Since February 2020, Marco van der Velden has been Managing Director and CEO of Berg Hortimotive Group. With a background in the metalworking industry and general machine building, he has the broad base required to lead this group - consisting of Berg Hortimotive BV and HortiKey BV. The companies continue to expand globally with their growth strategy. "Wherever there is a need for total solutions in the logistics chain and where safety, productivity and sustainability are in the center of attention, we seamlessly connect with the professionalism of the greenhouse horticulture sector."
At the end of February Bas Lagerwerf and Nico Bikker transferred the executive power to new CEO Marco van der Velden.
It is the end of February when Marco van der Velden officially takes over from former directors Bas Lagerwerf and Nico Bikker. He has just completed a four-week transfer and is looking forward to get started. “I used this month to get to know both the organization internally and the market in which they operate. An impressive journey of discovery that confirms that I can work for a particularly innovative and globally active group of companies that fits in an innovative sector such as greenhouse horticulture.”
Innovative sector
Van der Velden refers to the systems that Berg Hortimotive BV and HortiKey BV develop and produce, systems that ensure that processes and activities in greenhouse horticulture can be carried out more comfortably, faster and more safely. These systems include various transport systems, AGVs (automated guided vehicle) and pipe rail trolleys, but also spray robots, hose reels, support in the field of installation and maintenance and advanced software solutions such as the Plantalyzer. The latter was developed in collaboration with Wageningen University and measures the "state" of tomatoes while they are still in the greenhouse. Among other things, a reliable harvest prognosis can be given based on these measurements. The Berg Hortimotive Group also works closely with Royal Brinkman, for example in the field of innovation, digitization and e-commerce. Knowledge is shared, pilots are running and together we can serve the customers even better.
He says: “The products and systems clearly fulfill a worldwide need, but also reflect the current professional nature of this sector. In this time it is about much more than just growing crops. It is an industry in which safety, productivity and ergonomics go hand in hand with innovation and compliance with laws and regulations. That means business administration, organizational science, logistics management and much more. The assortment of the Berg Hortimotive Group offers the right solutions for this.
Future
Van der Velden: “In my perception, both Berg Hortimotive BV and HortiKey BV have enormous potential to put our mission into practice. That means that with our products and services we can make an ever greater contribution to the global availability of food. We do this by introducing simplicity in the cultivation practice of the covered horticulture in a sustainable way. We add functions and build concepts by integrating data and intelligent systems. The knowledge, experience and commitment of our employees in combination with our products, services and innovative capacity offer all possibilities to further expand this company. Both nationally and internationally.
For more information: 
Berg Hortimotive
Burgemeester Crezéelaan 42a
2678 KZ De Lier
Netherlands
www.berghortimotive.nl
info@berghortimotive.nl