Hollandia, since 1928 specialist in steel construction (waterworks) and motion works

From high-tech to monumental craftsmanship

Increasingly, we are pushing the boundaries of what steel construction has made possible to date. This requires craftsmanship and knowledge in which everyone gets the best out of themselves, each other, the material and the projects. Hollandia has been making an important contribution to the evolution of European steel construction since 1928. The company designs, realizes and maintains complex steel construction (water) works and movement works, such as bridges, locks, dams, (storm surge) barriers and specials.

Hollandia Infra and Hollandia Services are subsidiaries of Hollandia, with Hollandia Infra specializing in the design and construction of these steel structures and Hollandia Services focusing on their regular and major maintenance. 

Hollandia Infra

The craftsmanship within Hollandia Infra is distinguished by knowledge and skill. "By investing in the development of our employees, technology and production facilities, we can make our steel constructions even more advanced and sustainable in the future. This meets the growing needs of clients and end users of essential structures such as bridges and flood defenses," says Nardo Hoogendijk, general manager of Hollandia Infra.

Alex Westendarp Knol, commercial manager at Hollandia Infra: "Constructions are becoming more imposing and conditions more challenging. It forces us to be creative and innovative in all our disciplines: tendering, design, procurement, project management, fabrication, conservation, transport and assembly."

Hollandia Services

The job of Hollandia Services' experts is to keep infrastructure structures in reliable condition. "It is so enormously important to be able to continue to rely on the infrastructure that is used intensively on a daily basis," says Matthijs de Groot, operational director of Hollandia Services. "This is why we focus on inspection, maintenance, overhaul and renovation of wet infrastructure and ensure its optimal technical condition."

De Groot: "When managing and maintaining large moveable steel structures, we always want to be ahead of the situation. But also to minimize the impact of maintenance work on the environment and the lead time involved. Together with managers such as the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (RWS), Provinces, Municipalities, Water Boards and Private Parties, we therefore develop a sustainable and cost-efficient maintenance strategy, taking responsibility for the entire project. Thanks to this proactive approach, we ensure continuity and extend the lifespan of infrastructure works."

Integral maintenance

Hollandia Services has its own engineering, E&I and hydraulics departments and a 24-hour emergency service with which the subject specialists guarantee operational reliability and thus the availability of the objects. De Groot: "Our specialist knowledge and extensive experience in the field of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic drive technologies, is integrated into our maintenance program." We are working on a number of pioneering pilot projects, said Ronald van den Berg (general manager Hollandia Services). "By 2025, we want to be known as the leading club in the field of technological innovations." Hoogendijk adds: "But also in the areas of cooperation and sustainability."

Optimal synergy

The fact that Hollandia has everything under one roof is quite unique. As is its open and transparent nature. "The strengthening cooperation between Hollandia Infra and Hollandia Services as well as with external parties is one of our great strengths," says De Groot, noting that the interface between mechanical engineering and E&I is becoming increasingly emphatic. "With these disciplines in-house, we offer the customer a total solution. And that has a positive effect on lead time, budget and the end result."

Strong in complex work

Hollandia is strong in complex work. Think of the Delta Works, the large railroad bridge for the Thames Road route, the Reevesluis lock complex in the IJssel Delta and England's Brighton Tower and Boston Barrier. But if we ask about a virtually flawless collaboration on a recent project, the Suurhoff Bridge (A15) is mentioned. Commissioned by the Department of Public Works, Bouwcombinatie STIPT (Hollandia Infra, Dura Vermeer, BESIX NL and Mobilis TBI) built a new arch bridge and the existing road bridge was subsequently renovated by Hollandia Services. "The Suurhoff Bridge is more than an energy-neutral bridge, because it provided all those involved in this project with more energy than it cost," Hoogendijk says with a wink. "Because in addition to the enormous importance of the necessary energy transition, open and transparent cooperation is also essential. Hollandia has everything it needs to play its part in the renovation and replacement of the many (moveable) structures that are reaching their age limit."

"Both Rijkswaterstaat and Hollandia with its partners adopted an open and vulnerable attitude, which created a nice dynamic in the tender phase that we maintained during execution," Hoogendijk says. "From our expertise as bridge builders, we proposed a different bridge with a larger span in the context of risk management, which could ultimately be built more manageably and with considerably less risk. That was particularly appreciated." 

Hoogendijk is proud of the handsome team performance of RWS and Bouwcombinatie STIPT. "The openness and transparency, in which we pursued a common goal, resulted in finding the optimal solution for the challenges at hand. It also had a positive effect on planning and lead times. But also the end result that we achieved here is something to be proud of." Hoogendijk refers not only to engineering, building and installing the bridge, but also to delivering it on time and without fuss. 

Innovative reinforcement method

An innovative reinforcement method was used in the renovation of the existing Suurhoff Bridge. Van den Berg: "As the first bridge in the Netherlands, a steel deck plate reinforcement was applied to the driving deck with epoxy and bolts. Together with RWS and its collaboration partners, we further developed and perfected the entire approach during this project. It has become such a success that it will undoubtedly be used more often on bridges that are near the end of their lifespan."

The strength of Hollandia

Hoogendijk: "Both within Infra and Services we want to be leading. Both in the market and in the area of cooperation. We want to provide an ideal answer to the demand from the market." Van den Berg: "We like to step in early and analyze what is needed. We also require that clients give us space so that we can show our creativity and expertise. Because forces and knowledge are combined in the preliminary phase and the competencies of the construction partners are deployed in the right place, space is created to arrive at an ideal solution." In this, Westendarp Knol notices a cautious turnaround in the market: "Confidence is growing.    

Thanks to our broad scope, we can make a valuable contribution in many areas, both in the design, plant and maintenance side." Westendarp Knol is convinced that the two-phase procurement contracts will contribute positively to this. "A two-phase contract has a positive effect on cooperation, which means that a lot of gains can be made in terms of time, money and quality. This creates a win-win situation for both clients and contractors," he believes.

Sustainability

In addition to the importance of cooperation, Hollandia feels a great responsibility for sustainability. "It is becoming increasingly urgent to reduce energy and material consumption so that we can pass on our earth to our children in good condition," Hoogendijk believes. "In fact, steel is a hugely sustainable material, thanks to its infinite lifespan. It retains its strength when remelted, but that remelting costs a lot of energy. Fortunately, there has recently been a collective exchange of views on a Steel Construction Agreement, and there are plans to be able to produce 'green steel' by 2035. In order to achieve this, major steps are already being taken; for example, in the form of the steel construction agreement leading to significant investments at a Tata in IJmuiden, Dillinger and ArcelorMittal, among others. We are convinced that steel is the material of the future!"

Hollandia also very consciously chooses to employ its people sustainably. "We find it enormously important that our people enjoy their work, make cool things, but also feel room for development within the organization," says Westendarp Knol. "Good professionals are scarce, which is why we have had our own Learning School for decades: on the one hand, a breeding ground for new talent, and on the other hand, it offers very experienced employees the space to do less physical work by sharing their vast knowledge and experience here and using help from the younger colleagues," Van den Berg adds.  

With a combination of skilled employees and a strong market position, where cooperation, safety and sustainability are paramount, Hollandia is ready for the future.