Working with water is what we do. Every day we passionately dedicate ourselves to hydraulic engineering solutions that improve the quality of our habitat. As a family business, we look at the long term. We do not allow ourselves to be seduced by quick wins but focus on continuity. This is how we take responsibility for society and future generations. We do business in a socially responsible way. We do this by taking into account issues such as sustainability and safety in the broadest sense of the word in our projects and processes.

Since 1946

Our founder Jan Hendrik van den Herik worked as a stonemason to rebuild the port of Rotterdam. Large parts of the city and its harbors had been destroyed during World War II and many quays and banks had to be repaired. Work in abundance, in other words.

Expansion of activities
Therefore, in 1946 Jan Hendrik decided to work independently and several stonemasons joined him. Over the years, he expanded the activities to include driving, zincing, landfill work, among others. In 1971, Jan Hendrik van den Herik left the company and his son and son-in-law took over. They built Van den Herik into a company of significance in hydraulic engineering. The maintenance of most of the major rivers in the Netherlands became an important branch and later dredging work was added.

Acquisition of dredging company Prins

After the acquisition in 1988 of Prins Aanneming Maatschappij bv, the oldest dredging company in the Netherlands, Van den Herik moved to beautiful premises on the Industrieweg in Sliedrecht. In 1991, the founder’s son decided to leave the company and his son-in-law, Arie Struijk, continued as sole shareholder. At that time, more and more disciplines were combined into one project. To continue working as a general contractor and broaden its scope, the company acquired several organizations. In this way, Van den Herik brought several civil engineering disciplines in-house. The family business also added explosives detection to its portfolio.

Anno now, the company is still fully owned by the Struijk – Van den Herik family. Isolde Struijk and Jan Huijbers make up the board of directors. The family is actively involved in the company and especially in the employees.

We blijven bouwen op het fundament van familie en daadkracht en houden vast aan de kernwaarden die Van den Herik groot hebben gemaakt. Tegelijkertijd kijken we vooruit. Want nieuwe technologieën, duurzame oplossingen, volgende generaties en veranderende maatschappelijke behoeften blijven vragen om innovatie en flexibiliteit.

De Charlock is een hopperzuiger met een ‘clean ship’ certificatie.

Verduurzaming van de vloot

In de verduurzaming van het materieel pakken we flink door. Een groot deel van onze vloot is minimaal voorzien van stage V motoren. Twee schepen en één drijvende kraan zijn in de basis al elektrisch gemaakt. Die kunnen modulair worden aangedreven door stage V of waterstof generatoren. Ook kunnen ze gedeeltelijk gevoed worden door een batterij of in theorie aan de stekker. Recent hebben we weer twee splinternieuwe elektrische kranen aan ons materieelpark toegevoegd. Onze eigen technische dienst is zeer inventief en innovatief. Zij passen de schepen waar mogelijk aan zodat wij onze projecten optimaal kunnen uitvoeren.

Inzetten op digitalisering

We zetten stappen in verdere digitalisering van onze processen en ontwikkelen methoden op het gebied van automatisering, GIS, 3D en VR. Zo hebben we een eigen softwareprogramma ontwikkeld om de 3D-modellen van steenbestortingen te genereren. We integreren alle digitale aspecten van een project in een BIM-model. Op die manier krijgen we een gedetailleerde digital twin van de werkelijkheid en het ontwerp.

Meer weten over onze digitale innovaties? Klik hier! 

Strong together

Van den Herik does not stand alone. Within the Van den Herik group we have a number of sister companies operating independently at home and abroad. Hydraulic engineering, civil concrete construction, engineering, asphalt and explosives research and detection: all of this takes place within one group. We make use of each other’s knowledge and experience. This is optimally expressed in multidisciplinary projects within civil engineering or work outside the country.

 

Subsidiaries and Sister Companies