Kampen Industrial Care works in shiny environment

Open. That's the term that best fits the first impression of Kampen Industrial Care's new building. That's not surprising. The industrial service provider moved into a building that had always served as a car showroom. That means a lot of glass on the outside, large spaces on the inside. And a nice surprise: the hidden former workshop offers a lot of space.

So much for realtor talk. Yet this refurbished building is more than a cosmetic benefit. 'As a signboard, of course it's good for us, but there's more,' says director-owner Arnold Bakker. 'Such a beautiful new building also gives a boost to everyone who works here. Moreover, the layout here gives us the opportunity to organize our business process more 'outside-in'. That is, we divide up our services based on what clients expect, not on what we might find convenient.'

Translated into the new accommodation: the projects are supervised from the front of the building, in the former showroom. Some additional walls have been installed for this purpose, by the way. Service and maintenance, is coordinated from the rear of the building.

Director-owner Arnold Bakker experiences the space

Technical service provider in industry

Kampen Industrial Care is a technical service provider in the industry. Bakker: "Simply put: we make sure that installations keep running. In practice, the company's activities include the engineering and installation of piping. For example, in the food industry, (petro)chemicals and in power plants. In addition, the mechanics, welders, turners and millers of Kampen maintain numerous installations in the industrial sector. To be able to do that well, they also make parts for those machines and installations in their new workshop.

A renovation like this gives you the chance to arrange the building so that everyone can work there best. In consultation with his employees, Bakker placed walls, removed what seemed awkward and completely redesigned it. All in such a way that consultation becomes logical, efficient work becomes easier and creativity is encouraged.

We are in a movement with the company toward greater partnership with our customers.

Sharing knowledge

'We are in a movement with the company toward more partnership with our customers. By this I mean that we think along earlier in the process. If you're talking about piping: of course we know exactly how to lay pipes in such a way that you can do the best possible maintenance on them. Or how to avoid unnecessary maintenance. We are increasingly sharing this knowledge in the early phase of an industrial project. To be able to do that well, it is necessary to adjust the operations a bit, to shift the emphasis a bit. Such a new environment can be arranged in such a way that you can work optimally on that strategy.' That was difficult in the old accommodation, to say the least. Or rather shelters. Kampen had been located there since the 1960s and had grown in different directions since then. Toward neighboring properties, but also across the road. "That was really inconvenient, not to mention that the buildings had seen their best days.

A move like this is not something you decide on a weeknight. Finding new premises, sorting out priorities, arranging finances. NOM, which has participated in Kampen Industrial Care for years, helped with the latter. 'Normally we are not so keen on real estate funding,' says Investment Manager Allard van der Horst. 'But in this case we were happy to help, because it was overwhelmingly in the company's interest.'

Focus

Arnold Bakker had been looking for some time for a new place to establish his business. 'On the east side of Groningen in any case. That is most ideal for reaching customers and also most convenient because many employees come from that side. Years ago I said: our focus is industry in the northern Netherlands. We don't want to be the biggest, but we do want to be the best. That includes an appearance that we have now also found in the form of our accommodation. When the former car garage passed by, things moved quickly, although it was still a bit of a sweat. Bakker: 'On the way in the car in Germany the redeeming phone call came, just before the selling party's deadline. Happy and relieved I was.' The purchase was completed thanks to a smooth cooperation between Kampen, house bank Rabobank and the NOM. Van der Horst: 'Of course it helps if we as NOM participate in the funding. We come to a good funding solution together sooner.

Tuition money

Arnold Bakker has seen the company move in different directions since he joined it in 2001. Takeovers, good times and bad. In early 2009, an outside bid was made for the company. Then Bakker himself decided to step in and buy Kampen. A few years later, NOM took a seat at the table. "I wanted to grow fast, but it was a crisis and I stalled on a mega job in the Eemshaven. For that I paid a lot of learning money. I was looking for a stable basis and NOM wanted to help. The advice I received also helped me a lot.'

That NOM is still participating in Kampen Industrial Care today is not illogical, thinks Allard van der Horst. "Usually we sell our interest a little earlier, but of course we don't do that if the market conditions for this are unfavorable. As a result, sometimes we participate a little longer than others.

New momentum

Kampen Industrial Care looks confidently to the future. Arnold Bakker looks around with satisfaction. 'This building gives new élan. I can see how it makes my people happy. They helped move themselves, were all really looking forward to it. Do you know what the best part was? A group volunteered to go to the building in the evening to demolish a wall. The next day everything was neatly finished and swept up. So I really like that.