Discussions were held about plans to make the Wilhelmina Canal more accessible to larger ships and promote shipping. We were happy to facilitate this meeting and our guests were able to become acquainted with Van Eerd.

During our visit we gained knowledge of the latest technical developments and we also met some of our business partners and were able to catch up with them about different topics like our growth ambitions in which they will support us. A very successful and interesting day!.

On December 1, 2019, the Mayor presented us with the Royal Predicate in the concert hall in Tilburg and now he wanted to come and learn about how we have progressed as a family business since then. We are still very proud of our second location every day and the Mayor was also impressed during the tour of the company.

The ceremony took place at the new second plant in Tilburg in the presence of Roel's wife Lianne, son Robbert who doesn’t work at the company but is highly involved, his daughter in law Rose (Martijn's wife), many colleages and our ambassadors (former employees). The family business has now officially been passed on from the 3rd to the 4th generation. Martijn, commercial director, and the recently appointed CEO Wilma Bloot have a tough job to do, making everything work perfectly on two plants, together with their growing team that is fully committed.

We introduced the students to Van Eerd. We used various videos to show our production process and the students were also able to experience how a box is glued. They tried this manually and so they discovered what our machines can do automatically. We raffled off a VIP day at Van Eerd among all participants, because we prefer showing the process of how our boxes are made 'in real life'. We hope that we have been able to inspire many students to opt for a technical education. The event was well attended: 3,300 students and more than 50 companies were present!

We proudly showed our new facility which made it possible to expand our production capacity. Martijn van Eerd explained the construction process that started in 2022. He also talked about our ambitious growth plans. It was great to meet our customers again and catch up with each other in person and they were able to reconnect with each other. We look back on a very successful day!

We look forward to introducing Wilma personally to our customers, suppliers and other partners in due course. As per end of July 2023, Boris Kwantes will leave the board of directors. Boris has been instrumental in the process of expanding the capabilities at Van Eerd over the past four years, in which we transitioned the family business from the 3rd to the 4th generation, expanded our workforce and realized our new facility. We thank Boris for his contribution to Van Eerd and wish him success in his new role outside the folding box board industry.

The three short videos show how much fun it is to learn and work in technology, how things are made and what technology is used. We fully agree with the aim of TechniekGeniek and we were happy to participate in the recordings. The videos about Royal Van Eerd focus on our entire process, on folding and gluing and special packaging. Click on the videos below.

The process of making pharmaceutical packages

The process of folding and gluing packages

Special pharmaceutical packages

This second facility makes it possible to double our current capacity and to continue to grow in being one of the best packaging producers for the pharmaceutical industry in Europe.

The next steps are installing the machines and validating all processes. We are very much looking forward to starting up our brand new production site.

Royal Van Eerd has also completed the Master Validation Plan and sent it to all our customers for a speedy and adequate completion of the approval procedures that must be 'compliant' in pharma. We are already looking forward to the commissioning of our state of the art second production site in Tilburg. This time-lapse shows the progress we made so far.

https://youtu.be/QdbNuMif3iY

This special moment for the Royal Van Eerd family business took place on April 15th 2022. It signals the start of the construction of our second production site, which will be completed mid-2023. Our new sustainable building provides all the desired functionalities for now and in the future. Afterwards we celebrated this important event with a get together and barbecue with colleagues, their partners, family members and other guests.

About Royal Van Eerd
Van Eerd is a family business in Tilburg that was founded in 1919 as a commercial printing company in the center of the city and has grown into the largest specialist in producing packaging for the pharmaceutical industry in the Netherlands. Van Eerd strives for excellent employment practices and carefree solutions for customers. With the motto “We all care” the organization expresses care for each other, for customers and for the environment.

New construction location Van Eerd
Martijn: “We are taking a big step forward with a second location that will make it possible to double the current capacity. The new location will be energy neutral, safe, healthy and sustainable: a parking deck will be realized to eliminate nuisance for local residents and daylight will be maximized for a pleasant working environment. We will also optimally reuse the residual heat released from production, completely separate waste flows at the source and the entire roof will be fitted with solar panels.” The building will be 100% gas-free and Van Eerd has also opted for underground water reservoirs to restore rain water. In addition, green facades have been chosen to absorb particle pollution. “We are going to use natural materials and innovative techniques to achieve all of this,” says Martijn. “The buidling will be ready for use in Q2 2023.”

Client: Royal Van Eerd
Main contractor: Remmers Bouwgroep
Architect: Quadrant4
Installation advisor: Klictet Installatie Advies en Beheer
Constructor: AMB Ingenieurs
E-Installer: TES Installatietechniek
W-Installer: Megens Installaties
Sprinkler: SPIE

https://lnkd.in/dSqfxW-Q

To show some of the interesting packaging solutions we offer, we have made a series of product videos in which we show how easy these -sometimes complex- folding boxes can be used. These 'hand packs' are particularly interesting for smaller batches. Watch the first video from this series now on our website or LinkedIn page and let yourself be convinced.Our sales department is happy to answer your questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6TwEiNv6B8

Information security breaches cause both economic and reputational damage. Not only for the company affected, but potentially also for its customers and employees. Therefore, information security has been a priority at Royal Van Eerd for many years. We have been using the ISO27001 framework as a reference for many years and made the choice for formal certification last year. After a successful audit procedure in Q2 2021, we received our formal certification in September 2021. We are proud that we are one of the early adaptors in our industry to be ISO27001 certified. Information security is and will remain an important topic for Royal Van Eerd and we will continue to invest in this area.

Installing the next generation wrapping machines enables us to reduce plastic usage by more than 40%.

We are excited to start the New Year in a few days and will keep focus working on other initiatives to contribute to a ‘better world’.

For years, Van Eerd has pursued a policy of exclusively using this type of sustainable board from reliable suppliers. We were increasingly asked whether the sustainable character of these materials could also be independently certified, and whether this could also be reflected on packaging.

The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) is an international organization committed to conservation and responsible forest management worldwide. FSC® speaks of responsible forest management when the ecological, social and economic aspects associated with forest management are taken into account in a balanced way. FSC has arranged this in a transparent manner. Wood and paper products that come from an FSC-certified forest can be recognized by the FSC label. To ensure that products with this quality mark actually come from a responsibly managed forest, all links in the product's supply chain are certified. Only then can the FSC logo be displayed on packaging.

Van Eerd has also been formally FSC certified since October 2020. This means that from now on our customers can order FSC-certified packaging and place the FSC logo on the carton.

Interested? Ask your account manager at Van Eerd.

The investment contributes to a reduction in the use of water in our processes and helps to achieve our sustainability goals. It is fantastic that we are achieving operational improvements while reducing our impact on the environment. A great example of "win-win". The following news article in Dutch explains the details.

The new line will enable us to increase production by approximately 100mio boxes. We had already started training of additional operates over the summer. As a result we can add the capacity immediately once the new line is installed and validated.

This concerns the lot Ringbaan Noord 187/189 in Tilburg. The plot is also accessible from the Goirkekanaaldijk which will house the entrance of our new building. The plot is 14,000 m² and the first preparations have already started. The intention is to build a state-of-the-art ecofriendly new production facility. We anticipate realizing the construction of the facility within the next 18 months. After finalization we will be able to further grow our business by combining the production capacity of both sites, offering customers a full proprietary back-up, offering our full product suite in both facilities and make a leap forward in realizing our sustainability goals.

It is an honour to be Royal. This is why we have decided to add the crown to our new logo. It shows who we are and what we commit to: continuity and quality.
Of course we will continue to use our slogan 'We all care', which has become part of our DNA, separate from our logo. Even though we have a new name and a new logo, you can still count on the same partnership that you are familiar with. Same flexibility, same short lead times and same high service.

The health care sector is operating under enormous stress. They are under great pressure with often limited resources. There is great appreciation for each and everyone contributing in this sector!

In addition to the health care sector, other essential sectors need to stay afloat as well. Internet services, news gathering, cleaning services, first responders such as police and fire fighters and, of course, the pharmaceutical industry and all its suppliers. Van Eerd, as a producer of cartons for the pharmaceutical industry, is essential in the process of delivering medicines to the market.

It is therefore of great importance that we continue to operate at full capacity. For our customers, but more importantly for their patients.

As a management team, we see the commitment of our Van Eerd colleagues to, once again, go full speed ahead. It's great to be part of this. We have become Royal recently, and your commitment shows why we became royal. The way we work together, also when it gets rough, is admirable. Thank you all for your commitment in these challenging times. And hope that everyone stays healthy or recovers quickly in case of illness. Move on to a better new world, because it will never be the way it was!

Management team Van Eerd

Our primary responsibility is the health of our employees, their families and their loved ones, as well as the health of our suppliers’ and clients’ employees. Next to that, Van Eerd produces cartons for the pharmaceutical industry, that are - a small but - crucial elements in getting medicines to patients around the world. Our focus is on meeting your needs for cartons also in these challenging times.

Production/employees

Since the beginning of the outbreak, none of our employees has been diagnosed with the virus, and we have taken a series of precautions. This has contributed to the current situation that production is uninterrupted and we are able to staff our shifts properly. Most important measures on top of general precaution measures issued by the Dutch health authorities (e.g., social distancing/hygienic precautions/staying home at early signs of sickness):

• We do not visit or receive any incoming visitors at our facilities (regardless the location of origin)

• Only business critical maintenance/repair engineers are allowed to operate within our facilities

• Production shifts work no overlapping shift times

• Non-production personnel works either from home (when possible) or in separate offices

• Drivers/logistics have no longer access to our facilities and there is no interaction while loading/unloading trucks (done by Van Eerd employees, driver stays in his vehicle)

• Effectively, we are in lock-down except for critical Van Eerd employees.

Supply chain

Our critical suppliers, that are all located in Northern-Europe, are operational and deliver as schedule. Our main supply is board. Before the outbreak in Europe, we had already increased our inventory of board, which provides us in the situation that we have excess inventory (3 to 4 months). Besides, our main supplier of board is fully operational at this moment and we are not tapping into this excess inventory.  

We are in regular contact with other (critical) suppliers (board, inks, packaging material) and monitor this situation closely. At this stage we have not identified any supplier facing production or delivery issues.  Within our industry association (ECMA) we are actively pursuing prioritization of deliveries to companies like van Eerd (Pharma related) in case of future shortages. We do however not expect that this will be necessary.

Production capacity

We still operate within our scheduled production shifts and have not structurally tapped into our excess production capacity. We do not experience increased sick levels. Given the expected duration of the Covid-19 measures, we focus on the health of our people and will do our utmost to operate ‘normal’ shifts. Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any questions.   

 Roel van Eerd received the honorary title on behalf of all the company's employees during the celebrations to mark its centenary in the Concert Hall in Tilburg. “The Royal Designation means a great deal to us. It is recognition of the work of all those who are dedicating themselves, or who have dedicated themselves, to Van Eerd. It is also an incentive to continue along the road of growth and continual improvement. We are extremely proud that we have been awarded the Royal Designation.”

A sleeve is used to apply Braille to cartons during folding/packing. Now we have two Tactos on the premises, we will always have a backup available. Van Eerd wants to be an extremely reliable supplier for its customers. This latest investment is yet another step towards achieving that goal.

The award is part of Deloitte's 'Best Managed Companies' programme which involves Deloitte assessing the strategy, operations, degree of innovation and financial results of various companies. We are proud that, with the entire team, we have ensured that we can refer to ourselves as a Best Managed Company in 2019 as well.

Glued boxes are automatically packed in trays or outer boxes. The new robots place these trays and outer boxes on a pallet according to the correct stacking programme. Van Eerd already had a similar solution for one gluing machine. The investment was made to increase efficiency, but also for ergonomic reasons. Monotonous and physically demanding lifting work has now been taken over by the robots. Our new 'colleagues' are now functioning very satisfactorily.

The award is part of Deloitte's ‘Best Managed Companies’ programme and Van Eerd emerged as one of the 51 Best Managed Companies. It was the fourth year in a row that Van Eerd was selected as one of the best managed companies in the Netherlands. This was the result of Deloitte's assessment of the companies using the Business Maturity Model which identifies both the internal and external company profiles. In response, directors Roel van Eerd and Maarten-Jan Tacke commented, “The award shows that we are on the right track. That is what we and our entire team are working to achieve each and every day. After all… We all care!”

More and more our customers ask for a zero defect guarantee for special products. This led  us to invest in a machine which automatically checks the cartons using a high-speed camera. This goes much more quickly than a visual check and, what is more, each carton is then checked on the basis of the same settings. An additional benefit of this machine is that it can also be extended to include serialisation equipment.  The machine was installed here at the end of September and now, in specific cases, we can guarantee an even higher quality than you are already accustomed to.  All in all it is an important investment which gives us even more options and enables us to respond to the wishes of the pharmaceutical market…..We all care!  If you would like to find out more, please contact Mario van Mierlo (mario.v.mierlo@vaneerd.nl) or Monique Steegh (monique.steegh@vaneerd.nl). They would be more than happy to inform you of the various possibilities.