Van Wijnen was founded in 1907 and has grown to become a significant player in the Dutch construction industry. Headquartered in Baarn, Netherlands, the company employs around 2,400 people. Van Wijnen specializes in residential construction and project development, offering services such as property construction, renovation, and maintenance. Their focus on meaningful real estate development supports their mission to provide comfortable living .
INNOVATIVE HOME CONSTRUCTION APPROACH
Van Wijnen is revolutionising the Netherlands’ housing market with its innovative home construction approach. The whole house is made ready down to the smallest detail in the factory base, including electricity and plumbing. The installation’s face will take only a day in the final location. Specializing in creating homes primarily for families, Van Wijnen offers an impressive array of options with eight types of houses, 36 variations, and 324 wall options, providing endless possibilities for customisation. Their industrial method of building houses ensures efficiency and consistency, aligning perfectly with their strategy of building modern and affordable homes for Dutch people. This method allows them to construct four houses and one apartment building daily.
Van Wijnen’s journey with VDL began during the COVID-19 pandemic when VDL’s bus business in the Northern Netherlands was due to be shut down. This pivot led to a new venture addressing the country’s significant housing shortage. With a need for about one million homes in the coming decade and a current shortfall of 390,000 houses as of 2023, Van Wijnen’s mission is urgent and vital.
Operating exclusively within the Netherlands due to varying national regulations and bureaucratic challenges in housing, Van Wijnen offers quick and affordable housing solutions.
By 2025, Van Wijnen aims to produce 1,000 houses and 350 apartments, with a target of 1,500 homes and 500 apartment houses by 2026, estimates Van Wijnen Components Purchaser René Boonstra.
Van Wijnen is located in Heerenveen, The Netherlands, in the same neighbourhood as VDL Postma BV and VDL Smart Spaces. This proximity fosters a close collaboration between the companies, enhancing their efficiency and innovation.
Heidi Simberg
A key partner in this endeavour is Stalatube, whose tubes are integral to constructing the bathroom floors, toilets, baths, and roof frames in Van Wijnen’s homes.
The use of ferritic 1.4003 steel is driven by its availability, stable price, and high quality, including corrosion resistance and maintenance-free properties, explains Perry Renzema, the buyer of VDL Postma.
The material choice is informed by their extensive experience in the VDL bus manufacturing industry.
VDL Postma and VDL Smart Spaces, the manufacturing process owners, buy the tubes and sheets from Stalatube and manufacture the tubes and components into frames. In return, VDL Smart Spaces manufactures the modules into ready-made bathrooms and roof structures. Van Wijnen owns the design, sales and installation of the whole house.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of Van Wijnen’s approach, focusing on minimising waste and optimising the quantity of used materials. This commitment to sustainability is reflected in their collaboration with VDL, operating an automated carousel factory with five different production lines. The ready-made bathrooms, with plumbing and electricity, exemplify their efficient, Lego-like assembly process that eliminates the need for expensive carpenters and plumbers.
Van Wijnen’s social responsibility extends beyond just building houses; they aim to provide affordable homes that enhance people’s lives. Their close partnership with VDL and Stalatube, who share a common history in bus manufacturing, underscores the power of innovation and collaboration in creating new business opportunities. VDL’s slogan, “Strength through co-operation,” aptly captures the spirit of this partnership.
This close collaboration between Van Wijnen and VDL makes them almost one big company, working seamlessly to deliver high-quality housing solutions. Together, Van Wijnen and VDL are not just building houses; they are building a sustainable and affordable future for families in the Netherlands.
VDL Group
VDL Groep is a prominent industrial and manufacturing company based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Founded in 1953, VDL Groep has grown into a conglomerate with a diverse portfolio, including the production of buses, coaches, and automotive components.
VDL Postma specialises in metalwork operations, sheet and tube, processing steel, stainless steel, and aluminium.
VDL Smart Spaces, formerly known as VDL Bus Heerenveen, is one of the youngest entities within the VDL family. This company transformed significantly from bus manufacturing to assembling construction modules for a Dutch construction firm. After a year of preparatory work, the complete overhaul of operations commenced in early 2022.
Main photo: Van Wijnen
