Aalsmeer-based floral wholesaler Holex Flower, part of the Dutch Flower Group, has become the first in the Netherlands to wash its bulb flowers using a machine. Bulb flowers such as tulips shipped to countries with stringent plant health legislation must be free of sand, dirt, and bulb debris. By washing them using a machine, the company expects fewer claims on rejected flowers and more worker comfort.
In an absolute first, Akerboom B.V., a manufacturer of agricultural machinery from Noordwijkerhout, in association with floral wholesaler Holex Flower, developed the world’s first bulb flower washing machine.
Introducing this machine marks a significant step for Holex Flower in easing production tasks and meeting the strict phytosanitary requirements of several countries to which it exports.
Pioneering Innovation
For years, Holex Flower has been developing a machine that can optimally and efficiently wash a variety of bulb flowers. Akerboom Machinebouw was chosen as a partner for this project. Together, they developed a machine capable of quickly and thoroughly rinsing cut flowers to remove dirt, sand, and bulb debris. The machine initially focuses on tulips but can also clean daffodils, hyacinths, irises, and gladioli.
“This bulb flower washing machine is an added USP for Holex Flower’s export to countries with stringent phytosanitary requirements, where dirt, sand, and bulb remains are considered a problem,” says Paul Hoogenboom, managing director of Holex Flower. “With this unique machine, we’ve taken a new, but certainly not the last, step in our specialization in distant and challenging markets. This is an important development for both our customers from a commercial perspective and for our own staff, making work more pleasant. Additionally, we expect fewer claims on products that are rejected during border controls and must be destroyed due to the presence of dirt or sand.”
Focus on sustainable employability.
In addition to saving a few FTEs, the washing machine also lightens the workload of the production team with its ingenious method. Before using a machine, Holex Flower staff washed the bulb flowers by hand, a tedious, dirty, and time-consuming job.
With the arrival of the new machine, cold, wet hands belong to the past, while cleaning results are the same or even better. Holex Flower was supported in this development by the innovation fund of the Dutch Flower Group, of which it is part as a specialist in distant markets.
At the time of writing, no official data regarding the machine’s capacity were available, but it is claimed that the new machine will give Holex a threefold increase in bulb flower cleaning capacity.
