The gears of Zuidberg

Zuidberg is constantly on the move. Literally, with the bicycle club, but also figuratively. A wonderful metaphor for the dynamics within Zuidberg, where movement is a constant factor and changes lead to new developments. Erwin Stremmelaar and Filmon van Ittersum can attest to this. They were closely involved in setting up Zuidberg's gearing department twelve years ago.

"The way in which we enter into projects with customers, how our production is organised, the extent to which we are automated and quality is guaranteed - in this respect, we are becoming more and more like an automotive company," says Filmon proudly. He began his career fifteen years ago as a graduate student. Over the years, Erwin has also seen Zuidberg grow as a full-fledged partner for its customers.

Taking control
"We didn't know anything about gears," recalls Erwin. Setting up the gearing department was therefore truly pioneering work. Everyone at Zuidberg went all out. "To arrive at an end product that meets the customer's wishes requires engineering skills. Thinking along with the customer, but also being prepared for future growth.” Filmon explains. By keeping production in-house and thus reducing lead times, Zuidberg has developed into a high-quality and versatile partner.

The whole technical University programme in two ours
Erwin looks back: "Automation has always been at the forefront of our vision. We wanted all the individual processes to be automated, with as few manual operations as possible." This enables us to run production in an efficient manner. The fully automated gear production was not built overnight. While the machines were on order, Erwin, Filmon and colleagues went on a course. At the start of the course, doubts crept in. "The professor, in the procession of several academic titles, summarised the entire Technical University programma in two hours in such a way that I thought, isn't this going a bit over our heads?’ laughs Filmon.

Zuidberg marked by commitment
Despite this slight wavering, the confidence in our own vision remained undiminished. The gearing department was started in 2010. A number of graduates took on the development of the logistical system with Henk Zuidberg. Jeroen Zuidberg, Erwin and their team went to work on the machines, clamping devices and tools. The design of the gears, the updating of drawings and the sharing of knowledge was the responsibility of Filmon and his colleagues. He and Erwin remember how involved everyone was. Several internal departments stepped in where necessary. As far as Erwin is concerned, that involvement is particularly typical of Zuidberg. "How we treat each other has remained the same all these years. Despite the enormous growth, there is little sign of any hierarchy.”

Closer to solutions
What has gear production brought us? Zuidberg has increased its knowledge, made more creativity possible and further developed its own products. But the biggest advantage is for our customers. Filmon: "We can think along in the entire development process and have therefore become a fully-fledged discussion partner in the field of transmission and PTO systems." In addition, both medium and large gear series are interesting for production. The department is constantly developing. With a good basis and a lot of knowledge, we at Zuidberg are prepared for the future.

Growing with our customers
Zuidberg showed courage in setting up its own gear production. From limited knowledge and experience to a streamlined production in a few years' time requires great commitment from all employees and suppliers. Guts and commitment led to innovative power: "Our gear department has allowed us to grow along with our customers," says Erwin. Jeroen Zuidberg also agrees: "From the start, the investment in the gearing department has made an important contribution to Zuidberg's further growth and development. It is not only the arrival of the gearing department that has had a major impact on Zuidberg's growth, our local dealers also play an indispensable role in that development. We have had a close relationship with BEMU tractor specialist in Marknesse for years. You can read more about this special partnership in our next article.