'Customers must see our added value in achieving their goals'

ARTICLE

MARKET & CURRENT AFFAIRS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Hein van Iersel, Thursday 20 February 2025

188 sec

Excavated soil from projects gets a circular destination

For over 75 years, JdB group has been based near our national airport, Schiphol, in the polder of the former Haarlemmermeer. Throughout those 75 years, a Den Breejen has always led the family business. Editor-in-chief Hein van Iersel interviews the CEO of JdB group: Roeland den Breejen (38).

JdB project day on November 29, 2024

The Haarlemmermeer polder is everything you would expect from a polder: very flat and especially vast. If you squint a little, you can almost see what the polder must have looked like when it was created in 1850. Straight roads through an endless landscape, only interrupted by large farms with barns for potatoes, beets, and wheat. However, that image is rapidly changing. In recent years, immense logistics hubs have been built around JdB group's headquarters. The polder is transforming from a super-efficient agricultural landscape into a logistics park focused on Schiphol.
Interestingly, JdB's growth and development have closely followed that of the Haarlemmermeer polder. JdB was officially founded in 1946, but as early as 1850, the Den Breejen family's ancestors had moved from Hardinxveld to the polder to help reclaim the Haarlemmermeer.
As of 2025, the core of what JdB group does remains the same: earthmoving and everything related to it in the broadest sense. Numerous examples can be found in the polder. The expansion of the nearby A9 highway, using 1.7 million cubic meters of soil, is the most striking example. But JdB group was also responsible for excavating a large part of the foundations for the logistics hubs built in recent years. Roeland den Breejen: 'For years, our projects have also focused on locations beyond the polder. We are involved in nature restoration in North Brabant, developing parks, and ensuring that Amsterdam's trees have the right substrate to grow in.'

'We are involved in nature restoration in Brabant, developing parks, and ensuring that Amsterdam's trees have the right growth substrate'

Growth spurt

The real transition from a small local player to a mid-sized national company happened after the construction fraud scandal. Den Breejen: 'That market suddenly opened up, allowing us to make a leap forward. That was also when my father and several cousins took over the company from the previous generation, bringing new energy and ambition into the business. We initially had twelve trucks; that number quickly grew to 30 to 35. Our success during that time came from having both projects and a trade in soil, clay, and peat. That combination was and still is golden because they reinforce each other. The third pillar of the company is, of course, our soil products. All these activities are interconnected.'

JdB project day - WV Productions

Being a contractor from A to Z

'During our next growth phase, the focus shifted to the question: how can we be a contractor from A to Z? Previously, we worked entirely as a subcontractor; someone would develop a plan, and we would execute it. Now, we also have an in-house engineering division: Bureau Bodem. This has made us much stronger. We created this division primarily because we saw that many research firms produced thick reports but came up with solutions that didn't work in practice.'

'Many research firms produced thick reports but came up with solutions that didn't work in practice'

Top-down

The next step in the organization was giving more responsibility to the workforce. JdB group was traditionally structured, with management making all the decisions. According to the CEO, that approach doesn't work when a company grows and takes on more diverse activities. Den Breejen: 'Before joining JdB, I worked at KPMG for eleven years. There, I learned that you need to give people on the ground responsibility and let them make decisions themselves.'

'Growth is not a goal in itself for us. It's about adding value to your environment as a company'

160 men and women

Thanks to these developments, JdB has grown into an organization with approximately 160 employees and an annual turnover of 60 to 70 million euros. Den Breejen: 'Yes, we have grown significantly. Ten years ago, our turnover was around 27 million. But ultimately, those are just numbers. Growth is not a goal in itself for us. What matters is that your company adds value to its environment and that customers see they need you to achieve their goals.'

Electrification

Growth will also be necessary to keep up with investments in electrification. Den Breejen acknowledges that clients are increasingly requesting battery-powered cranes and trucks. However, he does not see his company as a frontrunner in this area. 'We don't think it's very sustainable to import an expensive crane from Korea, strip everything out, and install a battery. Now, you can get the first fully electric cranes from China. And MAN, Volvo, and Mercedes are actively working on electric trucks. That changes things. Economically, it's not viable to convert diesel machines to electric. You might believe you should lead in this area, but purely from a business perspective, the numbers don't add up.'

Circular

Den Breejen continues: 'We are particularly well-known in the field of raw materials. Rijkswaterstaat is the main initiator, but other clients also want the lowest possible MKI value (environmental cost indicator). This is now a crucial factor. Circularity is becoming increasingly important. We have been operating this way in raw materials for 75 years.'

RAG

In substrate applications, the RAG certificate is the leading standard. JdB was involved in its development from the start. Den Breejen: 'Our branches in Nieuwveen and Soest are the two major locations where we produce many of our soil products. That's significant; it makes us a valuable partner for municipalities tackling challenges like climate change and urban heat stress.'

This article was originally published on February 20, 2025, on the Stad + Groen website.

JdB groep

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