Enthusiasm and ambition characterise Queen Máxima’s visit to Maan
RAALTE, On Wednesday 5 April, Queen Máxima, and President of the Dutch Central Bank Prof Dr Klaas Knot, a.o. visited Maan Group in Raalte. Maan owed the visit to the Koning Willem I Prize, which they won last May. The delegation was enthusiastically received in Raalte. By 135 employees and many interested parties.
The theme of the afternoon was innovation and sustainable development. During a tour, various Maan employees talked about their work process, from promising idea to end product. Maan has all disciplines required for this. Divided over three divisions. Maan Engineering is a producer of hot-melt coating technology. Maan Special Products provides companies such as ASML with precision coating products. (E.g. ultra-thin films and foils). Maan Biobased Products goes one step further and translates the knowledge acquired in the field of hot-melt coatings and materials into biodegradable products for horticulture. And Maan Engineering in turn develops the technology for this. This completes the circle. Queen Máxima got an insight into these worlds. Together, they form a cradle for innovation.
Under the guise of 'planting a seed', various topics were discussed. Research; development; a prototype; the automation process and final production. The metaphorical seeds were also actually handed over to Queen Máxima. The tour concluded with the planting of these seeds. This act was performed by Queen Máxima, Prof. Dr. Klaas Knot, André Jansen, founder of Maan, Bart Oude Wesselink, CEO of Maan Group and sales partner Ted Vollebregt, managing director of Klasmann-Deilmann Benelux. In doing so, they marked a special moment. The royal visit, of course, but also the moment that Maan and partner Klasmann-Deilmann went public together with their latest innovation: a biodegradable substrate called Nygaia (a kind of nutrient medium, also called growth medium). In doing so, the trading partners are building on the biodegradation principles that also apply to their product Growcoon. But in a totally new, form; one that is even more relevant to the market.
Nygaia, a biodegradable substrate
Substrates are an important raw material in horticulture. But in this time of transition, they are also regularly the topic of conversation. There is a strong need for more sustainable products. But creating a high-performing growing medium from environmentally friendly renewable raw materials is no easy task. And a substrate alone is not enough. If we really want to become more sustainable, we need to look at the total ecological and carbon footprint of a product. Klasmann-Deilmann and Maan Biobased Products brought together the knowledge and skills of two worlds to jointly arrive at a unique substrate solution.
The afternoon ended with a group photo. And with that, Queen Máxima's visit to Maan Group will go down in the books as a moment to remember. 'We will never experience this again,' concludes André Jansen, founder of Maan Group. 'We consider it an enormous honour and recognition that Queen Máxima paid us a visit today. We will surely enjoy that for a long time to come.'
The Koning Willem I Prize:
Is a reward for companies that excel in daring, decisiveness, sustainability, perseverance and innovation and thereby strengthen the economic climate in the Netherlands.
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