Wiskerke Onions invests in storage capacity

After three years with relatively high onion prices, a lot of Dutch onions processors have invested in new storage capacity. One of the processors is Wiskerke Onion from Kruiningen (the Netherlands), who invested in to a new hall with a capacity of 2,500 crates.

A large part of the hall is used for storing crates. The hall is composed of three cells, which are made up of five segments, the storage technology of each cell can be controlled independently.

The crate storage is the only one of its kind in the Netherlands. "It is the latest technology of drying. Every segment is sealed by a air vent, that blows up between two rows of crates," explains Jaap.

The storage technology is complemented with the new Vison Controlstore Computer, that makes sure that there is a fast insight of the actual status. The registered data can be presented into graphs. This can easily be zoomed in and out, to make sure that the storage process can be analysed. With help of an integrated energy management programme, it is an able to limit the peak consumption but still keep the storage quality. "We save about 50% on our energy use," says Jaap.

Already the new warehouse, which can also serve as a freezing unit, has been full seven times, to begin with it was for the seed onions. A stable storage climate, now the quality of the onions is declining, and the outside temperature is changing, is clearly shows its value. Extra expansion is not an unnecessary luxury according to Jaap. "Every cell has a capacity of 800 crates and we can store 2.5 thousand tons in the warehouse per week. In the existing storage we can store that same amount of crates. That means that during the season you can store two weeks supply, but in some rainy periods it could become necessary to keep them in storage for three weeks to check how the quality of the onions.

Not only the crate storage has been extended. In the last year a new packing shed was built, and in the expedition room five trailers can be loaded at the same time. A new cafeteria has also been built overlooking the dock shelters and waiting products. "A professional look of the company is important to me. You cant let your workers sit in a dark room on crates. Everyday 600 pallets of onions go out of here. You don't do that alone but as a team", decides Wiskerke.

For more information, please visit: www.wiskerke-onions.nl