Meppel-based Ferr-Tech wins 18th KVK Innovation Top 100

Ferr-Tech from Meppel has secured the number 1 spot in the 18th KVK Innovation Top 100. The company is the world's industry leader when it comes to ferrate (VI) applications for industrial (waste) water treatment. Ferrate is a more powerful oxidant than chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone. The innovation FerSol makes it possible to purify waste water and make it reusable in a sustainable way. Ferr-Tech can call itself the most innovative SME company in the Netherlands for a year. KVK publishes this top 100 of concrete innovations by small and medium-sized businesses yearly.

Ferr-Tech has developed and patented a world-exclusive production process, ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of ferrate. This creates new possibilities for green and efficient waste water treatment, enabling reuse of water. It can be applied across many industries. Ferr-Tech was selected winner because the company contributes much to sustainability and has developed a highly innovative product. The jury, led by Ruud Koornstra, is impressed by the company's implementation power and its rapid growth in turnover, with a small and diverse team.

Palm oil, no palm tree

The Wagening-based NoPalm Ingredients takes second place. NoPalm Ingredients produces palm oil without using palm trees. They manage it by upcycling agrifood sidestreams using fermentation processes. This enables them to offer the diversity and affordability of palm oil with 90% less CO2 emissions. 

Small but highly effective

Sirius from Eindhoven comes 3rd in 2023's KVK Innovation Top 100. The company is a successful commercial spin-off of the Antonie van Leeuwenhoek ziekenhuis and Twente University. Sirius developed an innovative magnetic localisation method to detect breast cancer: Sirius Pintuition. The unique solution with the size of a rice grain makes it possible to surgically remove tumors with great precision and efficiency. It has already been used in 7,500 surgical procedures in 75 hospitals.

Successful innovations

With 22 innovations, Noord-Holland is the highest scoring province, followed by Zuid-Holland with 20 companies and Noord-Brabant with 17. Closely following the agrofood sector (17 innovations) are the IT (16) and care sector (also 16). All nominations were judged on their impact on the sector and society, originality, availability, realised turnover, and growth potential. The KVK Innovation Top 100 does not come with prize money.

For more information, go to: www.kvkinnovatietop100.nl (in Dutch).