Big Dutchman looks back on a successful VIV Asia 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. On a 432 m2 stand, the poultry equipment supplier presented many new products and innovative developments of existing products, as well as worldwide classics both for poultry and pig production. „Our stand was met with outstanding visitor interest. Big Dutchman's poultry equipment enjoys great popularity and the many conversations showed that we are well prepared for the market trends in this region," said Jan Hofstede, President Big Dutchman Asia, about three busy days of VIV Asia. It was the largest booth Big Dutchman ever had at the leading trade fair for modern animal production in Asia, which takes place every two years.
Innovations for poultry production
The plastic slats for broiler production were the highlight for visitors interested in the poultry equipment sector. This footpad-friendly Big Dutchman innovation was presented to the public for the first time on the occasion of VIV Asia. The slat makes litter unnecessary and thus ensures increased hygiene in the house. A scraper is installed underneath the slats, efficiently removing manure from the house.
Another innovation on display was AC-Touch, a new generation of alarm devices for poultry houses implementing the highest security standards. The device is equipped with a fingerprint sensor that recognises each user’s identity and respective user rights with absolute certainty. This ensures that only authorised users are able to respond to alarms in the poultry house. Another advantage regarding security: All AC-Touch-related events are saved in an integrated black box (similar to those used in airplanes) whose data cannot be deleted.
Equipment for poultry climate control
The equipment supplier also showed several solutions for poultry climate control as a reaction to a fundamental change in the region: "Instead of keeping birds in the backyard, the trend is to build modern farms with controlled hygiene and health status", explained Jan Hofstede. Many visitors asked for tunnel ventilation solutions. With this ventilation system, the air is pulled through the house in longitudinal direction at a high speed.
The ventilated Univent manure belt battery, a world-wide classic for egg production, as well as energy-saving solutions for house lighting and control technology from the German poultry equipment supplier attracted great interest.
To meet again
As is tradition for Big Dutchman, the kick-off meeting the day before the show opened was more of a large family reunion: 150 Big Dutchman employees, agents and distributors from the Asia-Pacific region met with numerous colleagues from the Germany-based company headquarters to exchange ideas on product innovations, further developments and market trends.
Eagerly anticipated was the awarding of the Big Dutchman Agent's & Distributor Award 2013/2014. The award is granted every two years on the occasion of VIV Asia based on achieved sales figures: This year, gold went to the Korean agent Ganong International Co. Ltd. The Japanese agent Tohzai Sangyo Boeki Inc. was awarded silver and Stockyard Industries from Australia received bronze.
Big Dutchman Agent’s & Distributor Award: Gold to Korea
“Big Dutchman is considered a prestige brand in the Korean market, and the good quality of its products as well as the versatility of the company’s portfolio is well known,” said Mr. Kyungnam Park, President of Ganong International Co., LTD., who was very pleased with the recognition. When asked what else contributes to the good reputation, Mr. Kyungnam Park said that the costs of the equipment were reasonable and accepted by the market, and that Big Dutchman had been able to build confidence thanks to the reliable quality and service. ”The versatility of Big Dutchman products and the extensive product range is a further benefit for poultry producers,” he added.
The topic of Animal Welfare is very high on the agenda in many countries today, and Kyungnam Park was asked whether Ganong was prepared for a possible shift in egg production. His confident reply: „In case the Animal Welfare issue becomes a serious one in Korea in future, we are well prepared. Big Dutchman has many well-established systems on offer, such as a wide range of Natura aviary systems.”
Ganong International Co. Ltd. has a total of 15 employees and over 50 contract and temporary workers. They have been selling Big Dutchman products for almost 26 years. Just recently, Ganong strengthened their position by establishing the first 12-tier Univent Layer system in Korea to solve the issue of land shortage.