'It's not about money, it's about future generations'

Robert Jan Feijen on sustainable ambitions at Mobilis

If we look at sustainable innovations within the Dutch infrastructure sector, it is striking that there are companies that have adopted a pioneering role. We see that this 'drive' to become more sustainable is firmly rooted within the TBI companies, including Mobilis. What makes Mobilis lead the way towards a sustainable world? A question we put to Robert Jan Feijen, Mobilis director. His answer is clear: "It's not about money, it's about future generations." We talk to him about the energy transition, about sustainable working and about the cooperation between the TBI companies.

What do you do as a general contractor on the construction site?

"That question Mobilis asks itself every time, when it comes to sustainability, innovations and leading by example. I think that around 2017 the realization dawned within the organization that we in the infra had to keep up with the energy transition. As a general contractor, you have an influence on what happens on the construction site, so then you yourself will have to set a good example. Knowing what you are doing, what processes are taking place, how others work and what impact the work has on energy consumption and the environment are crucial. Mobilis has the capabilities to produce the data needed for that," Feijen explains.

Innovations on the front lines

Mobilis has some fine "achievements" to its name, in the fight for a sustainable world. Feijen: "By taking a critical look at energy consumption on construction sites, we came to the conclusion that there had to be a change in the way power was handled. Instead of running diesel generators all day long, which only have to supply peak power occasionally, we wanted to arrive at a situation where power could be purchased 'on demand.' Moreover, when reserving grid power, we saw that requests were hugely 'overpowered'. That costs money and comes at the expense of power availability. Mobilis was behind the development of the e-CO2tainer, a mobile energy station equipped with a biofuel (HVO) generator, an impressive battery of lithium-ion batteries and the ability to be hooked up to the grid. We thus facilitate intelligent energy supply at every conceivable location. No more is ever consumed than necessary."

Another good example is Mobilis' involvement in the development and deployment of Geopolymer concrete. "There's profit there too when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions. Traditionally, the binding agent in concrete is the big culprit when it comes to CO2. With Geopolymer concrete, a huge reduction in CO2 emissions takes place on the binder side. We now offer the customer the choice of working with traditional concrete or Geopolymer concrete. In fact, we still need traditional concrete in this innovation phase, but anyone who wants to join us on the road to working more sustainably has the opportunity to step in.

Space for tomorrow

What makes Mobilis dare to stick its neck out and take these steps, far ahead of the pack? "That's because of the culture that exists within TBI. We are all given room from within the holding company as TBI companies to develop, to test and implement innovations. We do a lot more in the background than makes the news at the front. It comes from our shared drive to improve."

Innovation sometimes means pain. Mobilis also regularly runs into outdated regulations that make it difficult to implement innovations. How is this dealt with? Feijen smiles and says, "Sometimes the power of persuasion is more important than the demonstrability of innovations. You just need a long breath. That long breath is granted to us within TBI. By taking the time we can afford to implement something, we are slowly creating the space to do so. In doing so, we're paving the way for everyone."

Every idea counts

Feijen says that not only he, but the entire organization likes to be inspired by the young guard, the up-and-coming talent. "The youth who come to work for us have been raised differently, they have had a sustainable cradle. The young people think very differently about sustainability and are not hindered by old ways of thinking. That inspires enormously and is contagious. Whoever has a good idea is heard. The horizontal programming within all TBI companies ensures that."

Mobilis wants to have an impact on the entire construction column. "For that reason, we have incorporated a demolition company within the TBI organization. That way we can build up knowledge about circularity, accelerate and innovate," Feijen said in conclusion.   

Mobilis BV
Fauststraat 3, 7323 BA Apeldoorn
T. +31 555 38 22 22
E. info@mobilis.nl
www.mobilis.nl