Trip down memory lane: origin of our diversity.

Our robot projects are characterized by a great diversity. From the start, we have not limited ourselves to one sector or application, but have sought out the breadth. Over the years, this has resulted in many special projects in a wide range of sectors.

The great diversity in robot projects is deeply embedded in our DNA: founder Maro Dedel was already involved in very diverse projects in different sectors before DERO was founded. "From machine loading to handling mechanical parts for binders, from palletizing to order picking," Maro says. "When it came to specific handling of products with robots, we were there." 

Ambition

Whereas Landré initially focused on robot integration within the metalworking industry, Jogchem and Maro's ambitions reached much further. They wanted to be broadly active in robotics and did not shy away from any challenge. As former Landré colleague Paul Hermans once said: "No challenge could be big enough, we took them all on."

Jogchem was used to this from his time at Asea (later ABB) and Maro went through a fantastic learning curve in this way. The possibilities of the broad FANUC product range, combined with a robot control system where the robot controller can be used as a cell controller, supported this ambition.

At a time when robot integration outside the automotive sector was still in its early stages, a broad orientation was essential. Maro: "There were hardly any industries where robot technology was embraced to the point where a system integrator could derive its existence from it. Diversity offered robot system integrators that right to exist."

Moreover, this approach also brought the development of vision and culture. "By working in different sectors and with diverse applications, we learned to think out-of-the-box and to go off the beaten path," Maro explained.

Tailor-made and innovative

With the start of DERO, this has remained true. Maro: "The focus from the very beginning was on robotic handling applications with a high degree of uniqueness, a feature that quickly became our trademark. We do not think in standard, but in customer-oriented and tailor-made solutions. And we do this in a professional manner."

A DERO project typically met, and still meets, a number of distinctive principles:

• Robot technology is - to a greater or lesser extent - always an essential component
• The application of the solution and/or robot(s) is preferably multifunctional
• The solution includes specific peripheral equipment (developed by DERO)
• New development is present in the project

These principles result in unique solutions.

Special robot projects from the old days.

Special projects

Over the years we have completed countless projects in various sectors, with the exception of automotive, metal industry and electronics. Too many to list them all, but some of these old projects - which characterize our diversity and have a special story behind them - are highlighted below. 

AFA Polytek - packing sprayers
A complex project was undertaken at AFA Polytek a long time ago. "Through Morotech (now Rolan Robotics), we had come into contact with AFA Polytek and had already completed several projects there," says Maro. "When AFA developed a new trigger sprayer, they approached us directly with the request to execute the packing and we took up this challenge right away."

The complexity of this project was the stable stacking of products that are not naturally stackable. In addition, the different designs with curved straws made it impossible to pack the sprayers with vacuum technology.

"Literally at the kitchen table, we came up with concepts for buffering, picking and packing," Maro explains. "And working it out was also a challenge because we didn't yet have a 3D drawing package. By building and testing several prototypes, we finally found the right solution. Later, in-house testing with a feed capacity of 360 sprayers per minute also proved to be quite a challenge, but this too all worked out in the end."

Visser Kaas - cheese handling 
Visser Kaas in Huizen was the first direct DERO customer in the cheese industry. Maro: "Before that, we had supported many cheese projects through RO-matic (Jogchem's company), but Visser was the first customer we did business with directly."

And after making many improvements to the cheese treatment line, the first project was immediately an innovation. "In cooperation with Doeschot, we developed robot waxing," Maro explains. "A new solution for waxing cheeses, a method in which cheese is covered with a wax layer to preserve it. By using a robot, different types and colors of wax could be applied within a limited space, something that was not possible with traditional techniques. Visser Kaas gave us the opportunity to implement this innovation for the first time at their facility, and to this day the system is running to their complete satisfaction."

Repacking fruit bowls at Estron.

Estron - repacking
Another special project was undertaken at Estron. "At a trade fair we came into contact with transport and distribution company Estron from the Botlek," Maro recalls. "For their customer Dole, they handled the European distribution of packaged and preserved fruit. For the launch of a new product, fruit bowls, they needed an installation to label the products. However, the fruit bowls were already packaged and palletized at the point of origin."

The project proved challenging. Maro: "It was a hassle involving many techniques, all of which seemed easier than ultimately turned out to be in practice. You only figure this out when capacities have to be run. By holding on, all problems were eventually solved and the installation ran for years, until the product was taken off the market due to lack of demand." 

Aviateur - packing cookies
Together with Fuji Benelux, formerly Dijkstra Vereenigde bv, DERO realized a project for packing various types of cookies at Aviateur. "Frank Kwantes of Dijkstra was an acquaintance of ours and always looking for added value for his customers," explains Maro. "Since Dijkstra did not do any robotizing itself, cooperation with DERO arose and this led to a successful project."

This project was part of a large-scale automation of Aviateur's packing department in Alkmaar, in which, in addition to Dijkstra, companies such as Greymans and Tevema also participated. Greymans and Tevema followed suit and later started doing robot projects of their own. So you see how robotization, since Maro Dedel and Jogchem de Otter started it, has spread like a ripple across many other companies.

Our trip continues! Discover in part 2 more projects from the old days.

// P. Mulder - Synergy Food  //