Steel cutting specialist is often the lifeline for clients

When Barend Avezaat talks about how his family business came to be, it's like listening to an implausible but extremely juicy podcast. Hilarious anecdotes follow one another and you can't help but listen in awe at this family's tremendous work ethic. Avezaat himself owns Avezaat Staal, part of the Avezaat Group, whose reputation is built on craftsmanship, unparalleled machinery and the ability to completely unburden customers. Often under tremendous time pressure. “My grandfather was 22 when he impulsively bought a shed to start a machine shop in 1939. His father asked if he had personnel, machines and orders. He didn't have those,” Avezaat laughs. “And so he sat on a chair outside to think about this.” 

“By chance, Leen Mudde walked by and asked my grandfather if he had any work for him. Yes, was the answer, if he got some assignments first. And he did!” chuckles Avezaat. “Unfortunately, war soon broke out and the shed was bombed flat. My grandfather narrowly survived that because he was in the toilet room, the walls of which remained standing. The subsequent Marshall Plan worked out very well for him. The Americans provided my grandfather with building materials, the right knowledge, cheap financing and a new shed. The orders were there for the taking after the war, and so a wonderful company began.”

Group

Hard work, seizing opportunities, making the right strategic decisions and a rock-solid team (Avezaat has an average employee turnover of thirty years!), led to the Avezaat Group. This consists of four independently operating companies: Avezaat Steel, Avezaat Hoogwerkers, Avezaat Cranes and ATS Trading.

SPECIALIST IN STEEL CUTTING

Avezaat Staal delivers custom work on a daily basis. From rush orders on a bridge to complex cutting work for large structures. The steel company has modern machinery that is among the best in the Netherlands. Cutting up to six hundred millimeters thick is no problem for Avezaat. “No one else in the Netherlands can do that,” says Stefano Clarijs, who has been with the company for thirty years. “Our machines are the Rolls-Royce of cutting technology. We work with special cutting gas that makes the process not only faster, but also more accurate.” To stay at the forefront of technology in the future, innovations in cutting technology are continually being researched.

Lightning fast delivery

Avezaat has an exceptionally short delivery time. “Our clients know: if it has to be fast, call Avezaat. Sometimes a part is needed acutely during a project. Where others drop out, we step in. And then we actually unburden ourselves from the moment of ordering to delivery to the construction site.” This speed is possible thanks to its own transport capabilities and an above-average material inventory of about two thousand tons in various qualities and thicknesses. Moreover, Avezaat is authorized to transfer markings on base material with 3.1 or 3.2 certificate according to EN 10204:2004 on cut products. In addition, Avezaat has ISO 9001 certification and is certified in accordance with EN 1090-1 Execution Class 4.

Avezaat adds: “When we co-bid in tenders, our competitors are happy because they think we are expensive. After all, that's our image. But when the deadlines and risks come into the picture, it's our trucks that drive onto the construction site again. If necessary, we work evenings and weekends. Our customers know that we do everything we can to realize their project. And they appreciate our short lines of communication. We don't need thirty signatures to get something going.’