Compound feed often contains a large number of different ingredients that need to be dosed precisely – often even by hand. To eliminate this manual work in microdosing, Erik Smulders founded AMABOX Systems, based in the south of the Netherlands, in 2018 and developed an automated system solution.
FM: How did you come up with the idea?
Erik Smulders: I have been working in the ingredient handling business for over 25 years. Throughout that time, I have seen and developed many solutions to automate dosing processes in factories that handle raw materials. But across all these systems, one gap remained clear: micro dosing is still done by hand almost everywhere in the world. That manual work leads to inefficiencies, errors, and health risks due to dust exposure. It’s also not scalable. The idea for AMABOX came from seeing that this part of the process could – and should – be automated, but that doing so would require a completely new approach. Not just a mechanical solution, but a system that integrates machine design, software, and process intelligence.
To realize that, I started AMABOX Systems. We set out to build a fully automated micro dosing system that is modular, reliable, and suitable for industrial environments. From the start, our goal was not to patch existing processes, but to rethink and replace them entirely – with a system that fits the future of production.
” Micro ingredients can be dosed in advance. This decouples dosing from mixing.“
FM: What is the system suitable for?
Smulders: The AMABOX System automates the storage, weighing, and dosing of ingredients in powder form. It is primarily designed for micro ingredients, but in practice it is also used for medium-sized components, depending on the production demand and recipes. The system consists of several integrated modules that handle everything from storage and identification to dosing, transport, and cleaning. Each ingredient is stored in a dedicated box, which is dosed automatically with high precision, tracked by RFID, and then emptied into the production process. This ensures full traceability and prevents cross-contamination. AMABOX is suitable for all powder handling companies. We currently provide mostly to feed, pet food, and premix industries. It is modular and scalable, which means it can be implemented in small factories as a compact system with limited boxes, or in large factories with hundreds of ingredients and multiple mixing lines.
Our client base reflects that range. Smaller producers use AMABOX to eliminate manual dosing in a cost-efficient way, while larger players run high-volume operations with fully integrated AMABOX installations. Some of our clients are UFA, De Heus, DSM, Cargill and DLG/Vilofoss.
FM: What advantages does your system offer compared to the usual mixed systems?
Smulders: Most factories today work with mixed systems: they automate the bulk ingredients, but rely on manual dosing for micro components. That creates a weak point in the process – one that introduces dosing errors, cross-contamination risks, a lack of traceability, and operational delays. AMABOX replaces that manual step completely. All ingredients, including micro and medium ones, are handled automatically with high precision. Each box is dedicated to a single ingredient and is cleaned after use, eliminating contamination risks. RFID tracking ensures full traceability of every single dose, from storage to the mixer.
One of the biggest advantages in practice is that the system removes a major bottleneck: micro ingredients can be dosed and prepared hours or even days in advance. Batches are ready when needed, without waiting for an operator to add hand tips. This decouples dosing from mixing and brings much more stability and efficiency to the production line – especially in plants with frequent recipe changes.
The system also reduces dependency on skilled manual labor, improves safety by minimizing dust exposure, and allows batching in advance to improve flow on the mixing line. In short, AMABOX eliminates the weak link in an otherwise automated process – and replaces it with something that is clean, traceable, and scalable.
Microdosing made easy
The AMABOX system eliminates 100% of manual additions by automating the weighing, dosing, storage and conveying of ingredients. The system is fully traceable, highly accurate, modular and scalable – for example in terms of the number of ingredients, storage capacity, dosing capacity and number of mixing lines – and can be used in any pellet and granulate factory. The various modules can be configured entirely according to the customer’s requirements.
The core of the AMABOX system is the automatic storage of ingredients as well as the dosing and weighing of components. The system is based on standardized boxes with lids, which are filled with powder products from bags/sacks or bigbags/superbags. After filling, the boxes are handled automatically. For traceability, all ingredients are scanned with barcodes, the weight is checked at each station and the boxes are tracked with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. Controlled by production orders, the BoxDoser automatically doses and weighs the required ingredients in the mixing system. Dosing is carried out using an electric, servo-controlled dosing slide. The BoxTipper then discharges the ingredients automatically and on time into the batch mixer, which is part of the production process. The various modules can be configured entirely according to the customer’s wishes.
FM: In which markets is AMABOX active?
Smulders: AMABOX is active in the feed, pet food, and premix industries, with a client base across Europe and North America. Our systems are running in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France, and the United States. Our clients range from international groups with multiple production sites to independent producers with highly specialized product lines. What they have in common is the need for precise, clean, and efficient dosing of small and medium ingredients – something that traditional systems and manual processes struggle to deliver reliably.
A key advantage of the system is its modularity. AMABOX can be installed in new factories, but also in existing operational plants. Because the storage, dosing, and filling can happen in a different part of the facility, the system doesn’t require major changes to the mixing area itself. The boxes are prepared elsewhere and transported to the mixing lines, where only a compact tipping unit is needed. This flexibility allows us to fit AMABOX into many different layouts and production flows – whether it’s for a high-capacity site with multiple mixers or a compact facility with limited space.
FM: AMABOX was founded in 2018. How has market penetration and turnover developed?
Smulders: Since the founding we’ve seen steady and healthy growth. The first years were focused on developing and testing the system in close collaboration with early adopters. That allowed us to fine-tune the technology and prove its reliability in real production environments. From 2021 onward, we’ve seen a clear acceleration. More factories are actively looking to automate manual dosing, and the demand for cleaner, more traceable processes continues to grow – especially in regulated and export-driven markets. As a result, both our installed base and turnover have increased year over year.
Our systems are now in use at multiple production sites across Europe and North America. We work with large international players as well as mid-sized companies that want to modernize their dosing processes. Part of our vision is that we want to give the best and quickest support possible. By integrating camera systems, factory digital twins and in-house software, we can do most of the support from our office in The Netherlands. This way we can keep our team small and agile, but support the clients even faster.
FM: How many employees do you have?
Smulders: We currently have around 25 employees. That includes a mix of mechanical and software engineers, project managers, assembly and service technicians, and support staff. We operate as a compact but highly specialized team. All of our development and engineering is done in-house, which gives us full control over quality and allows us to respond quickly to customer needs. As our client base has grown, we’ve also invested in expanding our service and project implementation capacity – both to handle international installations and to support customers after delivery.
“The modularity makes the system very flexible.”
FM: What innovations are still in AMABOX’s pipeline?
Smulders: Innovation is a core part of how we develop AMABOX. From the beginning, we’ve combined mechanical engineering with software and process intelligence. We’re currently working on several extensions to the system. One of them is automated bag unloading with robotics, aimed at further reducing manual work in the ingredient intake process. This will allow even more automation at the start of the chain, especially for plants handling a wide variety of bagged ingredients.
Another area we’re actively developing is process optimization through data. The system already tracks and logs every dosing action, and we’re building tools to use that data for predictive maintenance, flow planning, and batch performance monitoring. We also use a machine learning-based Dosing Algorithm that improves over time. The longer the system runs, the better it gets at handling each client’s specific powders – including how they flow, settle, or respond to vibration. That leads to even more accurate dosing and fewer interruptions.
Because the AMABOX System is modular, we can continue to innovate step by step – adding new features without disrupting existing setups. That’s how we ensure the system stays future-proof and adaptable to changing needs in the industry.
The questions were asked by Dr. Angela Werner.
Full article can also be read on the FeedMagazine website.
