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“70 years of ‘Ridder’: from trench digger to a leading player in horticultural technology
This year, Ridder celebrates its 70th anniversary. The leading family-owned company in the field of technology for protected horticulture has a rich history of innovation, growth, and dedication to customers and employees. CEO Pascal Piepers says, “Ridder is a unique company. The ‘Ridder feeling’ stands for commitment, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, both within the company and in the industry. Furthermore, it continues to develop itself and still contributes to society.”
By 2050, we need to feed 10 billion people, and this must be organized efficiently and sustainably. Protected horticulture is one of the answers to this challenge, and Ridder has developed the right solutions for it over the past 70 years.
In 1953, founder Frans Nugteren connected a trench digger to a tractor to dig ditches more effectively. This marked the beginning of Ridder, originally based in Ridderkerk, The Netherlands (hence the name), an organization that has always been committed to innovation and collaboration. Ridder has now grown into a global player in the field of smart greenhouse technology.
Ridder has a rich history. In 1967, the company began building reductor motors, also known later as drive systems. Additionally, the company developed a post-calculation system for its own use, which is still a widely used ERP system in the steel and manufacturing industry today.
In 2011, HortiMaX from Pijnacker was added to the Ridder family. This allowed the company to offer its customers a broader range of solutions, including labor registration, water treatment, and climate control. This expansion led to international growth, with branches in Canada, France, and the United States, among others.
In 2015, Ridder saw a new opportunity in the horticultural sector and launched Climate Screens, a successful enterprise focused on climate screens. It marked a strategic shift to better meet customer needs and to provide a complete package for the horticultural sector. This approach was welcomed by dealers, greenhouse builders, investors, and growers.
One of the most recent highlights was the introduction of the GRoW tomato harvesting robot in 2021, addressing the increasing labor shortage in the horticultural sector.
But what truly makes Ridder unique, according to CEO Pascal Piepers, is not only innovation and customer focus but above all, the people who are part of the organization. “The ‘Ridder feeling’ stands for commitment, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, both within the company and in the industry. The entire team at Ridder is proud of 70 years of innovation, growth and dedication. As a gift for 70 years of Ridder to the organisation and family, we have captured all the milestones in a timeline wall that will eventually be placed at every Ridder location. This way everyone can see where Ridder has come from and the steps we have taken. In addition, we look forward to a promising future full of new milestones in our timeline.”
