Exploring new markets with Quik’s Quality Potatoes

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Over two years ago, Dutch family business Quik’s Quality Potatoes decided to invest in a new Eqraft packing line for their fresh potato department. It turned out to be a smart move: they can now offer different types of packaging faster and more flexibly, allowing them to tap into new markets. Director Gerrit Oomen, manager sales & purchase Ron David, and head of technical services Henri van Dijk look back on the past two years.

Family company Quik’s Quality Potatoes, based in the Dutch province of North-Brabant, has almost a century of experience in potatoes. They’ve been serving a wide range of customers from different sectors since 1932. Clients keep coming back because of the high level of flexibility and customisation they find at Quik’s. Gerrit Oomen, who celebrated his 40th work anniversary this year, explains: ‘We respect the long tradition of our company, but we also think it’s important to invest in innovation and to respond proactively to shifting consumer preferences.’ That’s why two years ago, they knocked on Eqraft’s door for a new packing line.

In with the old, in with the new

Ron David is always exploring potential new markets. With years of experience in the potato business, he quickly picks up on shifting customer demands. Two years ago, he noticed an increasing demand for more luxurious, larger packaging. ‘I saw an opportunity: by investing in a new packing line that takes into account this specific demand, we could grow our portfolio.’ Quik’s had previously packaged their product the traditional way, with net bags on a roll, but they were looking for a more modern and luxurious solution. Their crate filling was done manually, which was quite time-consuming. In short: it was time for something new.

Doubled capacity

Together, the men chose the Eqraft combination weigher, a cratefiller, and a Baxmatic with sewing line. Henri van Dijk – who has been with Quik’s for 35 years – had a big say in choosing the new machines. After all, he is the one who has to solve the problem when the machines aren’t working as they should, so he benefits from a smoothly running packing line. Henri: ‘We work with many types of packaging, so we change settings regularly. In the past, that meant a lot of changeover time was lost. With the Baxmatic, we can switch from 5-kg bags to 25-kg bags in one click.’ He’s also very satisfied with the cratefiller. ‘We used to fill crates manually. Now we just put an empty crate on the belt and pick up the filled crates at the end.’ All in all, the new line saves him and his colleagues so much time that Quik’s production capacity has doubled.

Henri also mentions how user-friendly the machines are: ‘It's a matter of selecting the desired settings on the control panel. I can also use the app on my phone, which is easy when I'm on top of the machine.’ Times and speeds are easy to set: ‘Being able to run the belt a bit faster or slower comes in handy when we have to switch from a batch of large to smaller potatoes, for example.’ And if something doesn’t go quite according to plan? Eqraft’s support engineers are just a quick call away. ‘They can help us out remotely through a real-time connection, which allows them to solve almost any problem quickly, avoiding downtime.’

Gentle handling 

Another advantage for Quik’s is Eqraft’s attention to ‘gentle handling’: a product-friendly approach that takes the fragile nature of the product into account. Gerrit: ‘The potatoes are placed carefully into the crate or box from a limited height. Furthermore, the machine has asymmetric valves – one is slightly longer than the other – so there’s no risk of a potato getting stuck. Thanks to gentle handling, there’s no quality loss, allowing us to guarantee an even higher standard of quality to our customers.’

New markets

Because Quik’s can now supply luxury packaging, they can offer a wider range to existing and new customers. Gerrit: ‘We enjoy specialist work, that’s what we’re good at. Whether a customer wants red potatoes in small bags, grill potatoes in 25-kilo bags, or crates with their own label, we can have the order delivered to them in no time.’ Thanks to the new sewing machine, new possibilities have opened up in terms of labels as well: all track & trace information can be easily attached to the bag. Lastly, Eqraft made a small adjustment to the machine so that the ribbons are cut off shorter and neatly for an even more polished look.

All in all, the new weighing and packing line enables Quik’s to explore new markets. Ron: ‘We can now serve customers we didn’t even think about before. With our various packaging options, we tailor the product exactly to the customer’s specific requirements. We can ensure every batch of product gets a destination.’