{"id":515,"date":"2025-02-25T16:16:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T15:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flikweertvision.nl\/?post_type=customer_story&#038;p=515"},"modified":"2026-08-25T12:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T10:39:30","slug":"smits-arable-farming","status":"publish","type":"customer_story","link":"https:\/\/flikweertvision.blackdesk.dev\/en\/klantverhalen\/smits-akkerbouw\/","title":{"rendered":"Smits Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"block--page-header\">\n            <figure class=\"block--page-header__media image d-flex align-items-end\">\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flikweertvision.blackdesk.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SAFL-20240119_0046.jpg\" alt=\"Klant gebruikt bedieningsscherm optische sorteermachine Flikweert Vision\" class=\"image__img image-position--center\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-no-auto-translation=\"\" \/>\n                                <div class=\"block--page-header__media__content w-100 z-1\">\n                    <div class=\"container py-10\">\n                        <div class=\"row\">\n                            <div class=\"col-md-7 mt-auto\">\n                                                                    <span class=\"block--page-header__media__content__label background-green-light color-green-dark\">\n                                        Customer story\n                                    <\/span>\n                                    <span class=\"block--page-header__media__content__label block--page-header__media__content__label--label color-white\">\n                                        Potatoes\n                                    <\/span>\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <h1 class=\"color-gray-light mb-0  d-none d-lg-block\" >Smits Agriculture<\/h1>\n    <h1 class=\"color-gray-light mb-0  d-block d-lg-none\" >Smits Agriculture<\/h1>\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"pointer-titles d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mt-2\">\n                                                                                                                        <span class=\"color-white pointer-title me-5\">\n                                                                                            QualityGrader                                                                                    <\/span>\n                                                                                                                            <span class=\"color-white pointer-title\">Noordoostpolder, NL<\/span>\n                                                                            <\/div>\n                                                            <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"col-auto ms-auto mt-auto d-none d-md-block\">\n                                <a href=\"#content\" class=\"block--page-header__media__scroll color-gray-light\">\n                                    <span>Scroll<\/span>\n                                    <i class=\"icon icon-arrow-long-down color-green-light\"><\/i>\n                                <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/figure>\n        <\/section>\n        <div class=\"breadcrumb d-flex flex-wrap container align-items-center pt-7\">\n                    <a tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"To homepage\" class=\"breadcrumb__home me-5\" href=\"https:\/\/flikweertvision.blackdesk.dev\/en\/\"><i class=\"icon icon-home\"><\/i><\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n        <div id=\"content\"><\/div>\n        \n\n<section class=\"block text block--text block--double-spacing\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n                <div class=\"col-xxl-6 col-xl-7 col-lg-8 col-md-9\">\n                    <div class=\"pointer-titles d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-2\">\n                                <span class=\"pointer-title\">QualityGrader<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n                    <h2 class=\"mb-5 h2 d-none d-lg-block\" >Smits Agriculture<\/h2>\n    <h2 class=\"mb-5 h2 d-block d-lg-none\" >Smits Agriculture<\/h2>\n                    <div class=\"text-wrapper\"><p class=\"txt__title d-none d-lg-block\"><strong>Rationale: Increasing sorting capacity<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"block-text mt-3\">\n<p>On the fields of the Northeast Polder, Thijs Smits runs a successful arable farm with his cousins, a family business that has been in operation for three generations. With locations in Nagele, Ens and Luttelgeest, they manage some 350 hectares of crops, including seed and ware potatoes, carrots, onions, sugar beet and winter wheat. As third generation Thijs Smits himself puts it \u201c\u00a0<em>As a family-run business, we are now investing in technology with the QualityGrader that will prepare us for the future.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"block quote-image block--quote-image block--no-spacing-top block--no-spacing-bottom\">\n            <div class=\"container\">\n                <div class=\"row\">\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-7\">\n                                                    <figure\n        class=\"image block--quote-image__img\"\n        \n    >\n        <img decoding=\"async\"\n            class=\"image__img image-position--center\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/flikweertvision.blackdesk.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SAFL-20240119_0041.jpg\"\n            alt=\"Klant Smits Akkerbouw met Flikweert Vision machine\"\n            loading=\"lazy\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-no-auto-translation=\"\"\n        \/>\n        \n    <\/figure>\n                                            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-5 justify-content-sm-center d-flex align-items-center\">\n                        <div class=\"block--quote-image__content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"block--quote-image__content__quote\">\u201c As a family business, with the QualityGrader we are now investing in technology that will prepare us for the future.\u201d<\/h3>\n                                                            <div class=\"color-green-dark pointer-title mt-4\">Thijs Smits, Northeast Polder, Netherlands<\/div>\n                                                    <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/section>\n    \n\n<section class=\"block text block--text block--double-spacing\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n                <div class=\"col-xxl-6 col-xl-7 col-lg-8 col-md-9\">\n                    <div class=\"pointer-titles d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-2\">\n                         <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"text-wrapper\"><p><strong>Why the QualityGrader?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With increasing demand for efficient and accurate processing of their crops, Smits was constantly looking for a way to increase their sorting capacity while improving the process.\u00a0<em>\u201cWe came into contact with Martijn through our neighbour Dani\u00ebl Scholtens. When he came along, we quickly saw that a new sorting line with two QualityGraders would best suit our needs,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0explains Thijs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Challenges for the QualityGrader<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Previously, combining problem lots sorting and late crops harvesting was a difficult job. Limited capacity and intensive labour made it difficult to sort everything for quality in a timely and thorough manner. The QualityGrader changed this.\u00a0<em>\u201cNow we can easily combine problem lots with late crops without stagnating the work. This gives us much more flexibility,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0explains Thijs. Also, staff can now be deployed elsewhere during the winter months, which in turn contributes to efficiency.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The choice of Flikweert Vision<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Capacity and proven technology played a major role when purchasing the QualityGrader.\u00a0<em>\u201cWe didn't want to be the first to try something new - we were looking for a machine that had already proven its worth. Flikweert Vision offered exactly what we were looking for: a mature solution that not only met our capacity requirements, but also delivered the quality we needed.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0They are assured of continuity, without compromising on speed or accuracy.<\/p>\n<p>Since the QualityGraders were commissioned, the results are clearly visible.\u00a0<em>\u201cOur batches are now cleaner and purer than what we could ever achieve with the naked eye,\u201d Thijs says enthusiastically.\u00a0<\/em>This offers not only an improvement in quality, but also great time savings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"block slider block--slider block--no-spacing-top block--double-spacing\">\n            <div class=\"container\">\n                <div class=\"block--slider__swiper swiper-box\">\n                    <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                                                         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QualityGrader: optische sorteermachine\" class=\"image__img image-position--center\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-no-auto-translation=\"\" \/>\n                                    <\/figure>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                                                                                <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                                    <figure class=\"block--slider__swiper__image image\">\n                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flikweertvision.blackdesk.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SAFL-20240119_0003.jpg\" alt=\"Smits Akkerbouw\" class=\"image__img image-position--center\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-no-auto-translation=\"\" \/>\n                                    <\/figure>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                                                                                <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n        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