Acquisition of Staalservice

In 2005, the year after he succeeded his father as owner of Zuidberg Techniek, Jeroen Zuidberg took over Staalservice Lelystad. During the first couple of years, the company commuted back and forth between Lelystad and Ens, until the final relocation in 2013.

"It was quite a transition," recalls Dimitri van Steenderen, Account Specialist at Zuidberg. He remembers the takeover of Staalservice Lelystad by Zuidberg Techniek well. "In Lelystad, I was doing all sorts of different things. Sales, purchasing, administration and, if necessary, switching on the laser machines. I would often drop by in the evenings and at weekends to turn on the laser cutting machines so that they could continue for another few hours. We regularly accepted orders that we couldn't actually handle. In such cases, we worked day and night. Everything was done by working hard and working overtime."

A lot more to offer
At Zuidberg Dimitri had to deal with an entirely different working method. "Everything is much more organised here. We plan everything from beginning to end, we adhere to all the standards and safety requirements and everyone has a clear, defined role. It is more professional. All customers have followed us, although some still have to get used to the fact that we can no longer accept a rush order at the very last moment. On the other hand, we have a lot more to offer our customers nowadays. We can do everything here: not just cutting, but also welding, for example. We offer everthing in one place.”

Graduation Project
Niek Flierman and Roel Talen are colleagues of Dimitri. They came to Zuidberg in 2006 as young people in their twenties. "We were studying Mechanical Engineering at Windesheim University in Zwolle and were looking for a graduation project," says Niek. "In the Assignments at school, we found a project at Zuidberg: make a test engine. But that never happened. We ended up developing something completely different." Roel explains: "Previously, the cutting steel components had to be manually removed from the cutting table with a magnet. That was a difficult job, where you even had to climb onto the cutting table. We have invented a fully automatic system for this. A large magnet, which you operate from a distance. It removes all the components from the steel sheet very quickly and easily

Roel and Niek also made a calculation of the costs involved. "We had no idea of the amounts. We were shocked: so much money! Henk Zuidberg, however, was not startled. ‘Yes, it costs a lot, but if you save a lot of time and money at the same time, it is feasible, he said." Henk helped the duo to further develop the tool and create the logistics layout. Roel: "He gave us all the freedom and trust we needed and he told us we were making brilliant stuff. After graduating, we stayed to complete the project. Henk also said: you are not leaving before it is finished. We were not planning to. We both wanted to stay here."

The great relocation
Roel and Niek's project was realised in Lelystad. When Staalservice was transferred to Ens in 2013, new drawings and plans had to be made. Niek: "We did all the measurements again, only this time for a larger space. The move was quite an operation. The large plasma machines went with us, but new equipment was also added, such as laser cutting machines and a machine that can deburr and blast at the same time. And the number of press brakes increased from three to eight. Nowadays, there are 17.”

Right on time
Dimitri moved with them, as did most of his colleagues in Lelystad. Dimitri: "The move came at the right time; we wouldn't have lasted much longer there. For me, it did mean a longer travel time, because I live in Lelystad. Instead of three minutes, I now have thirty minutes' travel time. But I was glad that Zuidberg decided to keep me and my colleagues on board. They could also have said: thanks and goodbye."

Although he sometimes looks back on his time in Lelystad with nostalgia, Dimitri is happy with his place in Ens. " I enjoy my job more than ever. We do so much more than cutting and bending. Without Zuidberg we would never have been able to take that step."