Terneuzen New Lock | The right machine with operator in the right place, that's the power!

The company originally started with services in arable farming, which is still an activity. The percentage turnover ratios today are as follows: 60% equipment rental, 30% agricultural services and 10% trade and other activities. The machine rental specialist from Hoek can currently be found with no fewer than 15 machines on the construction site of the Nieuwe Sluis Terneuzen.

Brothers Anthony and Marco Guiljam are both directors at the company. We speak with Anthony about their involvement with the New Lock Terneuzen.

Well assessed what was needed
"Marco and I are already the third generation of Guiljam at the helm of the company," Anthony opens the conversation. "We mainly rent out machines to GWW contracting companies. In the early days only regionally, today mainly southwestern Netherlands and Flemish Belgium, with a good reputation for service and quality. When the first plans for the construction of the New Lock Terneuzen came to our attention and we heard that this would be a cooperation project between Belgium and the Netherlands, we made the first contacts already in the preliminary stages of the project."

To govern is to foresee, the saying goes, and that certainly applies to Guiljam-Hoek. "Remember that we know the mentality of both the Dutch and Belgian contractor. There is quite a cultural difference between the two and we speak both languages. We made intensive acquisition on the project from the beginning. During the first meeting at Sassevaart's office in Breda, we amply emphasized our no-nonsense practical approach and the advantages of our regional knowledge. As early as the very first phase during the construction of the front wall, we became involved in the New Terneuzen Lock. That immediately went very positively from both sides. Together we then drew up a contract that included good agreements for both sides."

Anthony and Marco Guiljam stand for quality!

Without a good machinist, the machine is worthless
Guiljam-Hoek knows better than anyone else that no matter how good a machine is, the operator is ultimately the factor that makes the difference. "We therefore also hire out the right operator for the right machine. Because in addition to our regular clients, we are now running an average of about 15 machines at the Nieuwe Sluis Terneuzen, we selected machines and operators from colleagues at an early stage that guarantee the quality of Guiljam-Hoek. We find it important to cooperate on this regional project. Machines and operators therefore come from the region for sustainability reasons," Anthony explains.

Every stroke must hit
"In projects, every stroke must hit the mark, there must be no mistakes. That's why we think along. A good example is the loading of contaminated soil into ships. One of the requirements of the Department of Public Works was that no contaminated soil should spill and end up in the water. We developed a spill prevention device that is stretched between boat and quay, so that any falling soil is safely caught," Anthony concludes.