Ridder was presented with the HortiQ certificate by HortiQ Chairman Harm Maters on 20 December. This means that the Dutch company (which also has several facilities across the globe) complies with this quality system for horticultural technology and equipment. Brigitte Nugteren, Operational Director at Ridder, comments: “Thanks to the HortiQ certificate, our customers know that we take quality just as seriously as they do.”
Projects are getting bigger in both size and scale and are becoming ever-more technically complex. At the same time, clients are increasingly looking for turnkey solutions and for transparency about quality. That is why the Dutch greenhouse technology sector launched the HortiQ quality label, which is now used both nationally and internationally. The aim of the HortiQ Next Level Programme, supported by partners including insurance company Achmea/Hagelunie as well as six leading turnkey greenhouse builders, is to achieve the integral application of the HortiQ label in collaboration with industry suppliers. The HortiQ label is unique in the greenhouse technology sector because it is not only a quality system, but also covers product quality.
System solutions for the greenhouse industry
Ridder provides system solutions for use in the greenhouse industry – from drive systems to climate screens, from climate computers to water treatment systems and from labour systems to digital services. Ridder will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2023. Besides its headquarters in Harderwijk and its other Dutch facility in Maasdijk, the company also has facilities in France, Spain, Mexico, the USA, Canada and China.
Nugteren continues: “We help growers and farmers to make a successful transition to more efficient and above all more sustainable production methods by sharing not only our knowledge and experience, but also our vision of the autonomous greenhouse. In this context, we are striving for a fully automated and intelligent crop production environment.”
HortiQ Chairman Harm Maters comments: “A certificate like HortiQ is very valuable in the growing national and international market, and a Dutch integral certificate helps to further enhance the Netherlands’ quality-oriented reputation. Investors and growers alike are increasingly asking about issues such as risk management in turnkey projects, and the HortiQ label is a good fit with this. Therefore, it is a very positive development that Ridder – the world’s leading supplier of drive systems, among other things – has now joined the other certified companies.”
