The springboard to national coverage

Geonius Group from Geleen and Hoogveld from Almelo have joined forces. Since July 1, all activities of Hoogveld Geo, Hoogveld Rail and Hoogveld Advies fall under the responsibility of Geonius Group. Hoogveld continues to operate under the flag of Hoogveld Geonius bv.

Looking back, Geonius and Hoogveld were like-minded and complementary in so many areas that the meeting seemed like a lottery ticket. That started with the growth ambitions of both parties, possibly through acquisition. "This is not to say that we would join forces with any party that could offer us added business value," emphasizes Ferry Hoogveld, former owner of Hoogveld. "We also wanted to have a good match with it. We discovered the click with Geonius during a joint tender process in the period before the acquisition."

Geographic springboard

With a view to national coverage, the companies have an almost ideal location in relation to each other. Geonius has its headquarters in Geleen with branches in Southwest and Central Netherlands and Belgium. Hoogveld operates from Almelo. "With an extensive network, Hoogveld is the ideal springboard for us to the East of the country," points out Mark Rurup, director of Geonius Group.

An environment with resilience

In addition, both companies faced a similar problem. When they received more than one large assignment, they lacked the capacity to keep the smaller projects going. With the increase in staff, a diversity of research equipment and assignments ranging from standard fieldwork to the more complex research works, an environment with resilience and development opportunities for all is created.

Always looking for new techniques

Finally, both partners have an innovative streak, with Ferry Hoogveld as the driving force. The latter is always looking for new techniques and ways in which existing techniques can add value. This is particularly visible in Hoogveld's equipment, which stands out for probing units for work on and along the track. This will soon be joined by the first Dutch example of the boxed crawler. "CPT units are generally large and bulky," Hoogveld explains, "but this one is low and compact. The boxed crawler is state of the art and can also run on track."

"We have a lot to offer each other," Rurup then concludes. "Geonius is strong in standard geotechnical work; Hoogveld runs hot for high-end challenges. That makes us strong together for a broad customer base. In doing so, we both want to guard the social corporate culture and get to know each other well. With that ambition, we are guaranteed to grow into a close-knit club."