Description

The beet sugar industry, 150 years old in the Netherlands, is characterised by a continuous process of rationalisation, modernisation, scaling-up and organisational / managerial adjustments.
The West - Brabant "Suikerhoek" has been the centre since 1900, where the first cooperative sugar factory Dinteloord was started a hundred years ago in 1908 with 21 out of 32 Dutch companies.
Partly influenced by a European policy, beet sugar production has been concentrated in two modern and efficient factories in Hoogkerk and Dinteloord respectively, as a business unit of Royal Cosun, an international producer of foodstuffs and ingredients.

A well-run logistics organisation guarantees a steady supply of about 21,000 tonnes of beet per day ( 800 truckloads) for three to four months a year. During the company visit, we see how the beets are then processed in a continuous process of storage, cleaning and cutting, after which in several steps (raw juice - thin juice - thick juice) the sugar content is concentrated from 15% to 70%. In large vacuum boiling pans, the juice is saturated with sugar, after which, under the addition of fine sugar crystals, a crystal mash with many crystals and little juice is formed. After cooling, the thick-liquid mass of crystals and syrup goes to the centrifuge, where the syrup is swirled through a wall of very fine mesh.
The sugar is stored in silos. The syrup, molasses, is the raw material for the manufacture of alcohol (for information, see internet including Wikipedia).
The process requires a lot of heat of relatively low temperature. Back pressure - steam engines supply low - pressure steam for this purpose. Part of the electrical energy is supplied to the national grid. Much propulsion is done using frequency-controlled motors.
The organisation requires a motivated and flexible commitment from all employees. After the full-continuous campaign, they are busy with clean-up, cleaning, repair, maintenance and new construction.

Although the process of beet sugar production has not fundamentally changed, ever larger and more efficient mechanical and electric drives have greatly influenced the growth and modernisation of the sugar industry.
The tour of the company is followed by a visit to the museum. A group of mostly pensioners united in the "Suiker Unie Steam Club". With the support of the management, they renovated the machines and installations and placed them on a spacious floor within the factory made available for this purpose. The drives, such as steam engines, direct current and various types of alternating current generators and engines including very nice ones from before the First World War, are now on display there. With the switchgear, a 100-year history is on display there. During your visit, you can see them in the flesh (some are even running). See also www.stoomclubsuikerunie.nl.

PROGRAMME
- Reception; coffee; (historical) film
- Guided tour of sugar factory
- Visit to Historical Industrial Heritage

SPECIES
It is busy on the road during the campaign.

Location

Dinteloord sugar factory, Noordzeedijk 113

Dinteloord

Organiser

Region South

Name and contact details for information

Information from ir Gijs Schoonewelle, tel: 0032 3 6667787.