Yesterday, Hessing SuperVers officially took its new production site into use in the Netherlands. The Groente Versfabriek in Venlo was completed in January 2023. After some intensive testing of all systems and validation and implementation of the processes, the first spinach bags are now rolling off the conveyor belt on their way to supermarket shelves.
Hessing began designing this new production site five years ago and finally chose Greenport Venlo. An operational project organization devised and tested all the internal production processes.
Frank Hessing was there when the first spinach bags rolled off the conveyor belt.
Niels Deenen, Plant Manager at Hessing Greenport Venlo, was closely involved in that. "The team and I ensured the factory could actually start running and that could meet customer demands. Over the past month, we tested all the systems extensively. We've mastered the craft and know what we're doing. Now we need to increasingly understand the processes and introduce routine into our production. In short, we've begun and will now, slowly and carefully, expand in the coming months," he says.
New spinach line ensures improved quality
When choosing the new production lines, various functionalities were considered. These included finding more efficient cutting methods, reducing the cleaning time between products, and ways to extend the products' shelf life. "Looking at the spinach line, the most important thing was that it could minimize the moisture that sticks to spinach. The new spinach line is state-of-the-art and ensures as little moisture as possible remains on the spinach. That means our spinach has even better quality," says Niels.
State-of-the-art production site
Using automated processes, the new production site will soon process 320,000 kg of vegetables into 850+ different products every day. A trained team of specialists will control those processes, reinforced by Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). These AMRs transport raw materials, semi-finished products, and packaging materials to the correct production lines in the factory. "We have 100 production lines for cutting, washing, drying, and packaging fresh vegetables," says CEO Frank Hessing.
"We can, thus, guarantee production continuity. But it's more than just a vegetable processing plant. We've designed it so we can also handle future product innovations. This is a true high-care environment where, for meals, we can make all shapes, colors, and sizes. For example, we'll soon be able to process raw meat for steamed meals."
An inspiring workspace
The factory is not only super high-tech; the working environment has the latest amenities too. "The workplaces are neat and spacious and there are modern changing rooms, and staff can have tasty, healthy meals during breaks in the SuperCharge Café. They can also buy fresh fruit and vegetables at discounted prices at the SuperVers Shop. With this new location, we want to provide a pleasant, inspiring workplace for new and existing employees," Frank concludes.
For more information:
Hessing Supervers
8 Nieuwmarkt
1681 NP, Zwaagdijk, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 228 351760
Email: info@hessing.eu
Website: www.hessingsupervers.nl