This year was an exciting year for H4A, as the company moved into a new office and workplace in Sas van Gent. With this beautiful building, H4A really displays its skills as it was constructed by the company itself. Zeeland PortNews speaks with Eric de Ruijsscher, CEO of this 100% Zeeland enterprise.
Mr de Ruijsscher in front of the new H4A office.
Mr de Ruijsscher: “Moving to our new facilities marks the final, physical stage of the merger of eight companies. The origin of H4A goes back to 1968, when eight family-owned infrastructure companies in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen decided to join forces and create the company Zeeuws-Vlaamse Asfalt en Aannemingsmaatschappij (ZA&A – Zeeuws-Vlaamse Asphalt and Contracting Company). In 1975 the shareholders of ZA&A also became shareholders of AZV (Aannemingsbedrijf Zeeuws Vlaanderen). In 1977, the company H4A was founded as the holding company of all activities within ZA&A and ZVA.
A brand-new building
Ever since its founding in 1968, the various companies within the holding have kept their location. “We currently have a staff of 275. As we continued to grow, the various locations became too small, and for those at the office, working at different locations presented complications every now and then. Therefore it was decided in 2008 to build a new office,” Mr de Ruijsscher says. The economic crisis meant we had to put the plans on hold, but with the economy recovering, they were re-activated in 2015, resulting in a brand-new, modern building that today houses most of H4A’s office-related activities. “It was decided to keep two office locations. Our office in Goes is for our construction and wind energy department, and our new head office in Sas van Gent for the remaining activities”, Mr Ruijsscher explains. “Recently we organised an official opening with an Open Day attended by more than 2,000 people. This happening will be remembered by us as a successful conclusion of an exciting period.”
Relatively unknown
Although H4A Holding was founded in 1977, it took until 2003 before all the companies in the holding started to make use of the name H4A. Mr Ruijsscher: “Our organisation was built up from a number of smaller family-owned companies and the presence of all these companies resulted in increased and more diverse activities. This started to become complicated and costly. Also, we were of the opinion that the realisation of our growth plans would be optimised if we operated under one brand name. On the other hand, we were hesitating, because each of our companies had a good reputation in its particular sector and we were afraid that changing their names into the relatively unknown H4A brand would scare customers off. But in the end, this didn’t happen. On the contrary, we have seen
positive growth figures ever since.” With the opening of the new building, the logo and house style of H4A has also changed. Mr de Ruijsscher: “The new logo is a nice acknowledgement of the fact that we are one company today. Next year, our organisation will have existed for 50 years and although we do not have plans to celebrate this, it shows that the steps we have made throughout the years were the right ones. Of course, when talking with people from the various departments, you can sometimes feel the difference in culture, but it can be expected that, within the next ten to twenty years, the different cultures will melt into one true H4A culture.
Within the many activities of H4A, sustainability is growing in importance.
Flexibility and short lines of communication
Many contractors have suffered a lot from the recent economic crisis. H4A, seems to have survived quite well. Mr de Ruijsscher: “Yes, in the last decade we have enjoyed positive results. This might look awkward, as in Zeeland, since 2008, only 80 of the 125 contractors have been able to defy the crisis. Luckily, we are one of them. I am sure that our diversity has helped us a lot. To give you an example, when the process industry started to suffer from the crisis, they put a hold on many projects we were involved in. But at the same time, the Dutch Government launched a substantial number of projects in order to keep business going, and that worked out positively
for us. Other important reasons why we stay strong are our flexibility and short lines of communication. Of course our organisation has grown in size throughout the years, but despite this, we basically still consist of relatively small departments working closely together with short lines of communication. This way we stay flexible and can respond quickly to changing circumstances and customers’ demands.” Working for the industry as well as for the Government gives H4A a good view of the differences between the two. “In both markets, we often have to deal with tender procedures. You can see that in the commercial market, things are changing more rapidly
than in the governmental tenders where price is still leading. But as a whole, you can see that other aspects are growing in importance in both markets,” Mr de Ruijscher explains.
Bio asphalt
Within the many activities of H4A, sustainability is growing in importance. A good example of this is the bio asphalt produced by H4A and used for road construction. This bio asphalt is developed by H4A, together with Wageningen University and AKC (the Asphalt Knowledge Centre). In this type of asphalt, the tarmac is replaced by lignin. Lignin is a residue in the production of paper cellulose. Today, most of this lignin is used to produce biomass energy because there is no other use for it. Using it as an alternative for tarmac makes the asphalt more environmentally friendly. H4A notched up a first in Europe with their use of this green asphalt. The first piece of asphalt was laid in front of their asphalt factory two years ago. “This location is ideal for testing the bio asphalt, as each day a large number of heavy trucks drive over this area when turning onto and leaving our factory premises,” Mr de Ruijsscher explains. “Despite the heavy load, the asphalt is doing very well so far, showing no damage after two years of testing.” Meanwhile, a piece of road in the port of Vlissingen has also been replaced with the new innovative material. Mr de Ruijsscher: “The good results with the green asphalt are already paying off, as there is a lot of national and international interest for the new product.”
The good results with the bio asphalt are already paying off.
A good chance of work
Apart from the green asphalt, solar and wind energy are also showing a lot of sustainable opportunities for H4A. Mr de Ruijsscher says, “In the upcoming years, a great many solar and wind parks are going to be constructed and this means that a substantial number of new cables will have to be installed, leading to a good chance of work for us.” Mr de Ruijsscher is also positive about the merger between the port of Ghent and Zeeland Seaports. “With this cross-boarder merger, the region will become much stronger. And many
companies in and around the port should profit from this. I am sure it will turn out very well for us,” he ends.
Full service solutions
H4A offers a broad range of full-service solutions. The several disciplines of H4A are included in the following subsidiary
companies:
– H4A Bouw (commercial and industrial construction)
– H4A Groen (landscaping)
– H4A Industrie Service (industrial construction and maintenance services)
– H4A Infratechniek (road construction and maintenance, pipe and cable laying, road signs)
– H4A Windenergie (construction of windmill foundations and other infrastructural works)
– de Zeeuws Vlaamse Asfalt Centrale (asphalt factory)
The name H4A stands for Holding de Vier Ambachten. Literally this could be translated into Holding the Four Crafts. But in fact it refers
to a different meaning of the Dutch word ‘ambacht’. In the past, in some Dutch provinces, an ambacht was used to indicate a judicial
district, and the company used to work in four neighbouring districts in the south of Zeeland.
