Potato World vision Yield and not price determines the investment At this moment, there is a great demand in the market for cost-efficient production methods. It is therefore necessary to improve the user return on investment. As far as cost-efficiency is concerned, the cheapest production methods are usually not the best. Many companies have fallen into that trap. They purchased cheap machinery resulting in poor quality equipment requiring high maintenance and other costs, or even early replacement. The key to cost efficiency depends on the quality of the design and the engineering of the production methods you choose. In fact, better-designed production lines with new and intuitive designs and technology take companies to a higher level. Technical improvements include developments in digital camera technology and completely-new directions in machine design. With higher speeds, better product recognition and less use of energy and water, these developments lead to considerable improvements in grading, washing and, at the end of the line, packaging. They also result in higher capacity and they optimise production-efficiency with gentle products handling. This means the product quality improves, installations are longer in use and labour costs can be reduced. Because of extreme lifting conditions, small packagers have been confronted in recent years with field crop products that are often of low quality, while they need to deliver high-quality produce. Fortunately, there are now intelligent and innovative solutions available for these problems. For example, there are currently machines that improve the quality of the lifting process, remove the tare intelligently, grade more efficiently and so deliver a higher-quality lot to the small packager or the industry. This results in further optimisation of the chain from the field to the display shelf. Clever companies work with innovative suppliers of machinery with improved performance and quality design. These suppliers deliver both tailored solutions and turn-key lines or even complete industrial solutions. With more individually-tailored, technical solutions in their machinery, these companies will achieve a much better return on their investment and will be able to provide their customers with firstrate products. ● Mark Verschuren Managing director of Herbert Engineering BV Eindhoven PW-ACTUA The NAO Project Foundation appoints Erwinia researcher Jenny Fokkema starts work as a researcher for the Demonstration Project and Flanking Erwinia research to get seed potato growers Erwinia-free. As from 1 October 2013, the NAO Project Foundation has appointed Ms Jenny Fokkema (22) as researcher for the Demonstration Project and Flanking Erwinia research (DFE). This project has made a follow-up possible to the Erwinia Delta plan that was completed last year. The object of the project is to show that the introduction of the results of the Erwinia Delta plan will lead to making seed potato growers Erwinia-free. Moreover, this flanking study aims to find an answer to the research questions that had not yet been answered in the plan. Among the conditions that the NAO Project Foundation had set for the new coordinator are sufficient knowledge and ample experience in the cultivation of the seed potatoes, and the skills to communicate with entrepreneurs within the sector. Fokkema grew up at the crop farm of her parents in the province of Friesland; this farm grows, stores and grades 65 hectares of seed potatoes. In her spare time, she helps at the farm when they are busy harvesting, even now that she is working as a crop adviser at demonstration projects. In September of this year, Fokkema completed her higher vocational education at Van Hall Larenstein in Leeuwarden. During her studies, she did her traineeship and degree project at HZPC trading company in Joure (Friesland). From 1 October, Fokkema is working for DFE in which eight NAO members participate: Agrico, Averis, Europlant, HZPC, IPM, Schaap Holland, Stet Holland and ZAP. ● Potato World 2013 • number 4 9 Pagina 8
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