Broer BV

“Always looking for what could be better, more efficient and easier.”

What could be better, more efficient and easier? Questions that always come up at Broer B.V., the specialist in the production and delivery of onion sets for the professional with branches in Creil and Andijk. With a critical attitude and technical ingenuity, we manage to achieve inspiring results with far-reaching innovations. The now fully automated box logistics started years ago with the VHM BoxFilr. Brother stood together with Rik van Hees of VHM Machinery at the cradle of this machine.

The ambition

Rik: “At Broer, they had an idea for a machine some 15 years ago: fast, modular, little work and good filling. They had already had a draftsman and a programmer sketch the first contours and a clamping system. But they weren’t getting anywhere and were looking for someone who could think out of the box. That was a wonderful challenge for us! Within four months a prototype was running on the floor. We kept expanding that to a fully automated version.”

The challenge

By investing in VHM BoxFilrs at the time, much more could be done than before. Cultivation and production manager Bas Heineke: “On one day then 1,470 boxes were brought in with two BoxFilrs and three and a half men. In one day 720 boxes on one line was the highest we have ever brought in. The Stackrs were characterized by the clamping system; simple and made to center each box. In one motion you did two things: grab and straighten. Consistent, dead straight and even neater than an average forklift driver.”

We are now more than ten years down the road, and a lot has happened in the meantime. For example, Broer wanted to automate the entire crate logistics. “And because we had been working with VHM for so long and successfully, we also did this together. We went around the table to exchange and work out ideas and then VHM’s designers and engineers went to work for us.”

“VHM is an innovative company that provides smart designs and machines.”

Bas Heineke, Cultivation and production manager Broer BV

About Broer BV

Broer B.V. is the specialist in production and delivery of onion sets for the professional. Broer supplies onion sets of various varieties of excellent quality for professional growers. For over 50 years, onion sets have been produced, processed and sold to more than 40 countries in Europe and Asia. It also exports to the US and Canada. Broer is the exclusive producer of ‘Quality inside’, the quality label in onion sets of Bejo/De Groot en Slot. This offers the unique genetics in the types Rijnsburger, Stuttgarter and Spaans as first-year onion sets. Broer employs twenty people on a permanent basis in two branches, one in Andijk and one in Creil. More than 20,000 boxes of onion sets are processed annually.

The solution

Bas: “We now use three fully automated sorting lines equipped with VHM machines. The full boxes go in, they’re automatically emptied, and on the other side, full boxes come out again with sorted onion sets. Whereas it used to take at least three people to keep three sorting lines running, we now do it with just one and a half people. Every box is equally full and evenly packed. And the lines aren’t prone to breakdowns, so we can keep running smoothly. The latest addition to the line is a modular BoxFilr that we can easily add to the processing line as needed.”

One of the additional benefits of crate automation, according to Bas, is the calm you create “If everything runs smoothly within your company, that is pure profit,” he believes. “The current situation here is incomparable to before; no more people having to shout over the noise, far fewer misunderstandings and no forklifts busily driving around and even colliding with each other. It is an oasis of peace and quiet. We wouldn’t want anything else!”

The Result

Bas: “Automation has helped our company take a huge step forward. We process more product with fewer people, work more consistently, and have much greater control over our process. At the same time, we benefit from the flexibility of the machines, since we can easily expand and combine them and deploy them at different times in different locations throughout our company.”

“VHM is an innovative company that delivers smart designs and machines. Solid and sturdy. They understand that innovation is inherent to entrepreneurship. That’s their strength. You have to think critically all the time: How can the company improve? Where is the bottleneck? VHM understands this and comes up with solutions that more than meet our requirements. In addition, VHM is an all-around machine manufacturer that delivers quality in all areas, including control technology, software, programming, and interfaces. And here’s another nice bonus: the machines are modular. You can easily expand them, combine them, and use them at different times in different locations throughout your company.”