Key Business Outlooks 2026 highlights how risk aversion, skills shortages, and rising operating complexity are reshaping decision-making across the potato processing sector, according to Valeria Lucinschi of Kuipers Food Processing Machinery. Drawing on close collaboration with long-standing customers in Europe and Asia, she explains why processors are prioritizing proven partners, higher-throughput lines, and dependable service over experimentation—and how Kuipers is responding by strengthening its role as an all-round specialist, combining equipment supply with deep process, product, and long-term operational expertise.

Looking back at 2025, which customer pressures proved structural rather than temporary, and how did they reshape your commercial or product strategy?

Looking back at 2025, several customer pressures proved to be structural rather than temporary. Ongoing global uncertainty reduced risk appetite, while a lack of internal knowledge, staff shortages, and rising costs made mistakes increasingly expensive. As a result, producers became more reluctant to take risks and increasingly chose to work with reliable partners they already knew and trusted.

Customers now expect support that goes beyond equipment alone—covering process knowledge, development, and long-term operational support. With expertise spanning equipment, processing, and product development, we are happy to help customers reduce risk and move forward with confidence in an uncertain environment.

As you plan for 2026, which market assumptions are you revising, and where do you see the greatest hesitation or uncertainty among your customers?

Across the potato processing industry, equipment challenges are becoming more complex: higher capacities, tighter energy and water constraints, food safety requirements, and reduced availability of skilled operators. This increases both technical and operational risk. As a result, customers hesitate less about whether they need new equipment, and more about how it will perform in practice, how complex it will be to run, and who will support it long term. 

Our task this year is to clearly demonstrate that we are an all-around specialist and a reliable long-term partner, combining equipment, process knowledge, and development expertise. If this value is not communicated and proven convincingly, purchasing decisions risk becoming far more price-driven.

How do you expect investment behavior among processors to evolve in 2026, particularly regarding capacity expansion, efficiency upgrades, and automation?

Producers are increasingly pushing for higher throughput to secure long-term competitiveness and economies of scale. For example, where 250 kg/hour potato chips processing lines were commonly requested in the past, this capacity is now almost no longer sufficient and is rarely requested. 

Despite the push toward larger and more automated lines, price sensitivity has not disappeared—especially in certain regions and market segments. Suppliers must find ways to reduce costs without compromising reliability or performance. This is definitely not an easy task. 

Where did your strongest growth opportunities come from recently, and what did those projects reveal about changing customer priorities?

Our strongest growth opportunities in recent periods have come primarily from existing customers, rather than from new or opportunistic projects. In terms of markets, the majority of recent requests came from Europe and Asia, reflecting both continuity in our established regions and growing momentum in emerging ones.

Which external drivers—energy, labor availability, regulation, digitalization, or sustainability requirements—are most influencing equipment purchasing decisions today?

In a world of so much uncertainty, purchasing decisions have become more cautious and complex, and this is completely understandable—producers are certainly not to blame. In our case, no single dominant driver that applies to all customers. Overall, the purchasing decision today is shaped by a combination of external drivers, but the final weighting is always company and market specific.

How do you see the relationship between promised technological performance and real-world operational results evolving, and where do customers now demand clearer proof of value?

In Kuipers’ case, particularly in 2025, most new projects came from existing customers. This created a stronger foundation of mutual understanding. As a result, discussions were more efficient and required less extensive proof or validation. 

When it comes to new customers, the dynamic is different. The threshold to convince them has clearly increased. Claims and specifications are no longer enough; customers expect tangible evidence, good references and expertise beyond machine building. 

The one area where customers demand clearer proof of value is in service. With ongoing challenges around internal knowledge gaps and staff turnover at customer sites, the role of the supplier increasingly extends beyond delivery.

What is your five-year vision for processing technology in the potato sector, and how does your company plan to remain relevant as customer expectations mature?

We plan to continue supporting moderate capacity increases that align with our core market and customer base. While overall capacities in the industry continue to grow, extreme scaling is not our primary focus nor our area of expertise. 

Beyond equipment, we see a growing need to further strengthen our process and product knowledge. Over the next five years, Kuipers aims to continue developing and investing in this expertise, ensuring that we have comprehensive in-house knowledge covering the entire process—from A to Z.

With our subsidiary in India, Krispfood Solutions, we aim to serve markets—particularly India—where price sensitivity is high but expectations for reliability and quality remain strong. At the same time, we are actively looking for ways to be more price-competitive, while continuing to offer dependable solutions and long-term partnership value.
Sustainability will continue to be a core element of our long-term vision. Kuipers already delivers advanced solutions that significantly reduce energy and water consumption in potato processing, and this remains a key strength of our offering. At the same time, we are fully aware that sustainability is an ongoing journey and that further improvements are always possible.