24-10-2023

In touch with our customers, Welvreugd!

As a machine builder we believe the right way to keep in touch with our customers is to meet up with them, offline or online, in the office, or on jobsites! After the holiday our marketing manager Elsedien met up with Aart Vreugdenhil, the proud owner off Welvreugd, a drilling company situated in Maasland, the Netherlands. We were happy that Aart, made time for her to personally introduce Welvreugd and talk about their goals and vision.

It is great talking to Aart about his pride and passions in his beautiful office. Not just the company, lots of projects, his enthusiastic and skilled team, his children, cycling and snowboarding; all different subjects pass the revenue. Workwise he is proud of all different projects, because: “Every job has its charm.” And SiteTec is proud that we have been able to build machines for Welvreugd for the past 20 years. From mixing units, recycling units, storage units and the first 2500 liter electric pump unit, to the recycling units that run for Welvreugd on site and on its own property. We are currently working on a fully electric mix pump installation for Welvreugd, which we hope to be able to deliver quickly!

But let’s go back to where it all started:

54 years ago Kees Vreugdenhil started the company Welvreugd in the agricultural sector. All horticulturists and greenhouse owners knew where to find them in the middle of the Maasland. Earth-moving activities were expanded with excavation work and mechanical tillage and Welvreugd has steadily grown in the specialism of cables and pipes and everything that comes with it. After high school, Aart, then 16, started working for his father’s company. Because directional drilling would be the future; a Straightline drilling rig came to the company. Aart was told that he could make this machine his own. And that, and more, has happened in the last 34 years! The urge to prove that this was a success has ensured that Welvreugd is where it is today: a recognized specialist in the engineering and implementing of directional drilling.

Family business

Welvreugd now has 5 drilling teams, which are fully electric equipped except for the Drill rig. Even with almost 40 employees, Welvreugd remains a family business in heart and soul! His sister Paula and brother-in-law Piet Koole are in the company, but also his son Sil works for Welvreugd. Aart’s brother works on a self-employed base for the company. Not just the family involved in the business makes it a family business, but also the flat organizational structure is typical. The short lines of communication, which shortens the decision making process. That is why small companies also know where to find Welvreugd. 50% of the orders still come from the horticultural sector, nationally and internationally. We don’t often hear about Welvreugd’s international adventures. “This is not our ambition.” Aart explains. “International assignments are beautiful and adventurous, but not a goal in itself.”

Future of drilling

Aart is proud of the developments in Drilling industry, where Welvreugd can contribute to innovative and sustainable projects. Aart indicates that the collaboration with other parties is really a positive market development. Everyone has their own specialty, knowledge and skills, but if you can merge design and output, you can achieve much more! For example, in an assignment where 2.5 km deep is drilled for geothermal energy projects. The heat emitted from the greenhouses is used to provide entire residential areas with district heating. The ultimate goal is to make the heat consumption in the greenhouses for cultivation even more sustainable. By connecting the Westland Heat System, the heat is mutually exchangeable. Looking at these developments, the rich history of this amazing family business and their impressive machine park; we believe the future looks bright for Welvreugd! Thanks again Aart, for letting us take a look inside your beautiful company!