Leading the way in emission-free earthmoving

With now quite an electrified fleet of machines and dedicated drivers, Van Werven Infra is leading the way in emission-free earthmoving. Sustainability and circularity are in the DNA of this family business and many clients are grateful to make use of them. An interview with Harry Hertsenberg, Director of Infra at Van Werven.

Van Werven profiles itself as a specialized and versatile service provider in the field of infra and recycling. "Every day we work on a sustainable infrastructure, a circular economy (recycling) and fertile soil," says Harry. "And we have been doing this extremely successfully for almost 80 years as a family business in which the fourth generation is now also active. As a company, we value circularity highly, as evidenced by, among other things, our plastic recycling branch, which also operates successfully on a European scale, and our waste collection and processing branch."

Wide range of machine capacity

Specifically within infrastructure, Van Werven has the capacity to completely unburden clients in the area of earthmoving. "We have a very wide range of machine capacity with the right operators. Our machines are operated exclusively by our own people," Harry emphasizes. "That fits with the core values of the family business. We let the quality of our work be determined by the professionals we send on a project. Our people are part of the family."

Interesting partner 

Van Werven is at the forefront when it comes to emission-free work, both in terms of types of machines and capacity. "Among other things, we have an electric 25-ton crawler crane and several electric Mecalac multi-purpose machines," says Harry. "In addition, three more electric trucks are on order and we have invested heavily in battery systems so that we can still work emission-free at locations where mains power is not available. These investments make us an interesting partner for large contractors. After all, they can leave the emission-free earthmoving completely to us and concentrate on their own emission-free work."

Lance breaking

Finally, Harry wants to make a case for long-term contracts. "Investments in zero-emission equipment are so high that in my opinion there should be something in return," he believes. "Fortunately, we see governments slowly moving in that direction. For example, the municipalities of Amsterdam, Utrecht and Nijmegen have already expressed their intention to free up extra money for the use of emission-free equipment in the contracts they have to give out. A positive development that may receive more acclaim." Incidentally, many municipalities will also have to do so by signing the "Clean Air Agreement.