In 2008, the year when the crisis broke out, Jaap van der Sar started with Sarco Packaging & Equipment. Soon he became a dealer for Manter weighing & packaging equipment in the Benelux, where he worked as an export manager in the past. Now Sarco also represents the Ilapak’s horizontal and vertical flowpack machines, and Pronova’s pre-shaped packagings and filling systems. “Our range is mainly focused on machines for weighing and packaging, which can be used in the fresh produce and bakery industries. When in the crisis years there was already such high demand for those, we wondered how busy we would be after the crisis. That’s becoming a reality now!”
In 2011, Jaap was joined by Mark van der Kamp, and that turned out to be a good match. “Offering complete solutions is the core of our philosophy. If you look at it very strictly, we specialize in all processing lines – from weighing, counting, packaging to the turning table and automation. This can be in various industries. A nice example is that we offer a Manter machine that was built in America for the potato industry, for bread in Europe. It may be a different application, but it’s virtually the same machine. And a paper stand-up bag, originally intended for potatoes, we use for fire starters”
Five ways of cooperation
“Thanks to our wide range we are very flexible. From bunker to turning table and everything in between, we can supply it. A typical Sarco customer buys machines and materials from us,” Jaap adds. “In fact we have five ways of cooperation: new, used, partially used, but also rental or part rental and part purchase. With the option to rent, a company can first try out the machines, so he knows what the investment will yield. These days, companies take fewer risks, and banks don’t readily give loans. We have a large storeroom, of 800 m2.”
There are plenty of developments in the world of packaging. For instance, foil packaging in apples, carrots and potatoes have increased a lot. “Carrots used to be packaged fully in a net, but now half is already packaged in foil, and that share is only increasing, also because people see it greatly improves shelf life. We are well represented in these sectors, but also in the bell pepper sector, for instance, with Ilapak and Manter machines. And we use Ilapak’s ultrasonic seal technique in packaging spinach and raw vegetables. Importers of exotics also know where to find us, to package the increasing supplies of avocados and sweet potatoes. Packagings with a more luxurious look are also getting more popular.”
Added value
“Another clear trend is that the number of packagings is increasing, but the tonnage is decreasing. That makes packaging a bit more expensive, but it does give suppliers and packing stations the opportunity to communicate more added value, and to give the product the attention it deserves. In the world of potatoes, we also see that diversity in the number of packagings is increasing. Consumers buy potatoes per application, and the sector is responding to that with smaller packagings. Supermarkets are also able to stand out more this way. It’s our challenge to develop packing lines that can be converted quickly.”
