Netherlands: Business is booming at Meteor Systems

Once every few years growers have to replace the dripping hoses in their greenhouse. Many of these are produced by Meteor Systems, a company in the south of Holland. “It’s been pretty busy these days,” acknowledges CFO Peter Lexmond. “But luckily things are always busy here.”

Peter Lexmond

Meteor Systems was founded in 1997 by tomato grower Chris Bastiaansen. “Chris saw potential in the irrigation business, as the horticultural community was going through a transitional phase, moving from traditional cultivation to gutter - and wire rack systems. There was a lot of demand for a wide range of steel growing systems. Today, we employ 85 people and set up additional business in Canada.”

An operator at work.

“Developing systems still is our core business. Right now, we have 23 different gutter growing systems, all of them developed in collaboration with end users. We always try to work with growers, cooperate as much as possible.”

Dripping hoses undergoing a quality check

Global demand for Meteor Systems has led to an advanced international sales division. “We have a branch in Ontario, that supplies the US,” says Lexmond. “But we have a network that spans all countries. We visit foreign horticultural businesses and developing areas as much as we can. We always keep an eye on the market.”

Dripping hoses ready for shipping

Meteor Systems did not entirely escape the consequences of the financial crisis. “There’s a lot less business,” Lexmond admits. “Fortunately there’s always something for us to do. A lot of things are happening in the strawberry sector right now, providing us with work. Since last year we’ve added Amevo tunnels to our assortment, which gave us the opportunity to tackle some large turnkey projects.”

Assembling the dripping hoses is mostly manual labour. Meteor Systems however, has a machine to do this job.

Meteor Systems is involved in designing complete irrigation systems. “We manufacture dripping hoses in all shapes and sizes. The systems are produced right here, in Etten-Leur [in Holland]. After production, everything is assembled, packed and shipped directly to the customer. The gutter systems we install ourselves, using our mobile machines. If you take a look around in our factory, you will see there is very little ready-made stuff lying around. The vast majority is designed to meet specific customer needs. Every greenhouse is different, no job is the same. It’s a big challenge but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

For more information:
Meteor Systems BV
Peter Lexmond
Munnikenheiweg 58
4879NG Etten-Leur
+31 (0) 765042842
+31 (0) 6 28776735
peter@meteorsystems.nl
www.irrigation.com