The solution is always central.
Leading the way in greenhouse farming
H.T. Verboom Transport Systems develops and sells products and services aimed at improving production processes in greenhouse horticulture. These include material handling and automation, distribution systems, growing tables and repacking stations. In 1998 Herman started as a subcontractor before developing new products himself for his customers. Since then, H.T. Verboom Transportsystemen has grown into a company with 45 employees and is a leading player in greenhouse horticulture. Based in Wateringen, Westland, they think along with the customer, making sure that just the little things that help the system run really well at the customer’s site. ‘Details make the difference,’ says Herman, ‘and that’s where we stand out. Keeping everything as simple as possible is our motto.’ Herman is very modest, because if you look at his company’s site, you will see that they completely unburden their customers when it comes to internal transport.
Good cooperation creates new products and solutions
Wheels and elevator blocks Gebaplast already produced for HT Verboom Transport Systems. Herman continues, “Then I asked Gebaplast to help me think about developing a number of plastic products that we could use with our customers. We actually tackled this together. This is what I want, I made a drawing of it and this is how I want it,” Herman explains. “And that’s where Gebaplast comes in. Think of these plastic products as pull pawls, positioning pawls, sensor supports, slide blocks and a no-splash watering system.
‘We make a drawing, Gebaplast gives feedback on our initial sketches, and after a few rounds we slap it on and say: this is how it’s going to be. The good thing is that at Gebaplast they really think with you and come up with an alternative if something is not possible in their opinion. ‘Well, we often agree on that, sometimes not,’ Herman says, laughing, ‘but we always come out of it. You have to do it together.’ From idea and first drawing to the final solution is often about 3 to 4 weeks. Then Gebaplast makes a mold and produces some trial products. ‘They then bring those by and we start fitting. Sometimes some fine-tuning is necessary and pretty soon after that the product can go into production.’
No-splash watering system
A great example is the no-plash watering system that H.T. Verboom Transportsystemen developed together with Gebaplast. ‘Before, you had water inlets with all these little knees and t-pieces that you could push together. That would turn very often, resulting in the sprinkler spraying up or in the wrong direction. In addition, it always splashed a lot. The no-splash watering system that we developed together with Gebaplast splashes a lot less. You get a kind of film of water, a gentle waterfall, as it were, that gradually waters the table. With this project, we really drew together on the final design, where my idea was eventually translated into a solution in plastic by Gebaplast. In the video and photos on this page, you can see how the no-splash watering system works.
Short lines and giving each other space
Finally, Herman explains why the cooperation with Gebaplast is so pleasant: ‘We always have good conversations with each other to make the process better for our customer, and that’s where you have to give each other space, always focusing on the solution. You have to make sure you can both grow.
