Fasteners with a twist

Kobout has been a specialist in the field of fasteners for construction, trade and industry for many decades. The company from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht distinguishes itself with its own sawmill and assembly department, which has grown considerably. "More and more customers see the advantages of having the machining and assembly done by us, under conditioned conditions and with a social touch," says Matthias Leenheer of Kobout.

In 2024, Kobout celebrated its 45th anniversary. "Our sawmill and assembly department have also been around for a while. For example, we have been sawing threaded rods to size for our customers for more than 15 years, for the simple reason that standard trade lengths are never actually cut to size," says Leenheer. "On construction they always have to be shortened. This is then done with a grinder just on the knee. The chances of getting a nice straight cut then are pretty slim. Moreover, it costs unnecessary time. That was the reason we said: let us do the sawing. That saves time and irritation on the construction site and qualitatively you're always right."

Ready-made finished product

What began with shortening a threaded rod has grown into an impressive sawmill and assembly department in which Kobout recently assembled many thousands of custom anchors for the new high-speed rail line between Madrid and Paris. "For this project, we sliced an axle, drilled holes in it, threaded it and assembled it together with a nut and sawed threaded rod into one anchor," explains Leenheer. "And that many thousands of times. What we also often do is to pre-set all the anchors to height with an adjusting ring, so that it goes to the construction site as a ready-made finished product. Especially in concrete, structural and civil engineering, you very often need anchors that are the same: with a nut, ring or double ring at a certain height, with denso tape, and you name it. We like to take that out of your hands, and in the process we guarantee the highest quality."

Social point of view

In the sawmill and assembly department, there is a fair number of band saws that operate almost continuously. "I suspect we are the largest suppliers of sawn threaded rods," Leenheer says. "We guarantee the highest quality, burr everything and spray the head so corrosion doesn't get a chance. Sometimes we get complete construction drawings through from customers, where we have to deliver complete custom anchors, such as the rail line project. That's no problem for us either, but we're also just as happy to make custom packages or sets per part. In the construction world, legislation is very strict on opening packages with CE bolts and nuts, but because we work with specific boxes, it's allowed. And we do all this in-house and with a social focus. Not because it is requested or subsidized, but because we feel it is our moral duty."

Anyone can supply bolts, nuts and threaded rods, Leenheer rightly states. "We just do it a little differently. Price, quality and delivery time are not a point of discussion, it always has to be right. With our sawmill and assembly department we offer some added value for our customers, so they no longer have to do any operations themselves on the building site. That saves time, money and benefits quality."