Belgian automation specialist Devion showcased its new RIVO platform at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) in Hamburg last week, marking a significant transition from bespoke project delivery to a modular offering for the wider catering industry.
Designed to remove friction from airline catering operations, RIVO is a modular automation concept that connects product supply, tray handling, assembly and trolley loading into one continuous flow.
The platform is an evolution of ideas that have been germinating throughout Devion’s long-standing partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which is a collaboration that began back in 2011.
A central feature of the exhibit was RivoLoad, a modular trolley loading solution specifically designed to address one of the most physically demanding and time-critical steps in the catering process.
Visitors to the stand profited from live demonstrations of RivoLoad, supported by footage of the system in action at KLM’s installations.
The launch represents a milestone for Devion as it brings its proven innovation to a broader range of caterers seeking to reduce workload, improve flow and increase operational resilience.
“Airline catering is still largely a manual process today, but at WTCE Hamburg we clearly saw a growing interest in automation across the industry,” Tina Cortvriendt, Assistant Manager at Devion, told Onboard Hospitality reflecting on the show.
“The conversations we had confirmed that many operators are actively exploring how to improve efficiency and consistency on the floor. We’re confident that more catering companies will increasingly recognize, and benefit from, the value of automation, and of RIVO in particular, within their own operations.”
