Winner Dutch “SME Innovation top 100”
On Thursday 26th of May enterprise Dacom from Emmen, the Netherlands, got elected winner of the SME Innovation Top 100.
This ranking of 100 Dutch innovations was presented for the sixth time by Syntens Innovation Centre, NL Patent Office, Dutch tradejournal NRC and Mercedes Benz and is considered the biggest and most important innovation award for SME’s in the Netherlands.
Nominations were judged on originality, impact, level of protection, availability and sales potential.
With the TerraSen™-system which gives crops the best conditions to grow without wasting water, Dacom got the first place in the SME Innovation Top 100.
Sustainable
Dacom has specialized in sustainable irrigation management. Soil moisture sensors in the field of the grower show the daily water intake in the different soil layers of the crop. With this information the optimal timing of irrigation can be determined. Experiments with the system showed that the amounts of water and fertilizer for growing strawberries can be reduced to 48% without adverse effects on crop yield and quality. The technology of Dacom contributes to solving food shortage and sustainable food production, said the jury.
Explosive forming
Enterprise 3D-Metal Forming from Lelystad got the second place in the Top 100. This company is a specialized manufacturer of explosive formed sheet metal parts.
Explosive forming is particularly well suited for prototypes and small production runs. Large columes can be accommodated economically for specific products such as an Airbus cockpit, a nuclear boiler for Euratom or the outer layer of a pool building.
Acceptemail from Amsterdam offers an alternative to payment slips, paper bills and reminders. This is attractive to companies that want to organize their billing and recall process faster, cheaper and more efficient. The Amsterdam-based company won the third place with this kind of service innovation.
Deliberately no prize is attached to the SME Innovation Top 100. The strength of the initiative is to show the capability of SMEs.
For the list of the 100 companies and their innovations see the website of Syntens [Dutch only].
Source: Syntens, 27 May 2011
