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2020 will always be remembered as the year that Covid-19 had the world in its grip. No one could have predicted the impact of this pandemic on our social life, work, travel possibilities and economy. The food industry also felt the impact, but despite the setback of Covid-19, Moba looks back on a prosperous year with new innovations, the expansion of the Omnia line and the completion of the new headquarters. Mr. Edwin Bolwerk, Moba's CEO, guides us through this eventful year and explains what Moba has in store for its customers in the nearby future.
These are challenging times but I am proud that we are still able to support our customers remotely and, if needed, on site.
Providing service in Covid-19 times
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the resulting travel restrictions and other measures, the way Moba provides support and service had to change in 2020. "Despite the many restrictions, we were still able to manufacture and deliver new equipment, but sending a team to install or maintain the machinery was something of a challenge", Mr. Bolwerk explains. "We have offered remote support for many years now, for instance with remote engineer, the Moba remote webapp and iMoba, but due to Covid-19, our Customer Care team had to speed up the roll out of remote support for our advanced services. The recent introduction of smart glasses is a great example of this." With this latest piece of technology, the customer can contact a Moba expert remotely for live assistance. The Moba engineer can see exactly what you see thanks to these smart glasses. By using this technology, problem-solving and support are no longer limited to the availability of experts to travel to a customer's site. "A great solution during Covid-19. For instance, we have already successfully installed the Mopack150 farmpacker using these smart glasses and we have also used it for training on location."
"These are challenging times but I am proud that we are still able to support our customers remotely and, if needed, on site. Moba has been part of the egg industry since 1947. And through the years, we have built a strong global presence. Not only with our 15 offices around the world but also with the help of our extensive network of agents. We always want to be close to our customers and this pandemic has proven the importance of that. Even during Covid-19, we were still able to be there when our customers needed us."
All graders in all capacities
Since the introduction of the Omnia series, egg producers around the globe have embraced Moba's premium line of egg grading and packing machines. The grading equipment combines the highest food safety standards in the industry with Moba's famous individual egg handling. By implementing the latest innovations, Moba has now made the Omnia available in all capacities.
"The expansion of the Omnia-family and the introduction of the XF2, are great examples of how Moba is always looking for ways to strengthen its product portfolio. Being innovative doesn't just mean introducing new technologies, it also means improving existing equipment. Feedback from our customers is key to this process. We are proud of the Omnia and all it has to offer to our customers. And now all egg producers can benefit from the Omnia's top-efficiency and high food safety standards."
This new building represents the trust our customers put in us. We have expanded our production facilities, including an injection molding plant for industrial plastic parts. With our new headquarters, we are ready to face the future.
New HQ reflects Moba's high-tech image
Moba has progressed from a producer of egg grading machines to a high-tech company committed to providing the total solution for the grading, packing and processing market. In recent years the company has experienced enormous growth, which is why Moba's headquarters in Barneveld, the Netherlands, needed to be modernized and expanded to ensure that the company can continue providing its customers with revolutionary innovations that take the egg industry to the next level. After more than two years of work, the new building was finally completed in November. Bolwerk is proud of the new building: "I am happy that we can offer our staff a pleasant and effective working environment. This new building represents the trust our customers put in us. We have expanded our production facilities, including an injection molding plant for industrial plastic parts. With our new headquarters, we are ready to face the future."
Ambitions in 2021
And that future starts in 2021, a year where Moba wants to further improve the business of its customers. "Egg producers measure success based on the optimal use of eggs and the minimization of losses", Bolwerk explains. "To guarantee the quality, grading machines can be upgraded with detection systems. These systems are packed with technologies, such as acoustic analysis to detect cracks or LED lights and spectrum analysis to detect blood, to separate top-quality eggs from eggs of a lower quality by measuring the strength of the shell. The reliability and accuracy of these systems are important to ensure that no losses are incurred and reduce food waste."
Technologies that are available today were unimaginable just a few years ago. "As a pioneer in the industry, we are determined to implement these latest technologies into our egg grading equipment to guarantee the highest possible quality. For example, we are working on a futuristic development program to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into a visual system for detecting cracks. This type of contactless system is the logical next step in Moba's hygienic program. Artificial Intelligence has been applied for many years in Moba's unsurpassed Egg Inspector, used for leak and dirt detection. This technology has become so mature, that even searching for cracks that are barely visible to the human eye, is within reach."
The importance of food safety
"When we innovate we always have our customers in mind. What do they need? How can we help to optimize their business? But we also look ahead to what their future needs could be. Food safety will become more and more important for egg producers. That is why we are committed to providing solutions and equipment that meet the highest standards of food safety", Bolwerk explains. An important aspect of food safety is the traceability of the eggs. Moba grading machines keep track of the origin (tracing) and destination (tracking) of each individual egg throughout the entire process, making it possible to follow the journey of each egg right up until it reaches the supermarket shelf. By doing so, it is possible, when safety issues occur, to identify the source of these outbreaks and remove the bad eggs as quickly as possible.
We are committed to designing innovations that provide total solutions; a task that Moba took upon itself many years ago and one that the company is improving every single day with the most important goals for egg producers, like food safety and efficiency, in mind.
Key player in egg processing
After acquiring Pelbo in 2016, Moba has become a key supplier of egg breaking and further processing equipment. In the last five years, Moba has successfully commissioned more than 50 complete breaking plants around the globe. This year Moba has joined forces with Mr. Leopoldo Peschi, one of the most important players in the pasteurisation industry. "We want to bring innovation and new technologies to the egg processing industry. And together with Mr. Peschi, with all his experience and knowledge, we can take egg processing to the next level. The recent introduction of the revolutionary EggXtreme and an innovative pasteurization method based on radiofrequency technology are just the beginning."
"We are committed to designing innovations that provide total solutions; a task that Moba took upon itself many years ago and one that the company is improving every single day with the most important goals for egg producers, like food safety and efficiency, in mind. We are excited about the future. I have mentioned some of the new innovations that we are working on at the moment, and this is just the tip of the iceberg of what we have in store for our customers that will take the egg industry to the next level", Bolwerk concludes.