“We have been progressive and that has not hurt us.”
An interview with Dries van Wijk, business manager at Nimatech.
Less noise and fuel savings are the result of electrification of Nimatech’s vacuum systems.
Nimatech supplies paving machines and is itself a manufacturer of vacuum systems.
The vacuum ümsystems developed with Intercel have transitioned from diesel to electric drive.
The systems are used on construction sites to move, for example, stelcon plates, iron frames and bricks.
This innovation process has been wonderfully received with satisfied customers and enthusiastic users.
Dries van Wijk, business manager of Nimatech, tells us how this innovation came about.
What exactly do you develop and deliver?
“We supply machines for paving contractors and landscapers to ease and improve heavy-duty work.
We build our own vacu üm systems customized and import a standard range of paving machines.
The vacuum systems are used for example to move and transport stelcon plates, iron frames and stones for paving.
When a customer makes a request, we look at exactly what his requirements are, what problem needs to be solved and how we can engineer the best possible vacuum system for it.
The drive of the machine is an important part of this.
Various drive technologies are possible: diesel, gasoline, hydraulic and recently an electric drive based on batteries.
The required voltage, the weight to be lifted, the size of the objects are the starting point to deliver the most efficient and productive vacuum system.
The end result must be a low-noise and productive system that complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, realizes savings and is sustainable.
Electrification meets all these conditions.”
What developments do you see in the current market?
“We find that sustainability and circularity are very important. With circularity, for example, we see that our paving machines need to be able to easily process existing paving into new paving. And the same applies to the machines we develop; how can we reuse old parts in our new machines or give them another application. Electrification is a necessity for our customers and therefore also for us. Throughout the chain, the explicit demand for sustainability is there. It is driven by requirements in tenders but also from the mission of our customers themselves.”
What was the challenge you took on together?
“For years we had a range of vacuum machines to pick up anything airtight.
These were always powered by hydraulic or diesel technology.
In 2017, we partnered with Intercel to explore how this could take on battery-based electric drive.
We as specialists in vacuum technology and Intercel from its expertise in electrification and batteries.
The main challenge was battery capacity.
The machine had to be just as productive and reliable on the construction site as diesel.
Our collaboration paid off immediately and has been a great success, both in productivity and reliability.
This turned out to be a smart move, as there turned out to be a lot of demand and the response from our first customers was very positive.
Especially the fact that the machines are so incredibly quiet was much appreciated.
No more noise, which is much more pleasant for the users to work on the construction site.
And it is no longer necessary to refill the diesel tank.
Just plug in once a day and then be able to work excellently all day.”
What was the collaboration like?
“The first meeting was very pleasant and we immediately went into depth together. Actually, we were good partners from the very first moment. Problems that we ran into we were able to tackle well together because of the joint expertise and our flexible attitudes. Also in the financial part we were able to switch well and quickly come to an agreement easier than expected. We now have a more informal relationship and update each other regularly. As a result, we are aware of the developments in the market and can switch quickly. The customers of Nimatech always come first. We have never encountered problems that we did not solve together.”
What does the electrification of systems give Nimatech?
“For a long time, we were the first to carry this electrified vacuum system. This has given us a lot of PR and name recognition. The electric machines are a wonderful addition to our overall product range. The world needs to get rid of fossil-powered machines and we have made an important step in that. We have been really progressive and that has not hurt us because 50% of our sales consist of electrically driven vacuum systems. And that in just 5 years!”
How do you see the joint future with Intercel?
“Together we are going to look closely at expanding our vacuum range. But we are also looking wider in the paving machine range. I can’t tell anything about it yet unfortunately, but 2023 will be a special year!”