Jarini recently gained almost 1 km of new conveyor belt thanks to Akker Transport Systems. Some of the old belts had to be replaced, some needed additional equipment and after running for a while with a few test belts, Daan Kuik, owner of Jarini Dienstverlening, took the plunge. A nice boost for Robert van den Akker, who is still a relative newcomer to the market with his company that specializes in making conveyor belts.
Robert van den Akker and Daan Kuik
The men have known each other for a long time; when Daan started his own business some 20 years ago, one of his first jobs was harvesting some 1 million fuchsias in what was then Robert and his brother's greenhouse (Kwekerij Burgerwerf, now VDA Plant). For his part, Robert has had an equally long career in horticulture, it was three years ago that he started making conveyor belts. He sensed opportunities in conveyor belts, a product with which he had a lot of experience from the user side and in which he saw opportunities for improvement. Moreover, it is a growing market dominated by a few big companies, and in which there had to be room for a new player.
Together with two employees, custom-made belts are now made in a workshop in De Lier. Using its own molds, it presses the aluminum into the right shape and also assembles the various parts, such as bearings and axles itself. Improvements compared to the competition are in small but not insignificant details, such as the quality of materials used and fine-tuning of assembly. In addition, Robert wants to bet on 'custom made,' as evidenced by the Jarini order. The various parts did not have to be 6 (the standard) but 5 meters long, and a number of details were also implemented on Daan's request.
The market for conveyor belts in horticulture is big enough, as both men well know. Growers are getting bigger and bigger and often have their own belts for internal transport. In addition, Jarini sees that customers are more often opting for dusting and, therefore, have more frequent jobs where the conveyor belts not only have to go into the canopy but, on the other hand, a main conveyor belt also has to be built up, sometimes all the way from the front to the back of a company. Finally, growers abroad are looking for solid solutions, which is why Robert to recently turned his attention to places like America (Cultivate in Ohio), Spain (Iberflora), England (Four Oaks Trade Show), and Germany (IPM). "Our initial focus is the local market, but we have the machinery and capacity to scale up. So if opportunities arise abroad, it could definitely be interesting."
With almost 1 km of conveyor belt, Jarini is a good customer of Akker Transport Systems. The fact the men work well together is further evidenced by the fact that both also hire out conveyor belts and potting machines when asked and pass on questions to each other in that regard. Conveyors in the standard widths 15, 17, and 25 cm wide are abundantly available, for more specific sizes/requirements, please contact them using the details below.
For more information:
Akker Transport Systems 
Robert van der Akker
Tel.: +31 (0) 620302241
[email protected]
https://akkertransportsystems.com/
Jarini Dienstverlening 
Daan Kuik
Naaldwijkseweg 249B
2691 PV ‘s-Gravenzande
Tel.: + 31 (0) 174 – 516668
[email protected]
www.jarinidienstverlening.nl