We are proud to welcome Scarabee to our community. Scarabee Aviation Group has been in business for 36 years and develops security lanes and self-service drop-off equipment, among other things. At the same time, they also provide software for passenger, baggage handling, and security systems—not just at Schiphol, but worldwide. We spoke with CEO Jasper van Gend at Scarabee’s headquarters in Hoofddorp.
Jasper has been CEO of Scarabee for two years. Before that, he lived and worked abroad for over 20 years, including in Germany, where he worked for Smith Detection, a large company that produces baggage scanning equipment, among other things. Jasper is well-acquainted with the ins and outs of this particular field in the aviation industry.
Scarabee’s equipment is sometimes referred to as the “Bentley” of security lanes, Jasper tells us—high quality combined with an ergonomic and leading-edge design. “We are truly proud of that. Last summer, over 12 million passengers passed through our security lanes, with 95% getting through within 10 minutes. Such a stable flow is essential for an airport like Schiphol. In total, we have 83 smart security lanes at the airport and 63 baggage drop-off machines. All of this equipment is maintained 24/7 by approximately 45 of our own staff working in shifts. These include service technicians, software engineers, and bag drop hosts. Providing excellent service is very important to us. Having a great product is one thing, but you must also be able to maintain it.”
Collaboration with Daifuku
In 2018, Scarabee faced financial difficulties and partnered with the Japanese company Daifuku. Daifuku provides global (software) solutions for transportation, storage, and sorting systems and has since become the majority shareholder of Scarabee with an 85% stake. Together, we operate in Germany, England, Scotland, Austria, the United States, South Africa, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Scarabee also has its own offices in Germany, the United States, and Japan.
“Essentially, Scarabee handles the European and American markets, while Daifuku manages the Japanese market. Besides the aviation industry, we also jointly undertake projects for global mail-order companies, such as Amazon. Additionally, within Daifuku, we gain access to other industries, such as the automotive sector. Large companies know where to find us, and we are experiencing significant growth again. Our primary focus is on so-called ‘Level 1 & 2 airports’—those handling more than 25 million passengers annually, as well as airports processing between 10 and 25 million passengers per year. At Daifuku/Scarabee, we employ a total of 150 people, with 45 based at Schiphol and the rest spread across our offices in Germany and Japan. For other countries, we closely collaborate with both Daifuku entities and local distributors.”
Recruitment and Retention
“This means we are constantly looking for new people. We recruit through our website, LinkedIn, Indeed, and primarily via recruiters. There is a lot of movement in the job market—people come and go, but fortunately, some also return. In the past, salary was the most important factor, but nowadays, companies need to do more to retain employees. Beyond offering a good health insurance plan, a gym membership, a bicycle lease program, a masseur, and a solid pension, we also find it crucial to keep our employees motivated and appreciated.”
In-House Training
“I see a future in training our own employees. We are already certified for this and have everything we need: an experience center where people can view our equipment and a beautiful lecture hall, which we are already using to host other companies. We would love to collaborate with local educational institutions to bring in young talent.”
Innovation and Looking Ahead
“To accelerate our innovation, we collaborate extensively with external engineering firms. However, in-house Research & Development is also vital. We particularly anticipate developments in electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as software. For us, 2025 needs to be the year of stability,” Jasper continues. “Stability in our products, our structure, and our people. The passenger journey must be seamless. I travel frequently myself, so I see firsthand what is important—and I bring that knowledge back to our company.”
LCS Membership
“The main reason for joining Luchtvaart Community Schiphol,” Jasper concludes, “is to connect with more companies at Schiphol and to increase our visibility. That way, we can work together to further improve the passenger journey at Schiphol.”
