2022: Gearbox Innovations - Theme Award

Gearbox Innovations invents, designs and produces smart products in the field of robotics and automation, self-learning software and vision solutions. The technologies assess and report in real time on the quality and growth of the plants in the greenhouse, in order to optimise the cultivation and packing process, save costs and improve product quality. Gearbox was found 5 years ago in a garage, and now works on the digitisation and robotisation of horticulture with 30 full-time employees. All the products thereby reinforce one another, with the end goal of being able to capture the product and crop consistently in algorithms throughout the supply chain from breeder to the supermarket distribution centre, and thereby be able to provide important data and advice.

 The jury said: Gearbox in the Westland region has developed over the past 5 years from an R&D consultancy for horticulture into an impressive scale-up with a portfolio of products from the greenhouse to the shed that also all make use of interchangeable modules. This means they are well-positioned to develop new products in partnership with the end users. A good example of this is the GearRover, a harvest assistant that indicates which flowers and fruit are ripe for harvesting. Gearbox is a master of agile product development, whereby the company always works with the customer to identify what adds value.