Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
After a year centered on engineering, the focus for Demako shifts to production and assembly in 2026. The Belgian company, a specialist in mechanical drives for bridges, locks and other civil structures, is involved in leading projects such as the Krammersluizen in Zeeland, the Juliana lock complex in Gouda and the Merwedebrug near Gorinchem.
“Our strength is the broad experience we have accumulated in exceptional projects,” says managing director Thomas Beckx. For example, Demako previously made a major contribution to the Kieldrecht lock in Antwerp, the Connection Bridge in Zeebrugge and the floodgate in the Afsluitdijk at Kornwerderzand. “We are true mechanical engineers. With our own engineering department, welding and machine hall as well as assembly teams, we have everything we need in-house to realize projects from A to Z. This integral approach ensures that we can successfully deploy proven systems and methods time and again.”
A good example is the renovation of the Krammersluizen locks, where Demako, as a partner in the ZEEKR partnership (including BESIX, Croonwolter & Dros, Bosch Rexroth and Iemants), is helping to future-proof the largest concrete complex in the Netherlands. Demako is responsible for, among other things, the design of the new rolling door sluice gates, the renovation of the wall sliders and the new construction of the spillway and fish migration device. “For us this is one of the larger projects, and especially the combination of new construction and renovation makes it challenging.”
Demako is also active elsewhere in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, the company is collaborating on Bridge 2062 (Vivian Maier) on Strandeiland. In Gouda, it is part of combination STROOOM (BAM Infra Nederland and Equans) in the renovation of the Juliana lock complex, with work ranging from modernization of operation and control to conservation of steel structures. They also won the renovation of the Grevelingensluis together with STROOOM. And on the other side of the North Sea, Demako has collaborated on the Govan Partick food bridge in Glasgow and are building the Narrow Water Bridge, the first bridge without border posts between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland.
According to Beckx, Demako's added value lies in discipline-transcending thinking and collaboration. “Increasingly, we are working in two-phase contracts, where in the design phase we make choices for design, planning and costs together with the client. Together we look for the best possible solution. That produces transparency, trust and better solutions.”
What drives Beckx and his team? The pride in creating works of art from sketch to key delivery. “What makes it special for us every time is that you are involved in the whole process. You see a bridge, lock or other complex grow, so to speak. And what we design and build today will still be there in decades to come.”
