The Optica does more than expected - Case Study

It doesn`t go overnight
The whole process, from purchase un till installation, took around two years. The purchase of the Optica is a big investment and therefore, not an easy decision for a business owner. That`s why David Knibbe visited several different companies in the branch. The most important visit took place at the farm `De Lugt` on Texel. "We immediately got excited when we arrived there", according to Jim. The way in which the Optica made the processing of the potatoes more accurate and efficient, made us sure we should invest in the Optica". The decision-making went relatively fast, also because we put a lot of time in the preparation. Together with the account manager of Schouten we looked in to and worked out several different formations before we found the most optimal solution. "The account manager showed us the different possibilities and brought in effective solutions when he visited us." Jim told us.

The Optica wasn`t the only optical solution we looked in to. "The alternatives in optic sorting were comparable in price to the Optica, but the capacity and experience was a lot lower", thus the brothers. Eventually, that was the decisive factor for the family to pick the Schouten Optica.

Short lines
During the whole process, the Knibbe family had several points of contact. "The process went smoothly and it was easy getting in touch with everyone from Schouten for possible questions or different things", according to Nico. The Schouten team has worked in close contact with the family to make the installation smoothly and according to all their demands. The usual small startup problems in the beginning of sorting season were resolved quickly and when necessary the Schouten employees stayed to sure everything was working correctly, even after working hours. The installation was delivered in the week we agreed up on!

More advantages than expected
The arrival of the Optica has brought us several advantages. The biggest advantage is the enlarged capacity. We do a lot more with Less people. We went from 80 tons to 100 tons per day. with outliers to 120 tons. Another big advantage is that the sorting by size has become a lot more accurate.

As an example Nico showed us that from a test of a colleague grower they still had 20% seeds from a batch which had gone through a conventional sorter with sieves twice." The potatoes are sorted perfectly! The inspector doesn`t even need his own measuring device", said Jim.

Finally, because of the dust extraction system which comes with the Optica, the dust production has decreased significantly." Before the Optica we couldn`t even see the end of the barn, the dust reduction in the barn has Led to a healthier and more fun workspace, which is also a big plus" according to Jim.

Did you know?
What needs to happen for potatoes to be grown and harvested? At first the potatoes have to be planted. This happens in April. The potatoes need approximately 100 days to grow. After that, they are harvested preferably in August and September. Of course, this is the ideal situation. However, sometimes harvesting takes longer than desired, depending on the weather. After harvesting the potatoes are dried. In this process it is important that the potatoes develop a thick skin.