THE PROVINCE OF EAST FLANDERS SUPPORTS UNIQUE COOPERATION BETWEEN SHELTERED WORKSHOP RYHOVE AND THE HUYGHE BREWERY

Today a new pneumatic arm, subsidized by the province, was put into operation at brewery Huyghe by employees of sheltered workplace Ryhove. Thanks to this investment, production capacity increases by 50%.  

Twenty-five people with a disability daily work on site at the Huyghe brewery. It is a unique collaboration between a social economy company and a local brewery with an international image and a global export market.  

To meet the increasing production at the brewery, investing in a pneumatic device was necessary. The Bal-Trol, a lifting arm that guarantees fast, smooth and ergonomic operation, could be purchased thanks to a project subsidy of EUR 20,000 from the Province of East Flanders for innovation and professionalization through cooperation between regular and social economy companies .  

This partial automation increases capacity by 50% and guarantees the Ryhove employees  job security on the long term. In addition, by teaching new skills, employees with a work disability can grow from pure manual work to machine operator.

Deputy Kurt Moens, responsible for the economy “The provincial government is strongly committed to connecting the social and regular economy. The installation of the pneumatic arm on the shop floor ensures immediate sustainable and economic leverage, a win-win situation for sheltered workshop Ryhove and brewery Huyghe. ”  

"Thanks to the intervention of the Province, we are able to semi-automate the process at our client," said Peter Leyman, general manager of Ryhove. “This primarily benefits the ergonomics for our employees and it also means an improvement in productivity. The result is that we can handle more capacity and more employees can be engaged. "  

Alain De Laet, CEO of brewery Huyghe: “Our brewery has been working hard for years to become the most sustainable brewer in the country. To achieve that goal, we have modernized our production equipment and implemented numerous energy-saving initiatives. However, sustainability extends beyond the infrastructure. Sustainability also means corporate social responsibility at the social level and the brewery also launches plenty of initiatives in that respect. Local initiatives such as the youth education service vzw Habbekrats are financially supported, the Pink Elephant Confrérie has also been supporting the Caritas psychiatric center in Melle for years, and the brewery has consciously been opting for local social employment through sheltered workshop Ryhove for years. The pride of these employees who work for us is an example to all of us."