A tornado in December left a trail of destruction behind in the greenhouse of Dutch gerbera nursery Van der Wilt. Repairs started right away and right now the final touches are being made on making the greenhouse operational again.
Planning the repairs
"On Friday afternoon I was on my way back to the shop when Aad called me," says John Torenstra jr. of Horticulture Service bv, with whom Van der Wilt has been a customer for years. "I immediately turned towards Mijdrecht. In the dark, we recorded the damage and early Saturday morning we sat down with the emergency service of the insurance company to prepare a plan for repairs."
John has seen a lot of storm damage over the years. "After recording the damage, it's first of all important to secure things. Then you look at how the crop is doing. Can a part of it be saved or should everything be written off? And then it's important to arrange repair materials and manpower as quickly as possible."
There was a lot of damage, but within three weeks after the storm, 3,500 windows had been repaired, which meant that the greenhouse was largely closed again. By mid-January all holes were fixed and now the end is finally in sight. The last of the broken glass chips have been collected, the screen installation is repaired and the glass supply has been replenished. "In the beginning it's always a question of how we can get the job done. And then when things are moving, we are very happy for the customer," says John.
Inspection
The customer is always number 1, which, according to John, is paying off. "In addition to renovation and new construction, we are busy all year round with preventive maintenance. Especially before the winter, this is a must. A small crack can cause the glass to collapse under pressure from the snow. Glass in your greenhouse, cold inside and heat outside, you don't want that. The gutters and drains also have to be free of leaves and debris so they don't collapse when freezing. We come every year for a kind of inspection of the few hundred hectares that we have in maintenance."
Lessons of the crisis years
In 2018 the company celebrated its 12.5-year anniversary. Looking back, John says: "The first two years were thriving, things went well. From 2008, the market became less and we ended up in the crisis that lasted until 2013. We have been suffering from this for six years. It's a shame it had to be like that, otherwise we might have been further now. On the other hand, I really did learn a lot during that time. Like saving on things that could be cheaper, such as reducing overhead costs and looking for work around the world. To keep our heads above water, we built up an international customer base in countries like France, Switzerland, England, Belgium, Germany, and we do some work in Finland, America and Australia as well. Our employees can work worldwide and have the necessary certificates and qualifications. Our equipment has also been adjusted accordingly. So if we get an assignment from China today, that is easy to arrange."
Keeping people busy
John has a lot of employees, and he values his workforce. "I am not only the owner but also the planner. I always do my best to keep my group busy. If I have to leave my people unemployed at home, then I failed. And so the guys can do everything from demolition, concrete work and water installations, to the application of insect gauze, mounting doors and solar panels and the construction of hobby greenhouses."
For more information:
Horticulture Services BV
John Torenstra
Slotenmakerstraat 15
2672 GC Naaldwijk
Netherlands
T +31 (0)6 41 526 266
E info@johntorenstrajr.nl
W www.johntorenstrajr.nl