Reinforcing steel with the lowest MKI and LCA

Heijmans, commissioned by the Department of Public Works, is carrying out the widening of the A1 motorway between Apeldoorn and Twello as sustainably as possible. To achieve that, the main contractor is surrounding itself with "like-minded people," such as Holterman Wapeningsstaal, supplier of reinforcing steel with the lowest MKI and LCA. Of course, we want to know more about that.

Holterman Wapeningsstaal is a market leader in non-residential construction and also has these ambitions in infrastructure. "We were already preferred supplier to Heijmans for, among other things, the VDRQ viaduct over the A4 at Schiphol Airport and now we are also supplying all the reinforcing steel for the various structures for the road widening A1 between Apeldoorn and Twello," says Harrie Grootte Bromhaar, field sales at Holterman Reinforcing Steel. Reinforcing steel, concrete, asphalt and soil are perhaps the most essential components for the GWW. A contractor therefore prefers to surround himself with parties that can guarantee high quality and reliability of supply. Holterman Wapeningsstaal is such a party, which also distinguishes itself in sustainability.

National Environmental Database

In total, Holterman is supplying some 2,000 tons of rebar for the various structures for this project. "All the steel is mainly produced from scrap instead of iron ore, which is much less environmentally damaging," assures Harrie. "We do not use an industry score, but have had our own MKI LCA report of our rebar prepared by an external agency. This report was reviewed by an independent expert and, following those findings, included in the National Environmental Database (NMD)." The MKI is calculated from the LCA, which considers the entire life cycle of the product. "With a verified score of 130.2, we are the rebar supplier with the lowest MKI and LCA. And you know, the lower the MKI, the more sustainable the offer is."

Steel Service Center

Reinforcing steel at Holterman is supplied in bulk by ship. "We have our own port in Markelo on the Twente Canal," says Alan Burchartz, field sales at Holterman Reinforcing Steel. "We then model the required rebar in 3D and it is cut and bent to size in our Steel Service Center. For the A1 project, we supply the rebar in various diameters from ø8 to ø40 mm. We do this as efficiently as possible and delivered just-in-time to the construction site. The first delivery took place in August 2023, the last shipment is scheduled to go out the door at the end of this year." Holterman Wapeningsstaal then also takes care of the braiding on site.

According to Harrie, the infra sector is definitely another growth market for Holterman Reinforcing Steel. "Last year we invested in three large mat welding machines and have, among other things, a fully automated cutting and bending line with which we fully focus on the infra market." Alan adds: "In addition, we are in an advanced stage for achieving Step 3 on the Safety Culture Ladder and we continue to invest in making our operations more sustainable."