Nammensma LLP
The ambition
Jasper Nammensma: “Our arable farm’s long history and favourable location on the Wadden Sea is certainly unique. The weather here is excellent, as temperatures are moderate. The soil is also very fertile and highly suitable for the cultivation of seed potatoes, thanks to the light sandy soil. This results in a high number of tubers per plant. Our seed potatoes are therefore highly sought after all over the world. Onions and our other crops also do very well here. Our vision for the future is to further optimise our processes..”
The challenge
“One challenge we face is climate change. You can see weather conditions becoming increasingly extreme. It’s warmer and drier. Once it starts raining, periods of precipitation last longer. Also, more rain will fall in a given period. Five millimetres of precipitation used to be normal, but twenty millimetres no longer surprises us.
Another challenge is improving efficiency in our processes. Labour is scarce and to achieve the required volumes with a limited number of people, you simply must automate. I’ve been saying this for some time, and we are all convinced of it. Fortunately, my parents give me the freedom to explore solutions. That’s how the collaboration with VHM came about.”
“The MonoFilrPro is an ideal machine, even for the somewhat smaller arable farmer.”
About Nammensma LLP
The history of the family business stretches back no less than seven generations. In 1827, Jan Gerrit Koudenberg came up with a solution for securing a repeatedly collapsing dam during the dredging of a drainage canal in Sexbierum. The owner was so impressed that Koudenberg was allowed to lease the farm. A granddaughter married Jan, which led to the first generation with the current owner’s name. In 1940 the farm burned down and was rebuilt by an architect. The current generation now grows potatoes (seed and for consumption), onions, sugar beets and wheat on 85 hectares.
The solution
“We have about 2,000 boxes here that are filled twice a year. To do this as efficiently as possible, we use VHM’s MonoFilrPro. It was our idea to use a MonoFilr in combination with a buffer belt. The prototype was in operation here for a year to gain experience. This went exceedingly well and after a year we purchased the new model. The MonoFilrPro has been running here for three years now to our full satisfaction.”
“A big advantage of this machine is that you avoid dumping cones in the boxes. The MonoFilr Pro splits the product flow of potatoes or onions, filling the boxes nice and even. This ensures better air distribution and a perfect drying process of the crops. This prevents rotting and waste.”
“In addition, the machine also provides us with a lot of efficiency. Because filling is largely automated, we need fewer forklift movements and can do more work with fewer people. That is exactly the direction we want to go as a modern arable farm. “We are therefore very happy with the MonoFilrPro. It is a very solid machine that hardly ever malfunctions. An ideal solution, also for smaller arable farmers up to about 50 acres.”
The Result
Thanks to the MonoFilrPro, Mts Nammensma works more efficiently, consistently and future-proof. The boxes are evenly filled without dumping cones, so the crops dry better and quality is maintained. At the same time, fewer forklift movements and extensive automation ensure more peace and efficiency in the logistics process.
For Jasper, it is above all a confirmation that smart automation is the future: “You have to keep innovating to be prepared for the future. Great anyway that our idea eventually led to the MonoFilrPro.”
We use the following machines:
