Olsthoorn Greenhouse Projects builds about 15 projects in Germany every year. Mark Verdouw, co-owner of Olsthoorn Greenhouse Projects, is responsible for sales in Germany and the man who makes sure that everything goes according to the customer’s wishes.
Mark joined Olsthoorn in 2002. He already had much experience with the German market at the time and continued to focus on this market for Olsthoorn Greenhouse Projects. He started with the purchase and sale of greenhouses and now has a wealth of expertise on the German market.
Positive investment climate
"What’s nice about the German market is that there are a large number of mostly young successors who are continuing the company", Mark shares. "This is accompanied by investments. If investors know there are successors, they are more willing to invest. It’s therefore a good thing that there is currently a good investment climate because of the very low interest rates. In addition, the German government now also offers subsidies in the context of the Energie-effizient Programm. The aim of this subsidy is to save energy. Growers must meet various energy-saving criteria in order to be eligible. A large number of growers who need heated greenhouses make use of this subsidy."
Innovative greenhouses
"In Germany, we are now seeing increasingly large companies with mostly young owners. Energy is really a major theme in Germany, attracting many investments. This also applies to the generation of our own energy by means of solar panels integrated in the greenhouse roofs. Our partner supplies these solar panels and we place them on the greenhouses we build. There’s also a group of customers that opt for a completely new greenhouse, partly because of the subsidy granted. In Germany, Olsthoorn has always been known as a specialist in the installation of used greenhouses. However, over the past few years, we have begun to install more and more completely new greenhouses, and this market suits us well."
Quick action
"Olsthoorn Greenhouse Projects carries out all aspects of greenhouse construction itself (e.g. demolition, foundation, logistics and construction). This allows us as a company to act quickly and that’s something I’m proud of and would like to communicate to our German customers. Furthermore, we do everything we can to keep our service level high. This is quite a challenge at the moment, because due to the recent crisis, a large number of professionals have left the industry. Fortunately, we have a reliable permanent team which is regularly strengthened by new young members. We are happy to invest in this, so that we can continue to stand for our company motto 'Building For Generations'."
For more information:
Olsthoorn Greenhouse Projects
Jogchem van der Houtweg 3
2678 AG De Lier
Netherlands
T. +31 174 244344
info@olsthoorn.eu
www.olsthoorn.eu