What DERO GROEP does

DERO GROEP is a Dutch industrial automation company founded in 1994, headquartered in Nieuw-Vennep with a secondary location in Joure, that designs and builds robotics and process-line equipment for the food industry and adjacent non-food sectors. The company operates three sub-brands — BOSGRAAF, DERO, and ELTEN — covering cheese processing, packaging and end-of-line systems, and specialized food-handling equipment including the patented FlowerCollector. Its product portfolio spans bin-picking robot cells with 3D vision, cobots, palletizers, sandwich and wrap production lines, small-bread lines, and complete cheese-making and bakery systems, with a deployed base of 1,052 robots across 34 countries and a workforce of 195 employees.

The technology stack combines mechanical food-process engineering with computer-vision and machine-learning features applied to specific food-handling problems such as loose-product bin picking, frozen-product anomaly detection, and sachet feeder product identification. DERO formalizes partnerships with tier-1 industrial robot OEMs including Stäubli and FANUC to deliver integrated cells, while contributing proprietary application software, vision tuning, and food-grade mechanical design.

DERO's business model is project-based B2B sales of custom-engineered automation systems to enterprise and mid-market food producers (including FrieslandCampina, Arla, Dominos, Vezet, Hessing, Borgesius, Bakkerij Klootwijk, Synergy Food, Sandays, Visser Kaashandel, Tanis) plus selected non-food customers (Teijin, Keune). Revenue is generated through equipment sales, integration services, and aftermarket support, with pricing tied to the scope of each engineered line rather than a subscription or volume-based model. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, funding rounds, or external investors, and has operated continuously for 31 years.

Name

DERO GROEP

Legal name

DERO GROEP

Website

https://dero-groep.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DERO GROEP is a Dutch industrial automation firm (founded 1994) that designs robotics and process-line equipment for food producers, with 1,052 robots deployed across 34 countries and enterprise customers including FrieslandCampina, Arla, and Dominos.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Robots (Articulated, SCARA, Delta, Cartesian) (IMAHAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

End-of-Line Integration & Packaging Line Systems (IMAHAOAN), Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines) (IMAHAOAK)

Keywords

• Food processing automation
• Industrial robotics systems
• Cheese processing equipment
• Packaging machinery
• Production line automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nieuw-vennep

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Automation Equipment Sales: Sale of custom-designed industrial automation systems and robotics for food processing, logistics, and horticulture industries. Solutions range from standalone machines to complete turnkey production lines. Revenue generated through project-based equipment sales with associated installation and commissioning services.
2. Service and Maintenance: Aftermarket service including maintenance, spare parts, and technical support for installed automation systems. Service team provides on-site support to maintain customer machines in optimal condition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DERO GROEP designs, manufactures, and commissions custom industrial automation systems and robotics for the food and non-food industries. The company integrates delta robots, 6-axis robots, cobots, and 3D vision technology into complete production lines for cheese processing, convenience foods, fresh produce, meat/plant-based products, bakery, horticulture, and logistics. Each solution is engineered to customer specifications with associated installation, commissioning, and after-sales service support.

Product overview

DERO GROEP is a Dutch industrial automation company that develops and manufactures custom production automation solutions for the food and non-food industries. The company operates as a platform of modular robotics and production line systems, organized into distinct product categories: robotics (bin picking robots, packing cells, meat packing cells, cobot and robot palletizers, insertion robots), production lines (sandwich lines, wrap lines, small bread lines, convenience lines, cheese treatment lines), food processing equipment (depositors, slicers, denesters, cutters, laminators, sheet feeders), and bakery equipment (box systems, depanners, baking tray and tin handling robots). The portfolio includes branded products under BOSGRAAF (convenience and bakery equipment), DERO (robot cells and systems), and ELTEN (cheese processing equipment). Solutions span cheese, convenience foods, fresh produce, meat/plant-based, bakery, logistics, and horticulture sectors. The company also provides custom/special robot solutions and total integrated systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bin Picking Robot (DERO/IPR*60S) Flexible bin picking robot cell with 3D vision for automated removal of meat, poultry, and plant-based products from crates and precise placement in trays, including optical quality control and integrated detection of products frozen together.
• Meat Packing Cell Delta robot solution for fast and hygienic packing and inserting of meat, poultry, and meat substitutes with high processing speed and accurate product positioning.
• Sachet Feeder (DERO/RAF*100S) Flexible machine for singulating sachets with liquid and solid contents and placing them into customer-ready meals at high speed, featuring vision system with machine learning.
• Packing Cell Delta picker cell for high-speed picking and placing of products with multi-picking capability and hygienic design for food products.
• Salad Bowl Packing Cell (DERO/DPC*100S) Compact robot solution for high-speed packing of salad meals and meal kits in crates and boxes with a flexible delta robot.
• Pre-cut Vegetables Packing Cell (DERO/DPC*200S) Compact robotic solution for high-speed packing of ready-made vegetable products such as shredded lettuce bags and pre-cut vegetables.
• Fastpicker (DERO/DPC*P5S) High-speed packing solution for individual and foil-wrapped vegetables and fruit like avocados, mangoes, and corn with advanced vision technology.
• Modular Convenience Line (BOSGRAAF/MCL*900) Modular line for composing wraps, sandwiches, or baguettes that can be expanded step by step using standardized modules.
• No-Spill Sandwich Line (BOSGRAAF/SAL*3000 NS) Sandwich assembly line with 'pockets' system that keeps ingredients inside during stacking, cutting, and depositing for richly filled sandwiches.
• Free Flow Sandwich Line (BOSGRAAF/SAL*3600 FF) Hygienic conveyor belt system for sandwich assembly with optional modules for bread supplying, dosing, slicing, and placing ingredients.
• Single Lane Wrap Line (BOSGRAAF/WRL*900) Automatic preparation, rolling, and cutting of different types of wraps with high automation, good ergonomics, and hygienic design.
• Double Lane Wrap Line (BOSGRAAF/WRL*1800) Double lane wrap line for automatic preparation, rolling, and cutting of different types of wraps at higher capacity.
• High Speed Wrap Line (BOSGRAAF/WRL*900 HS) Automatic wrap assembly and rolling at speeds higher than 1,800 wraps per hour with modular configuration.
• Volume Depositor (BOSGRAAF/VOD*1800) Compact module for dosing solid ingredients based on volume, suitable for various cut vegetables, lettuce, pickles, and more.
• Spread Depositor (BOSGRAAF/SDW*1800) Depositors for precise dosing of spreads and other viscous materials with different dispensing principles.
• Shot Sauce Depositor (BOSGRAAF/SHD*3600) Fast and accurate dosing on moving sandwiches, baguettes, or wraps using 'no product = no deposit' principle.
• Sauce Depositor Depositors for precise dosing of sauces and other viscous materials with easy disassembly for cleaning.
• Tortilla Laminator (BOSGRAAF/TLA*1800) Lamination module specially designed to smooth and pre-heat tortilla wraps for easier folding and rolling.
• Bread Denester (BOSGRAAF/BRD*4000) Unstacking and feeding of bread slices to sandwich lines using a patented peeling principle for fresh bread without sticking.
• Small Bread Cutting Unit (BOSGRAAF/BCU*3000) Flexible cutting machine for high-speed slicing and opening of small bread with minimal changeover time between bread types.
• Single Lane Small Bread Line (BOSGRAAF/SMB*3600 SL) Modular line for automatic assembly of various types of filled bread rolls with high automation and hygienic design.
• Multi-lane Small Bread Line (BOSGRAAF/SMB*3600 ML) Multi-lane line for efficient assembly of baguettes, panini, and other small bread at higher capacity.
• Box System (DERO/BXR*100F) Bakery system for flexible baking of small and large bread loaves, working as a base with thermal ovens for high efficiency and flexibility.
• Bakery Packing Cell Automated workspace with robots for packing, packaging, and placing bakery products with advanced grippers and sensors.
• Baking Tray Handling Robot (DERO/BPR*100F) Robot solutions for loading, moving, and unloading baking trays with advanced grippers and sensors.
• Baking Tin Handling Robot (DERO/KOR*100F) Robot for handling baking tins (koppels) in and out of the production line for filling, emptying, buffering, and changing.
• Small Bread Depanner (DERO/KDR*100F) Robot solution for unloading small bread from baking trays with advanced grippers for gentle handling.
• Bread Loaves Depanner (DERO/GDR*100F) Robot solution for unloading bread loaves from baking tins with vacuum systems and advanced grippers.
• Cutting Unit (BOSGRAAF/CUU*3600) Automatic cutting module for rolled wraps and filled sandwiches with various cutting techniques including ultrasonic, circular, and reciprocating saw blades.
• Insertion Robot (BOSGRAAF/ROP*1800) In-line loading of various packaging machines including flowpackers, tray sealers, and thermoformers.
• Sheet Feeder (BOSGRAAF/SHF*1200) Automatic unstacking and feeding of lasagna sheets and various types of puff pastry to production lines.
• Egg Slicer (BOSGRAAF/EGC*1800S) Slicing of peeled eggs with easy interchangeable cutting heads for various patterns including halves, quarters, cubes, and julienne.
• Retracting Belt (BOSGRAAF/REB*3600) For placing sliced toppings such as ham, cheese, and salmon from slicing machines directly onto products.
• Food Cobot Palletizer (DERO/CPL*20F) Simple palletizing solution for boxes and crates filled with food products using a collaborative robot with custom-made grippers.
• Parcel Induction Robot (DERO/PIP*2000) Innovative robot solution for automatic separation and induction of parcels into sorting and distribution systems using vision and AI.
• FlowerCollector (DERO/FLC*100F) Patented robot solution for automatically catching and placing flower bunches in buckets, processing up to 5,000 bunches per hour.
• FlowerBucket in Box (DERO/FBB*100F) Robot solution for automatically placing buckets with bunches and bouquets in boxes.
• Flower Robot Palletizer (DERO/FRP) Standalone robot palletizing cell for higher capacity handling and palletizing of boxes filled with flowers.
• Flower Cobot Palletizer (DERO/FCP*20D) Cobot solution for low capacity handling and palletizing boxes filled with flowers with two fixed pallet positions.
• Loading and Unloading Trolleys (DERO/FCP*20D) Cobot and robot solutions for loading and unloading auction trolleys with all types of buckets and containers.
• Plastic Coating Machines (ELTEN/PCM series) Standalone machines and automatic lines for applying plastic coating to naturally ripened cheese for protection and promotion of ripening.
• Automatic Cheese Supply to Shredding Line Automated system for supplying different cheese types and formats directly from pallets, including unpeeling/defoiling. Processes up to three different cheese types simultaneously and automatically maintains correct mixing ratios.
• Cheese Waxing Systems Semi-automatic and fully automatic solutions for waxing cheese with robot systems for multiple colors and layers.
• Cheese Treatment Lines Comprehensive treatment systems including plastic coating, UVC treatment, brine washing, brushing, turning, waxing, and repackaging with modular configurations achieving approximately 90% reduction in moulds and yeasts.
• Cheese Brining Systems Automatic racking brining system with optional rinsing, blowing off, disinfecting, and weighing.
• Cheese Pressing Systems Complete automated solutions for logistics of pressing vats including circulation systems, buffers, cleaning, and unmoulding.
• Industrial Robots Industrial robots (from brands including FANUC and Stäubli) for various food processing applications including palletizing, handling, and packaging.
• Collaborative Robots (Cobots) Collaborative robots for safe human-robot collaboration in food processing environments.
• Vision Systems Vision technology for product identification, quality control, and positioning in robotic applications, including 3D vision for product recognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Automated processing of up to 5,000 flower bunches per hour with FlowerCollector
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StäublicoreTechnology or IntegrationRobot brand partner working with DERO GROEP to provide best possible solutions for customers across markets and applications. Stäubli is one of several robot brands utilized by DERO GROEP based on specific application requirements and each brand's unique strengths and specialisms.
• FANUCcoreTechnology or IntegrationRobot brand partner providing industrial robots and cobots for integration into DERO GROEP automation solutions. FANUC robots featured in various customer installations including bakery, cheese, and meat processing applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Marel: Marel is a large global supplier of food processing equipment, robotics and automation for meat, poultry, fish and dairy — directly overlapping DERO GROEP's meat/plant-based and dairy (cheese) automation offerings, though at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• GEA Group: GEA is a major industrial equipment and automation vendor serving food, dairy and beverage processors worldwide, including cheese production lines — competing head-on with DERO GROEP's cheese treatment and dairy processing systems at enterprise scale.
• JBT Corporation: JBT provides food processing and packaging automation solutions for meat, poultry, dairy and convenience foods, with robotics and material handling capabilities overlapping DERO GROEP's meat packing, cheese handling and convenience-food lines.
• Tetra Pak: Tetra Pak supplies processing and packaging automation for dairy, cheese and convenience foods globally, making it a large established competitor to DERO GROEP in cheese treatment lines and dairy automation end markets.
• Bühler Group: Bühler is a global specialist in food processing technology, including bakery, dairy and convenience-food equipment; its automation and process lines compete with DERO GROEP's bakery and cheese segments at enterprise scale.
• KUKA: KUKA is a major industrial robot and automation supplier with food-grade and collaborative robots targeting similar end markets to DERO GROEP, and competes both as a robot OEM and as a system integrator for food and logistics lines.

Direct peers

• Stäubli Robotics: Stäubli is both a documented technology partner of DERO GROEP and a competitor in food-grade robotics (SCARA, 6-axis, collaborative robots); its robotics division sells directly into similar food-processing applications and could disintermediate integrators like DERO GROEP.
• FANUC: FANUC is one of the world's largest industrial robot manufacturers and a stated DERO GROEP robot brand partner; FANUC also sells robotic cells and integration services directly into food, bakery and logistics end markets that DERO GROEP addresses.
• Schubert Group: Schubert provides modular robotic packaging and pick-and-place lines for food, confectionery and bakery — a closely comparable offering to DERO GROEP's modular convenience, bakery and end-of-line systems for European food manufacturers.
• CFT Group: CFT Group supplies processing and packaging machinery for dairy, cheese and convenience foods, including robotic cells and integrated production lines — directly comparable to DERO GROEP's cheese treatment, meat packing and convenience food systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/derogroep
• Facebookfacebook.com/derogroep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dero-groep
• Instagraminstagram.com/derogroep

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DERO GROEP