Dutch nursery invests in two new electric tractors

Kwekerij Jan van der Knaap has invested in two new Spijkstaal 301 electric tractors. In the photo below, Sander Zuidgeest, co-owner of Steenks Service, hands the keys to Jan van der Knaap. With this, this Dutch nursery is optimizing its internal transport system to save labor.

Optimizing its internal transport system
Kwekerij Jan van der Knaap specializes in growing a wide assortment of seasonal products. Trade has gone well so far, but Jan says labor is difficult to fill these days. "It's hard to find good people during peak periods, and finding permanent staff is challenging, too," he says.

The nursery is, thus, trying to solve this problem by saving labor. Efforts are being made to automate and optimize the internal transport system. In theory, there are many possibilities, but, says Jan, automation is not so easy in practice. "That's due to two factors. Firstly, our wide product range. The second is customer demand. Clients want a diverse range of quality products on a single cart. This means we must be flexible and have dozens of grades, so we cannot work with, say, a fixed internal conveyor system."

"To stay flexible and optimize internal transport, we invested in these electric tractors. They work easily and fast and relieve staff. Most importantly, we need fewer workers to move the carts to the warehouse. It also eases the current employees' work since they no longer have to push heavy carts," explains Jan. The electric tractors are a win-win situation for Kwekerij van der Knaap. They save and lighten the labor load.

Spijkstaal 301 electric tractors
The company chose the Spijkstaal 301 electric tractors "because these standing tractors can transport heavy loads of up to 1,500 kg. They're extremely maneuverable and easy to get on and off. That makes them ideal for use in the greenhouse where they easily navigate the concrete paths," says Sander.

The electric tractors have a special tow bar and can move both Danish and auction carts. "The nice thing about this order is that added Kwekerij van der Knaap's logo on the tractors," Sander concludes, saying that it personalizes these electric tractors nicely.

Click here to see a video.