Gigantic, easy-to-use, self-driving harvesters on tracks or regular tyres that have been assembled using premium components and can handle as many as four rows of potatoes at once. With these showpieces from its extensive range of agricultural vehicles, the agricultural machinery manufacturer Dewulf from Roeselare, which is already number two in the world, is becoming more and more prominent all of the time.
© Pixabay
The company itself, however, was created from very modest beginnings back in 1946. Robert Dewulf, who grew up in West Flanders in the potato and vegetable region, started out by supplying ploughs and harvesters that were horse-drawn. Nowadays, farmers are able to rely on machines that are up to 3.5 m wide, up to several thousand kilos in weight and are powered by an engine capable of providing 500 hp. Nevertheless, the state-of-the-art technologies they have on board are there to ensure that these giant machines are still able to handle potatoes with a soft hand. The pressure on the ground is reduced to the absolute minimum, as the vehicle's weight is optimally distributed between the axles and tyres. Several rotating sieving webs separate the potatoes from any excess soil and foliage. The harvesting methods are therefore low-impact and their main purpose is to prevent the tubers from getting bruised and sacrificing quality.
Dewulf leaves major foreign competitors far behind. The quality of its products also attracts customers from far beyond our borders. Especially when you consider that potatoes are grown in no fewer than 159 countries. From its base in West Flanders, the company already exports to 83 countries, and as more and more farmers are switching to mechanical harvesting, the growth potential on the world market is considerable.
It is therefore a gem of a company that was very much made in Belgium.
