Leander van Bellen has been appointed CEO of the HDG Survey Group. Last year, he was already performing these duties on an interim basis and takes over from Rob Boogmans, who had to retire prematurely due to an illness. Leander, Stijn Verstijnen (Commercial Director), and Bas Lok (Director of Innovation and R&D) now form this European company's executive team. "I'm honored to work for this group. It has such a rich history and is well-known in the international fruit world," begins Leander.
Under the HDG Survey Group umbrella are HDG The Fruit Consultants, HDG Ibérica, Fruitify Experts, HDG Germany, Agri Software, and the HDG Academy. With locations in the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain and a partner network, the HDG Survey Group relieves fruit and vegetable sector companies worldwide of their quality management. They use an integrated service package of quality inspections, expert assessments, software, and training.
Stijn Verstijnen, Leander van Bellen, and Bas Lok at Fruit Logistica
Wealth of data available
"We're fully engaged in the question of how quality control will look in five to ten years. We're convinced data will become increasingly important. Over the years, we've collected a wealth of data, as have other parties in the chain. Transparency is sometimes missing, though, as everyone tends to stick to their system. The challenge will be to link that data. Via algorithms, we can head much more towards risk-driven inspections and will know upfront which container needs the most attention and time."
"Integrating all that data will also significantly reduce food waste. We're moving more towards predictive software that indicates time urgency and which pallet from a container matches our customers' desired specifications. HDG wants to be at the forefront of this," explains Leander.
HDG Academy
The HDG Survey Group invests a lot of energy in training. "After all, we're primarily a knowledge institute. We remain a service provider and must use our expertise to demonstrate our added value. We do that, among other things, with our own HDG Academy. Established in 2022, this institute aims to share the knowledge gained doing fruit and vegetable quality controls through specially designed training programs. That's in high demand, especially from cold storage facilities."
"Our biggest challenge will be to excite young talent to work in the QC sector. That's no easy task, as schools don't teach our discipline. Doing inspections in cold warehouses and waiting for the last container isn't always fun, either. Still, you work in an international, dynamic sector, and Big Data is the order of the day. We try to highlight that side of the profession as a training company, and with guest lectures at vocational schools (MBO-4)," Leander continues.
More frequent fruit shortages expected
"Fruit will always be transported to Europe. But, in recent years, climate change, delays due to conflicts, and regulations have clearly made that less of a given. Just look at El Niño's effect in Peru on this season's mango and blueberry supply. Europe will probably increasingly face fruit shortages in the coming years. The supply from South Africa still accounts for a large part of our work. That from Argentina and Chile has been declining in recent years, while Egypt - especially since the Red Sea issues - is on the rise again."
"Every day, our 70-strong team goes out to help importers, exporters, and insurers. We can rely on our international network of (quality) inspectors for all surveys anywhere in the world. We can completely relieve clients with a service package of quality inspections, expert assessments, inspection software, and training," Leander concludes.
For more information:
Leander van Bellen
HDG Survey Group
33 Marconi Street
3029 AG, Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0) 102 441 414
vanbellen@hdg-surveygroup.com
www.hdg-surveygroup.com