#75 Years Under our Belt

Letter by Tom Doring, President of Americas at AMMEGA

In the last 75 years, the world has seen profound changes across the technological, geopolitical, and economic landscapes. While today’s manufacturers have seen major advancements, they’ve also endured significant challenges and periods of uncertainty. For a company to thrive over such a long period of time is a testament to the way it does business. For that reason, we are incredibly proud to recognize Ammeraal Beltech’s 75-year anniversary.

Beyond the celebration, this milestone presents an opportunity to reflect on our success and the lessons learned along the way as we look ahead to the next 75 years – and a new mission to become the market leader for belting and conveying solutions across the Americas.

Tailor products to applications. 

Our company started in 1950 with one extraordinary new baking belt. Developed by Thomas Ammeraal, it was capable of high performance in extreme conditions. Not only is this belt still in use today, but so is his legacy of innovation. Over the years, we have been committed to continuous investment to widen our product portfolio and offer solutions for a wide range of applications from food & beverage, to logistics, automotive, packaging, airport and more. Our vast product portfolio is focused on providing tailored, durable solutions while helping our customers achieve their own goals when it comes to efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. However, it was a close collaboration with—and deep understanding of—our customers that helped to get us here.

Put people first.

We couldn’t reach this milestone without our people, and a company culture that puts people first. We have strived to continuously express our gratitude to our people through safety and career development programs. Because when our people shine, so do we.

Our technicians play a very hands-on role in the fabrication of our belting solutions. That kind of work can present safety hazards, so safety was our #1 priority, as well as protecting the wider wellbeing of our employees. Apart from that, we have hosted several programs over the years to foster employee career development: providing new opportunities, facilitating succession planning, and facilitating job rotation and cross-level training to enhance job satisfaction.

Develop strong distributor partnerships.

For a company to evolve over time, change is needed: we’re proud of how our go-to-market strategy has developed, and how it’s helped us to be a local partner of choice, globally. In the last 15-20 years, we developed terrific partnerships with independent distributors in the U.S. which have helped us reach our customers with the right products and services, at the right price point. As a company headquartered in the Netherlands, we wanted to participate in the American market as locals – with local manufacturing, expertise, and capabilities.

To achieve that goal, we proudly host our bi-annual Belting Technology Conference (BTC) where we offer in-person networking opportunities with our customers, and hold breakout sessions on current and upcoming technology, industry trends, and industry challenges. This two-way channel of communication has been our unique contribution to our customers which has undoubtedly helped us develop innovative solutions for their needs. As part of BTC we also proudly invite customers to tour our manufacturing and service facilities, as part of our Built American Proud initiative.

Think local even when you’re global.

“Built American Proud” is more than a slogan. It represents our commitment to growing in the Americas to help our American customers grow. We’ve now invested well over $100 million dollars to expand production, warehousing, and service capabilities to help U.S. customers improve supply chain consistency, business agility, and sustainability. By supporting reliable lead times and optimizing inventory, we support operational efficiency and cost savings. By localizing more expertise and resources, we develop cutting-edge belting to overcome the “who’d have thought?” challenges.  Through our unwavering commitment to eco-friendly practices and innovation in recyclable materials, we help our customers reach their sustainability goals.

With employees providing local expertise and knowledge across manufacturing facilities, fabrication sites, warehouses, and customer solutions centers, we invested in expanding our capabilities and being the preferred partner for American manufacturers years before today’s tariff uncertainty.

Treat milestones as new beginnings.

As I wrap up this reflection, I would like to thank everyone who was and is a part of our journey. For the last 75 years, we have innovated while staying true to our compass, allowing us to do business right. As a leading brand of the AMMEGA Group, Ammeraal Beltech will continue growing and innovating, backed by the growing AMMEGA network. Our sales team is trained to understand your belting needs holistically, not necessarily focusing on Ammeraal Beltech, but being able to advise you across AMMEGA’s solutions portfolio, allowing us to be your true local partner.

Our long-term strategy is a journey we are dedicated to. Cheers to the next 75 years!