonnes, and nowadays, the counter is at 25,000 tonnes. The carrots are packed in cubic crates or big-bags of 1,000 kilograms or in netting or film bags of 10 kilograms, and sent to wholesalers in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe, from where they are sold to supermarkets and for market trade. Marco says that especially Poland is a major buyer. He has also seen an increase in demand for plastic bags. “We hardly ever do small packaging. If that demand should occur, we can take care of it, but purely as a service. For small packaging we work with M&B Peen from Kraggenburg.”
New palletiser
De Vries recently purchased a new palletiser, for palletising and wrapping the bags. “We weren’t supposed to buy a new machine, in all honesty,” he admits. Previously, Vriemex was in business with Moerdijk Techniek Dronten for the purchasing of used machines. Owner Edwin started Solidtec about two years ago, and the company produces and sells palletisers. Marco: “We became enthusiastic when we saw the new machine, and quickly discovered its benefits. The cooperation with TSG for controlling the machines gave us the confidence to do business with Solidtec. The new palletiser results in higher capacity, and, moreover, a representatively stacked pallet. Our wish was to first place cardboard on the pallet before stacking it. That way, carrots can’t drop between the pallet, which prevents damages and results in a neater stack. Besides, hygienically speaking it also has advantages. In the US, for instance, such a cardboard sheet is commonplace.”
Edwin Moerdijk from Solidtec incorporated Marco’s specific wishes in the design. For example, the use of RVS to prevent corrosion was an important point of attention. “The moisture of the carrots gets into the machine. To prevent this, all of the parts that come into contact with the product are made from RVS and provided with a powder coating,” he explains. “Additionally, they asked to place a cardboard sheet on the empty pallet. For this, a slip sheet dispenser is used. The machine is also easy to maintain, parts can easily be replaced and the machine can be remote-controlled. Moreover, this palletiser is one of the faster machines on the market, with a capacity of 35 to 36 bags per minute.” After years of experience selling new and used machines, the young entrepreneur started developing and producing his own machines about 18 months ago. Through his national and international network, he was able to make a good start.
More information:
Vriemex
Marco de Vries en