Dec 12, 2023Vanmark to stock processing equipment parts in Netherlands
Potato and produce processing equipment manufacturer Vanmark will now stock parts for its machines at parent company Grote Co.’s facility in the Netherlands to better serve its EU customers.
Vanmark operates locations in Idaho and Iowa and a manufacturing and distribution center in India.
“Now, Vanmark customers located in mainland Europe will be able to get parts much more quickly and without paying tariffs,” Mike Barber, Vanmark sales manager, said in a news release. “This will be extremely beneficial to plants we work within the EU and is yet another way we’re trying to provide customers worldwide with the best cradle-to-grave experience.”
Parts are available for widely used Vanmark machines including abrasive peeler/scrubber/washers, which need replacements parts such as brushes, rolls and bearings, as well as hydrocutters, which require new blades. Customers manufacture products including french fries, potato crisps and chips and handle processing for vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers and onions.
In the early 1950s, a diner owner in Creston, Iowa developed and patented a mechanical potato peeler. After interest from local investors and potato chip manufacturers, Veg-A-Peel Co. was founded in 1954, according to Vanmark’s website.
The company grew to design and manufacturer additional peelers, hoppers, elevators and conveying systems and changed its name to Vanmark Corp. in 1964. After expansions in 1979 and 1988, the company, renamed Vanmark Equipment LLC, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based food slicer and assembly equipment manufacturer Grote Co.
Vanmark’s original Creston plant produces peelers, scrubbers, washers, fluming units and receiving lines. Its Boise, Idaho facility is the site of the former GME International, which was acquired by Grote Co. in 2012 and specializes in hydrocutting systems.
The company opened a manufacturing and distribution center in Bengaluru, India in 2017.
