What happen when your goal is to make a prescribed share to this universe while being an entrepreneur ? Then you focus on sustainable solutions , and constantly look for new chance . This is the story of the Houweling Group , a household business that has 220 employees . In 1925 , Houweling Horticulture position the foundation for this group under the lead of Jaco de Vries . Today , it is a respected electrical distributor of blending agents , biostimulants and hygienics & clean agents . Jaco ’s end is to further expand this portfolio , and to bestow to the company ’s internationalization process .
Expansion opportunitiesNext year , the ship’s company will celebrate its 100th anniversary . Over the line of time , a batch has happened , Jaco explain . " Marc Houweling ’s great - grandpa came from a family unit of grower . Even back then , produce that was uprise horizontally under flat glass could suffer from sun damage . For that reason , he developed shading broker to lube the low , flat glasshouses . " In accession , he also include cleaning agents in the company ’s other grasp ( because one pct more light is one per centum more issue ) .
Packaging from the port of RotterdamTo cater those agents , promotional material was also require . " They embark on visiting the Rotterdam food for thought manufacture ( like Melkunie and Coca - cola ) where a peck of packaging was discharge and thrown aside . They collected the promotion , clean it , and used it to deliver their own ware . This was a success , and they set forth to sell sporting packaging to other ship’s company . " This is how the company entered the packaging industry in the 1960s . Soon , Houweling start up to append new packaging . " They went to Germany to some bighearted manufacturers to corrupt young plastic packaging , such as Krauthead cans , buckets , drums and IBCs . It was in those age that the promotion business experienced most of its outgrowth . " The containers went to all sort of sectors including the crude and pharmaceutic ones - and of course , the company also declare oneself to collect and clean container for reuse .
Protecting and brace plantsAside from the packaging concern , and the Houweling Safety segmentation , Houweling Horticulture is an authoritative branch of the Houweling Group . " We protect and perk up the plant in a sustainable way , " he say . ab initio , the ship’s company provided shading agent , subsequently they expanded to include cleaning & hygiene merchandise and biostimulants . Moreover , the group get fellowship to sell the product they give rise under the Houweling name .
From an export company to an external companyCurrently , Houweling Horticulture is in a transition process to become an international troupe . " Two years ago , we were already exporting to more than 30 country . Now we need to become an outside company with local offshoot that can support our partners and distributors . "
The oldest foreign Houweling branch is the one in Romania . " We opened it in 2007 to bring about shading product in this country . A few years before the opening , Houweling had buy a mine in Romania . " One of the unsanded material for the shading broker is Ca carbonate , which is extracted from that mine . In the manufacturing plant in Romania , this raw cloth is processed into a powder which forms the basis for the blending agents .
accord to Jaco , fluent shading agent are the norm in the Netherlands , while powder is preferred in other piece of the earthly concern . " The chief reason for this is the toll price . Liquid shading agents contain a lot of piss , which results in eminent conveyance costs . Powder is a tawdry option . The pulverisation can be mixed on website at the client ’s premises . Our pulverization are and were already much more environmentally well-disposed than the shading fluent factor . "
Biodegradable shading agentsJaco : " Another advantage of our shading agents in powder form is that they are biodegradable , and therefore sustainable . " Houweling was lancinating to also develop a powder - based liquid that is also biodegradable . After a ontogenesis process of some seven to eight years , the agent , Bright Eco - Coating , was precede at GreenTech last year .
" It is the first liquid blending agent that is biodegradable and completely free of microplastics . The latter will be particularly authoritative in the future , as the EU has passed a law that ostracise microplastics in horticultural products from 2028 onward . "
Further alien expansionIn addition to the offshoot in Romania , Houweling Horticulture also has a branch in Ontario , Canada , since 2019 . " And eighteen months ago , we opened our second branch in Surrey , British Columbia . From those locations , we want to serve all of North America . "
Moreover , Houweling is a partner of Signify in Canada . " As we cause industrial plant sustainably , we also sell lighting , we only offer LED lamp . In addition , we are also a distributor of Dutch Plantin in Canada . "
The Spanish market place is another significant market for Houweling . " Since last twelvemonth , we have an score handler in this state to prepare for the next step , a Houweling entity in Spain . In Romania , we have place up a gross revenue organization to serve well the marketplace in Eastern Europe . "
Intracare in horticultureAside from shading agent , biostimulants and biocides are also important product groups for Houweling . The company has gross sales rights for Intracare ’s horticultural product . Jaco explain why . " Actually , Intracare have into horticulture thanks to us . One day , Marc Houweling was at Intracare for the packaging . He talked to Jan van Geest ( the owner of Intracare ) , and saw that the biocides they were supply to the livestock industry . He then said : ' What works in this there must surely also work in horticulture . ' " His fling to distribute the biocides in international gardening was accepted . This is how Intracare got involve in international gardening . "
Focus on sustainabilityIn the future , Houweling wants to remain a mob commercial enterprise . The society has no ambition to become one of the self-aggrandizing company , says Jaco . " We need to make an important share to sustainability . "
Jaco gives an example from the caller ’s publicity division . " At the time , they went to the freehanded formative packaging manufacturers with the request to make novel packaging from reuse materials . They did n’t really consider this was potential in those days , so five or six years ago Houweling built its own factory in Bleiswijk ( the Netherlands ) to do so . " It was n’t easy in the beginning , but now Houweling has even managed to make new packaging from recycled charge card , and even moldable soup from the ocean .
It marks the grandness the companionship attaches to sustainability . " base on our Christian individuality , we see our contribution in gardening as a form of stewardship . This is why we focus on sustainability , to impart a greener macrocosm for next coevals . "
For more information : HouwelingGroupTel : +31 88 1210400[email protected]www.houweling.com
