Dennis Zuidgeest from Zuidkoop discusses innovative plantscaping
Jun 15, 2023
Arturs Nesaule
Inspiring designs, maintenance challenges, and the future of plant industries: insights from Zuidkoop's Dennis Zuidgeest on innovative plantscaping
Hi Dennis, thank you for making some time for us! Just to start off, could you please provide us with an overview of Zuidkoop? What is the company's main focus? Where do you operate? What types of services do you offer?
Zuidkoop has two divisions. One part of the company deals with designing and realizing presentations for our clients. Most of this consist of stands at horticultural trade fairs. These fairs take place all over the world.
The other part focuses on floral design and interior planting. Here, we focus on greening offices in the Netherlands with individual planters, green walls and hanging elements. We take care of both the delivery and maintenance of the plants.
The maintenance is a very challenging aspect of the business. What are the biggest operational problems you face on a daily basis?
Operationally, the challenge is to ensure that all projects are revisited on time by our maintenance staff, so that the plants get water and care on time. Due to the growth we are experiencing, we have recently been continuously looking for employees to join our team.
From our view, Zuidkoop is like an architect of natural designs that continuously explores the artistic boundaries of plant installations. Could you share a little more about the creative process behind it?
Creativity is in our company's DNA. We are always looking for solutions other than the standard choices in order to surprise the customer.
Whenever we are allowed to create a new plan for one of our clients, we immerse ourselves in the interior, style and atmosphere of the premises. But also in our customer; what is their business and how do they position themselves in the market. Based on these findings, we set to work on a suitable and inspiring planting plan.
Because our company also has other disciplines with professionals in areas other than planting, our possibilities are unlimited, and we can think up and create almost anything in-house.
We are very grateful that you were among the early adopters of the sensor-based Nurtio Protect in the Netherlands. What drives you to try out and adopt new technologies?
We are always curious about new developments in our industry. Only if you are also actively involved in this, then you can ensure that you remain a frontrunner in the market yourself.
In your experience, are there any noteworthy differences in how companies approach plant maintenance? What impressed you the most?
In general, though, the basics of the work are similar. We find the most notable differences to be the time employees are given to maintain plants. Maintaining plants properly requires time. You start to see the differences over time in the quality of the plants.
Do you have any predictions for the future of our industry? What do you think it will look like in five, ten, or twenty years?
I expect the need for green and health is something that will remain and only get stronger. More and more offices will become greener to provide a pleasant working environment.
In maintenance, more and more smart technologies will emerge to make work easier. At the moment, though, I expect it to remain largely human work. Checking whether a plant is healthy, grows well and is properly maintained is something I don't see being taken over by technology any time soon.
Finally, do you have any advice or tips for your colleagues from around the world?
The success of our work is largely determined by the professionalism of all of us. Failures due to misjudgments or lack of knowledge detract from the entire industry. If we all make good assessments of the possibilities for plants in a building and make the right decisions accordingly, we can ensure that everyone remains enthusiastic about applying greenery.
Thank you for your time, Dennis! Working with your company always gives us a lot of inspiration, and we appreciate the ongoing partnership and look forward to what the future holds.
Hi Dennis, thank you for making some time for us! Just to start off, could you please provide us with an overview of Zuidkoop? What is the company's main focus? Where do you operate? What types of services do you offer?
Zuidkoop has two divisions. One part of the company deals with designing and realizing presentations for our clients. Most of this consist of stands at horticultural trade fairs. These fairs take place all over the world.
The other part focuses on floral design and interior planting. Here, we focus on greening offices in the Netherlands with individual planters, green walls and hanging elements. We take care of both the delivery and maintenance of the plants.
The maintenance is a very challenging aspect of the business. What are the biggest operational problems you face on a daily basis?
Operationally, the challenge is to ensure that all projects are revisited on time by our maintenance staff, so that the plants get water and care on time. Due to the growth we are experiencing, we have recently been continuously looking for employees to join our team.
From our view, Zuidkoop is like an architect of natural designs that continuously explores the artistic boundaries of plant installations. Could you share a little more about the creative process behind it?
Creativity is in our company's DNA. We are always looking for solutions other than the standard choices in order to surprise the customer.
Whenever we are allowed to create a new plan for one of our clients, we immerse ourselves in the interior, style and atmosphere of the premises. But also in our customer; what is their business and how do they position themselves in the market. Based on these findings, we set to work on a suitable and inspiring planting plan.
Because our company also has other disciplines with professionals in areas other than planting, our possibilities are unlimited, and we can think up and create almost anything in-house.
We are very grateful that you were among the early adopters of the sensor-based Nurtio Protect in the Netherlands. What drives you to try out and adopt new technologies?
We are always curious about new developments in our industry. Only if you are also actively involved in this, then you can ensure that you remain a frontrunner in the market yourself.
In your experience, are there any noteworthy differences in how companies approach plant maintenance? What impressed you the most?
In general, though, the basics of the work are similar. We find the most notable differences to be the time employees are given to maintain plants. Maintaining plants properly requires time. You start to see the differences over time in the quality of the plants.
Do you have any predictions for the future of our industry? What do you think it will look like in five, ten, or twenty years?
I expect the need for green and health is something that will remain and only get stronger. More and more offices will become greener to provide a pleasant working environment.
In maintenance, more and more smart technologies will emerge to make work easier. At the moment, though, I expect it to remain largely human work. Checking whether a plant is healthy, grows well and is properly maintained is something I don't see being taken over by technology any time soon.
Finally, do you have any advice or tips for your colleagues from around the world?
The success of our work is largely determined by the professionalism of all of us. Failures due to misjudgments or lack of knowledge detract from the entire industry. If we all make good assessments of the possibilities for plants in a building and make the right decisions accordingly, we can ensure that everyone remains enthusiastic about applying greenery.
Thank you for your time, Dennis! Working with your company always gives us a lot of inspiration, and we appreciate the ongoing partnership and look forward to what the future holds.