Every year, 35 million bricks roll out of the brick press at the brickworks in Beek. It’s an impressive process that ships primarily luxury brick types to prestigious projects across the European continent. Work began last year on renovating the factory, which includes a brand-new hall, a brick and block press machine, a drying kiln and a setting machine. The renovation needs to work seamlessly with the operation and business continuity is crucial until the completion date in January 2025.
Boels Rental’s role in the project is to support the subcontractors, unburden the client and keep the process moving forward, ideally in as many areas at the same time as possible. Area account manager Diego Gommans is the first point of contact and the go-to person for everything relating to the project.
The brick factory of the Vandersanden group in Beek is being completely reformed at a cost of tens of millions to make it fully sustainable and future-proof. This massive project is already underway and Diego recently met with Silvano Bogman, the project engineer of the brick factory.
Brick press as big as a house
Silvano explains: “So, we are currently two-thirds of the way through renovating the factory and making it ready for the future with a gasless drying kiln. A huge job for us and we’ll even have to shut the factory down for a few months at some point.”
Well-oiled machine
Preparations for the renovation started four years ago. The entire hall was replaced at the end of 2023, and work started in early 2024 with the installation of the new brick and block press. The drying kiln and setting machine will follow later this year.” Both needed replacing after 50 years of service. The effect of water, sand and clay on the machines is huge.” The planning is on the wall in Silvano’s office. It’s a well-oiled machine and the project engineer is absolutely in control. He is the hub between the factory, the subcontractors and the many partners involved, including Boels.
Diego Gommans has been working for Boels Rental for four years. He was assigned to this project because of the relationship the brickworks already had with the Boels depot in Geleen, mostly for small equipment. “That’s right, Vandersanden initially sought contact with a colleague from unit rental at the Geleen branch. Logically, because it’s where Silvano’s first needs are. In March, his requirements became a lot bigger because work was about to start on several sites at once, and he now needed forklifts, telehandlers and aerial work platforms. That’s when Diego came into the picture.”
“At Boels we don’t say no; that word simply isn’t in our vocabulary.”
One contact point
For Silvano, Diego is the only point of contact at Boels. “That’s definitely a plus. Look, if we want to get this project done properly and inside the deadline, we ask for flexibility, total care and good communication from a partner like Boels. Downtime just costs a lot of money. I’m still on schedule, we can’t afford any delays in the project and plan it so that the processes flow seamlessly into each other. We also expect this continuity from our partners, including from Boels”, Silvano explains while we’re standing on the roof of the brand-new brick press.
Built on trust
“Yes, I made sure that I understood that message to the letter when Silvano first explained his plan to me. Our mission at Boels is to safeguard the continuity of our customers. We do everything to achieve that. Because of our company’s size, our national coverage, and the large stock and expertise we have in house, we always find a solution that works when urgency requires. That’s our guarantee and that builds trust with customers for today and for the future.”
“I’m extremely satisfied with our partnership with Boels and there’s no reason to want to change.”
Communication is everything
Whenever Silvano has a question, he can expect an answer on the same day and that’s always nice. Communication is everything. Even though there may not be a solution straight away, Diego always keeps him updated on the thought process towards reaching the solution. This creates a feeling of calm and clarity, and that’s reassuring in Silvano’s line of work. By January next year, we’ll know whether Silvano’s team – with the help of all those orange machines – will have the brick factory up and running again on schedule.