Turn key builder from Veenendaal starts own window frame production

Hardeman BV from Veenendaal has been constructing industrial halls and offices throughout the country for many years. In the Dutch landscape of builders, they are - in their own words - a bit of an 'odd man out'. Where most construction companies in recent decades have fully committed to outsourcing, hiring and concentrating on their core tasks of sales, work preparation and execution, Hardeman invariably chooses to pull the strings themselves as much as possible throughout the process.

Vertical integration

For example, the company employs its own designers and constructors, as well as its own equipment department with more than 100 aerial platforms, its own transport department with 30 trucks, tower cranes and so on. In addition to the complete assembly, practically the complete company buildings are also manufactured in their Veenendaal factories. You may think of the steel structures, roof and wall cladding but also, for example, skylights and insulation panels. Hardeman chooses this vertical integration in order to remain as independent and flexible as possible and to be able to offer an optimal price-quality ratio for its business premises. This sometimes goes so far that Hardeman even takes care of the maintenance and/or financing of the commercial buildings.

New frame factory

The newest link in this chain has been a full frame factory in Veenendaal since September 2020. "We used to apply a lot of aluminum in the more high-end commercial buildings and offices, because we just couldn't achieve the right detailing and appearance with the plastic window frames. Especially with the larger facades," says Arnold Hardeman. "Because we did see the potential of plastic, especially in its insulation value and quality, we started looking for a profile supplier who could think along with us so that we could also carry out the high-quality projects in plastic with the desired look."

Finally, Hardeman and Gealan found each other in the S9000NL series. With its high profile chambers, narrow profiles and AcrylColor finish, Hardeman delivers complete curtain wall-like facades with this profile series, in a quality and at a price not thought possible in the past. In building previous plants, Hardeman discovered how crucial mutual trust and good cooperation between the manufacturer, the machine builder, the suppliers and the employees is. Suppliers had to be selected in the middle of the first wave of the Corona virus so much consultation went by Microsoft Teams or by mail.

"That was the hardest part," Arnold continues. "Normally you receive a supplier, you squeeze each other's hands and you look each other in the eye and you know what kind of meat you have in the tub."

In the end, a long-term partnership was chosen with Gealan (profiles), Scheuten (glass), Winkhaus and Buva (hardware and Isostone lower sills), Kruba (machinery) and Klaes (software). "Six shots in the dark, what a top team," Arnold says in conclusion. "And I am extra proud of my son, who built the entire factory from scratch and together with the men on the shop floor manages to deliver a top performance every day!"