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2023 and 2024 through the eyes of JASA director Eduard de Haan
After the turn of the year, we traditionally reflect on the year that has passed. At the same time, we look fervently forward to the year ahead. Where can we find opportunities, and which goals will we set? These are the questions I will dwell on in a moment. But looking back on the year behind us, I can only start with a one-word summary: WOW. That's what 2023 entailed for JASA, just WOW. Our 5-year plan is ambitious, but last year showed that our vision for the future is realistic.
Last year, we had three primary objectives. The launch of NXXT, our newest generation of packaging machines, was one of them. I thought it was ridiculous, NXXT level. A big, big thank you to the whole team is due here. Together, we have built that WOW! It was a real team effort, from product development to assembly and from purchasing to marketing. I am incredibly proud of it all. Thanks to NXXT, we are now, besides market leader in dry produce, also the expert in processing processed and frozen food—another step forward in JASA’s development.
Triple digits growth
We are gradually becoming a world player in processing leafy greens, micro greens, and herbs for vertical farming and newly built greenhouses. In 2023, we saw our order intake double. In North America, we even experienced triple-digit growth. The cornerstone of our strategy over there is to take ownership of our customers' challenges. Comprehensive turnkey projects offering packaging capacity between 50 and 200 packages per minute are more the rule than the exception. We have the world at our feet.
Another objective is to win over the German market. With our eastern neighbors, we made all the pre-investments in 2023 to move into full-scale projects with them. The fruits of all the solid preliminary work should be reaped in the coming years. It is an excellent business expansion and another clear sign that we are on the right track.
Everything under one roof
Another objective is to win over the German market. With our eastern neighbors, we made all the pre-investments in 2023 to move into full-scale projects with them. The fruits of all the solid preliminary work should be reaped in the coming years. It is an excellent business expansion and another clear sign that we are on the right track.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is becoming an important area for us. We conducted market research into the CEA market. The study showed that lettuce, micro greens, and herbs are particularly suitable for CEA. The outcome of the study was very positive. As we already see in the U.S., newly built greenhouses and vertical farming for leafy greens, micro greens, and herbs are substantial growth markets. The future lies completely open. Based on our efforts in the U.S., we will now go global. Our aim is to set up a Global Competence Centre for CEA in The Netherlands. In addition to covering Europe and America, we also plan to cover the Middle East, Africa, and Asia with a branch in the Middle East.
Of course, NXXT will also be rolled out globally. With NXXT, we will build a global network in additional market segments. Expanding our dealer network is very important, as is expanding product categories ranging from nuts and pet food to fish and meat products. We have scheduled no less than 15 trade shows for 2024, where we will introduce the future of packaging machines to the world.
Unburdening our customers
Scaling up our service organization is an ongoing process. Not only in 2024, but we have been working towards this goal over the past few years. We are increasing our service to the customer. Unburdening is the keyword. Perfection may be difficult to achieve, but we will make it a fantastic adventure with our 'anything is possible' attitude. To our mind, NXXT offers the ultimate unburdening for the operator and, with that, for our customers. Our goal, that dot on the horizon, is getting closer and closer.
With all our growth and development, we keep our eyes open to the world around us. In this respect, the NXXT generation of our packaging machines plays a significant role. We are committed to reducing plastic, packaging materials, energy, and using compressed air. We are progressively realizing that this is becoming an increasingly important issue for virtually all of our customers, prompted in part by the policies of supermarket chains. We are continually anticipating and responding to this trend.
I cannot stress often enough that pursuing all our dreams for the future would be impossible without a close-knit team. Despite the fact that our colleagues are traveling more and more all over the globe, our teamwork plays a vital role. We will soon have a beautiful building as our home base, enhancing our teamwork.
I am confidently looking forward to an exceptional 2024!
