"If we want to supply a packing machine that we can rely on for 300%, we need to be sure that it is perfect. The Gregg is our tool to ensure this."
At Prinzen, Sander Luiten and Patrick te Lindert are responsible for, among other things, assembling the egg packers; quality is a high priority to them. The Gregg, a self-developed robotic egg full of electronics, is a valuable tool: "If the tests show that a machine does not meet our requirements, it will not leave the factory. We have to be completely satisfied".
What is the Gregg?
Patrick explains: "The Gregg is a kind of robot egg, we use 10 pieces for testing. Each egg is full of sensors, when the eggs roll over the packer and collide with other eggs, they register the g-forces. Every touch in the machine gets a number and at the end of the test a final number comes out. Of course, this should be a sufficient mark, as in school".
"Until now, we had to adjust the packer by the eye, but now we notice that you miss a lot. In this way, we reduce the proportion of breakage, which is important to poultry farmers, of course.
Do you only use the Gregg internally?
Sander explains: "Yes, but soon we will also take the Gregg eggs to customers to see if everything is working properly after installation. The first tests show that the machine values we measured at Prinzen do not differ much from the values after installation at the farm, so that's good. We don't have to do the tests at the farm ourselves either, with some explanation a salesman or dealer can do that as well."
"All machines that leave here are tested with the Gregg, if the number is too low we will improve. A test takes 10 minutes, we carry it out step by step. It's not particularly time-consuming, of course, depending on the first score. So with little effort we can prevent problems in the future, and that's what it's all about. We still use the test report internally at the moment, and in the future the client will receive it as well".
What are the advantages of the Gregg?
Patrick says: "Of course we hope that, thanks to the Gregg, the client has as little breakage as possible and earns more. That also fits in with our vision, we want to deliver optimal quality. This is certainly important in the world of hatching eggs, but also of table eggs. For example, a machine that has been adjusted and tested by someone will always be checked by a colleague. Quality is high priority at Prinzen, we call it 'the gentle egg way': careful handling of eggs".
"With the Gregg, we have learned how important it is for specialists to adjust the machines; you need to know what you are doing. The Gregg is a great tool, but you have to use it in the right way to get the machine to a higher level. For example, you need to know what a point setting is, or what input ports are. You can't just learn someone a trick, you have to know the machine through and through. Fortunately that is recognised by Prinzen."
