‘We prioritize quality and reliability.’

Delivering quality while continuing to grow steadily. That’s the story of Burg Machinefabriek, the company that now supplies equipment worldwide for the fruit-growing and agricultural sectors. The production of this equipment stands or falls on having good partners. Openness and reliability are the key elements in the partnership between Burg Machinefabriek and igus.

Burg Machinefabriek began in 1954 as a developer and manufacturer of machines designed to make life easier for growers in the orchard. These included lifting masts and carts for fruit crates. Starting in the 1990s, revenue growth accelerated, and the product portfolio continued to expand. The orchard machinery was largely replaced by product-processing machines for use in large warehouses. Yet they can still be found in growers’ sheds. Naturally, Burg did not want more machines and more types of equipment to lead to a proliferation of maintenance tasks. That insight was one of the factors that led to the first contact with igus, which at the time—and still today—supplied cable chains, cables, and linear technology.

The relationship between Burg and igus dates back decades but continues to take on new dimensions. André Visser, head of purchasing at the manufacturer in Kruiningen: “In the past, a machine was used for just a few hours a day. Today, things are different, and many customers run our machines continuously. This means we, too, have to make different choices.”

Increasing Speed on the Production Line

For example, Visser notes that developments in the world of machines that process crates of apples and pears are advancing rapidly. “Where a machine once processed a maximum of ten crates per hour, it now handles as many as sixty to seventy. Machines equipped with 2D robots featuring a single pickup and a single drop-off position have been replaced by machines equipped with multiple pickup and drop-off positions. A 3D image has been created in the production line, and the speed has increased significantly. Increasing the speed inherently required more cable conveyor belts.” This growth, combined with more and faster machines, led to an increase in the workforce from 25 to 80 employees. Burg now delivers worldwide, partly through a dealer network. Visser: “Still, many customers in the Netherlands indicate that they prefer us to be the one maintaining direct contact.” 

The manufacturer’s growth goes hand in hand with staying true to its core values. The most important of these is delivering quality. Visser: “That’s one reason why we partnered with igus. Our experience with the cable carriers has been very good—the same goes for the cables, although we did switch suppliers once in between.”

Creating Greater Certainty

One of the ways Burg ensures quality is, for example, by choosing a slightly oversized cable chain for a machine. Visser: “Above all, products must be able to run without malfunctions for as long as possible. You definitely don’t want a customer on the line with a broken cable track. So we opt for an oversized track as standard, for the simple reason that it gives us greater peace of mind.”

Project Down Under

Reliability and quality were also what an Australian customer was looking for. Burg and igus worked closely together on this “Down Under” project. Visser: “Thanks to our collaboration with igus, that project went off without a hitch. It involved a customer who processes large quantities of potatoes and onions—quantities that are unimaginable by Dutch standards. Despite the time pressure, everything went well. That’s only possible when you know you can count on each other as partners.”