A numbing pandemic has made us all realize how vulnerable certain processes are. How fragile success is and how indispensable personal contact sometimes seems. But it also shows how resourceful the production industry appears to be and how resilient the potato industry is.

By Kiremko

The search for innovative ways of doing business has become very prominent, but for Kiremko and Van den Pol, it has always been in their DNA. As a global player on the market of potato processing equipment, Kiremko had to reinvent itself in the field of service and installation.  As one example, Kiremko was awarded the contract to supply an advanced, state-of-the-art French fry line for the Moroccan potato processor Fun Fries. This complete line was built in the Netherlands and shipped just before the COVID-19 restrictions were introduced. This provided Kiremko with another opportunity to test a new way of installation that they had been working on internally for some time, together with their partner, Van den Pol.

Momentum

Although Kiremko, that manufactures machines for the potato processing industry and supplies worldwide, was working on the application of Augmented Reality for some time now, it was because of the corona crisis it gained momentum. It was a new experience for both Kiremko and Morrocan potato processor Fun Fries; the French fry line that was installed last summer was started up entirely remotely using augmented reality. This service uses an advanced headset with camera, sound and monitor, an Internet connection and high-quality technicians on both sides of that connection.

“At one point, we couldn’t travel at all anymore”, says project manager Matthijs Laks, who normally visits customers from all over the world to help them get started. “This was the first time we started a line in this way, using the AR-technology. The AR glasses played a crucial role in this project. We were able to assist the customer remotely and to start up the line, despite the travel ban that applied. Without this technology that would never have been possible. The technology will further improve and Remote Service will increase our customer’s possibilities in these uncertain times.”

Simulation set-up

The software and electrical engineers at Van den Pol have been working worldwide on projects together with Kiremko for many years. The engineers of both companies usually work side by side during the installation of potato processing lines. But this year turned out to be different.

“When COVID broke out, our objective remained unchanged: providing maximum support to our customers,” says Ronald Kiens, business unit leader Industrial Automation at Van den Pol. Local lockdowns often forced our employees to leave foreign projects. “We started looking for ways to do our work remotely. For a project in the United States, for example, a simulation set-up at our headquarters led the customer’s employees step by step through the commissioning process.”

Eyes and ears in Morocco

At Fun Fries, the technical installations were installed by local partners under the supervision of Van den Pol. “The COVID-outbreak forced our people to leave Morocco. The project came to a standstill. But the client wanted to use the new production line as soon as possible. We did everything we could to make this happen. This attitude is in line with our drive to find new solutions. We continue until we find a way in which something can be done,” emphasizes Kiens. “Our company has previously experimented with the use of AR-glasses. Partly based on our experiences with remote control in the before mentioned American project, we decided to use AR for the commissioning of the Fun Fries production line. A first for the potato processing industry.” Fun Fries received AR-glasses with a camera. “This gave our specialists in the Netherlands eyes and ears in Morocco. With the help of the AR-glasses, we were able to have local employees at Fun Fries perform the right actions in real time.”

You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of the November/December Issue of Potato Processing International magazine, which you can access by clicking here.