Van Leeuwen
All horticultural expertise comes from The Netherlands

All horticultural expertise comes from The Netherlands

Anton OverduinAnton Overduin,
Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube, Zwijndrecht

The greenhouse industry was not doing very well until a few years ago. Luckily, though, the greenhouse business is growing again. The industry’s innovative mindset has a large part to play in this revival. Dutch greenhouse companies expand their business abroad, the industry in general is experimenting with new crops and is looking for ways to save energy. In this blog, I will tell you what added value Van Leeuwen has to offer to our clients and for which challenges we provide solutions.

Within Van Leeuwen, I am responsible for the sales in greenhouse construction, greenhouse heating and other steel construction applications. I work in the office as well as in the field, horticulture being one of my specialties. I provide the services our clients ask for.

From machinery to climate control

The greenhouse is the glass construction, the end product. We sell the hollow sections used to build them. For greenhouse heating, we sell greenhouse tubes (heating tubes), mixing and control systems, and welding components. In other words, we offer a complete package in horticulture.

We offer tailor-made services, like:

  • Loading in containers
  • Electrolytic zinc plating
  • Hot dip galvanizing
  • Powder coating

Direct delivery to the greenhouse site

I mostly deal with non-technical questions from my clients. Technical questions are answered by dealers who specialize in mixing and control systems. Questions directed at me are mostly related to the availability of materials, prices or logistics. For instance, people may ask me whether materials can be delivered directly to the greenhouse site, a subcontractor or to the client. Many customer requests have a commercial or logistic nature.

Efficient and innovative

The most important challenges for our clients in horticulture are to work as economically as possible and to innovate. It’s a tough market. Everything has to be done according to competitive prices, with the best logistic performance. We can meet these demands by buying in bulk, delivering accurately and thinking with our clients. One of Van Leeuwen’s services which adds a lot of value, is the loading of containers in a highly professional and innovative way, using a load plate. Besides that, our clients are usually very happy, and rightly so, with a just-in-time delivery and a correct invoice.

Cannabis as a new crop

Horticulturalists have made good money over the past few years. Also, in some parts of the world, the business is subsidized by the government. This has led to positive sentiments at the banks, and increased their willingness to grant loans again. Currently, business is booming, a lot is going on. Our clients are expanding abroad in Eastern Europe, North America, Canada, France, Australia and even China. The number of hectares per greenhouse is also growing. And people are growing new crops in greenhouses, like cannabis. For medicinal purposes, cannabis is legal in Canada now, therefore a lot of it is grown in greenhouses.

Most developments abroad originate here. All knowledge and skills are from the Netherlands, mainly in our western region region where the first greenhouses were built. We piggyback on this success.

Good performance

Even though the market is booming, there is a lot of competition. But our performance  is fine. Our role as as stockholding distributor is what sets us apart. Furthermore, we certify our purchasing channels. Anything we put on the market, all our materials are bought from mills audited and approved by us. Van Leeuwen has a pioneering role in this regard. In the world of horticulture, where materials have to meet the highest demands, for instance in leak tightness and straightness, this is extremely important.

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