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In a unique partnership, Solidd Steel Structures, together with the Levvel construction consortium (BAM, Van Oord, Rebel and Invesis), has realized the approach protection for the new floodgate in Den Oever on behalf of the Department of Public Works. A project in which the Friesian company feels like a fish in the water.
Although Solidd Steel Structures is an expert in heavy steel construction, director Jan Willem Stob sees the added value of his company primarily in the field of mechanical engineering structures. Or to be more precise, in managing complex projects. "The more complicated an assignment, the more enthusiastic we become," Stob said. For the renewal of the Afsluitdijk, the company is involved in four parts: the overhaul of the Stevin sluices, the realization of the dry bulkheads in the Vismigration Pier as well as the drive of the floodgates in the river and, finally, the approach protection of the new floodgate in Den Oever. "Each of these are assignments with their own challenges. At the Stevin locks, for example, we had to hoist, assess and renovate the existing lock gates in a very short time frame. This stands or falls with an adequate project approach, exactly what suits us and what we are good at."
The approach security for the new floodgate was complicated on all fronts, both technically and in terms of time frame and quality. "We tackled this in a construction team together with Levvel. Because we have engineers with practical knowledge in house, we make working drawings that can also be realized efficiently in practice. With Levvel we optimized the design in which we had the lead. A functional design was created in a short time, where managing all interfaces and interfaces is essential."
Working in a construction team has important advantages according to Stob: "You utilize all the qualities within a team, there is complete transparency in costs and revenues. The focus is on the technology and execution, because you make good agreements in advance. Working in a construction team also requires a different approach in terms of interaction between construction team members. A lot of attention must be paid to soft skills. Team members must have trust in each other and have the ultimate ability to work together. Besides the technical knowledge you need to have, it's also about the human side. Exactly what Solidd wants to distinguish itself in, it's about who we are!"
Collaborating on the renewal of the Afsluitdijk is extra special for the Solidd team because the dike is "just around the corner. "It's an appealing job, everyone knows it. The Afsluitdijk is basically one big mechanical construction to regulate the water, traffic and flora and fauna. It's incredibly beautiful that we get to work on this."
