Aad Verduijn introduced the Tank Level Indicator back in May. The very first product from Avecon, a company with which Aad has mainly marketed his services since 2006.
It was therefore exciting to see how the market would react to a physical product, made and conceived in Maasdijk. "Positive, fortunately", says Aad more than four months later. "I am very happy with my 'baby', which has also led me to develop new plans."
Aad Verduijn and Kees Bervoets of Bervoets Voogt, an assembly company for electrical and water technical installations
Simple but effective
The plan to develop a water level meter for inside silos came about simply by paying attention to the sector, says Aad. "You see things and possibilities and then you talk to customers, suppliers, installers. Then you get comments and new ideas and in this way a product is eventually formed."
That product is actually quite simple and that was exactly what Aad had in mind without making any concessions to quality. The principle is based on a float in the silo and an indicator on the outside of the silo, which are connected to each other with a sturdy cord. With the help of two smart cord guides, the indicator clearly indicates the actual content of the silo.
Kees Bervoets was asked to fine-tune the concept. "Who knows more about water silos than he does", Aad asks a rhetorical question. "With the input of Kees and his team, I have made a few more improvements to my basic concept."
Pulleys as 'secret'
For example, a transparent tube was built around the cord. "This protects the indicator." Five centimetres were cut off at the bottom to prevent the forming of condensation. "Simple solutions, which again make the product more user-friendly and better. The use of a floating or anti-algae cover on a silo poses no problems, because we work with a simple cord."
Everything is made of plastic, with the pulleys being the 'secret'. "As a result, the cord runs smoothly without wearing quickly with the rise and fall of the water level. That is no secret, I cannot stop people from copying a basically simple system."
One glance at the silo is enough
Compared to electronic level measurement via cloud solutions or via the process computer, the Tank Level Indicator is cheaper to purchase. "This makes it appealing for international growers who are technically not yet very advanced, but certainly also for Dutch growers who simply want to see the water level at a glance. Unlike current measuring systems, the indicator shows the water level and calculations or conversion are no longer required. Several growers, including Dutch growers, have installed one already."
Or have it installed by installers such as Kees. He calls the product 'just perfect'. "Everything is very easy to assemble thanks to the complete package with the correct mounting materials and a good manual. We have already mounted the indicator on various brands of tanks without any problems."
Basin
Application of the Tank Level Indicator in a dug water basin is the next step. "Because a basin is always deeper than that it protrudes above ground level, I still have to come up with a solution for measuring the part below ground level. A great brain teaser."
For more information:
Avecon Horti Expertise
info@avecon.nl
www.avecon.nl