Company: Henk van Tongeren
entrepreneur: Guido van Tongeren
site: www.henkvantongeren.nl

Henk van Tongeren

What started out in 1949 with one single plumber (Henk van Tongeren, 1912-1986) has grown into the Dutch market leader in well-point drainage, drilling, and innovative water and groundwater techniques. Henk van Tongeren Water & Techniek, a third-generation family business, is constantly on the move and isn’t afraid to get its feet wet. The company is currently home to 150 employees.

The company’s core business is to ensure that builders, road construction firms, and government agencies can safely provide water to construction projects and buildings. The company has supplied numerous pumps and people to countless large infrastructural projects. Some examples include the tunnelling of the A2 motorway under Maastricht (which took four years), the A9 Gaasperdammerweg motorway, and the N31 national highway near Harlingen. More and more projects are also taking place abroad. For instance, Henk van Tongeren employees can regularly be found at construction sites around Bremen, Berlin and Potsdam. Another fine project was carried out in France when the Paris metro had to be extended to connect to the future Olympic village.

Government agencies require water management support, something that is becoming increasingly more important in these climatologically changing circumstances. Rain showers are becoming shorter and more intense, and that creates new challenges for stormwater runoff. The municipality of Apeldoorn is the first to adopt Henk van Tongeren’s in-house DSI® technique, where excess rainwater is no longer drained off into the already overstretched sewage system but is infiltrated into the soil instead.

Sustainable solutions

Decreasing the ecological footprint of technical installations is one of the focal points of the business. Wherever possible, solutions are created based on sustainable, renewable energy sources. Henk van Tongeren is also constantly focused on developing innovative, sustainable waste reduction techniques. For example, many pumps have the in-house developed Green PowerBox® and Green PowerPanel® functionality for temporary access to sustainable energy at any required location.

Ambitions

The company strives to become the leading groundwater contractor in the Netherlands. An essential step in this direction was the acquisition of Theo van Velzen Grondboortechniek en Bronbemaling, which was completed in 2021. This doubled the business’ size; today, Henk van Tongeren has six offices spread out throughout the Netherlands. Besides a strong market position in the western part of the country, the acquisition has given the group its own engineering department. Henk van Tongeren also has an in-house installation facility and a company in Lithuania that produces water treatment systems.

Export countries: Germany, Belgium, France, Lithuania

Company: Henk van Tongeren
entrepreneur: Guido van Tongeren
site: www.henkvantongeren.nl

Henk van Tongeren

What started out in 1949 with one single plumber (Henk van Tongeren, 1912-1986) has grown into the Dutch market leader in well-point drainage, drilling, and innovative water and groundwater techniques. Henk van Tongeren Water & Techniek, a third-generation family business, is constantly on the move and isn’t afraid to get its feet wet. The company is currently home to 150 employees.

The company’s core business is to ensure that builders, road construction firms, and government agencies can safely provide water to construction projects and buildings. The company has supplied numerous pumps and people to countless large infrastructural projects. Some examples include the tunnelling of the A2 motorway under Maastricht (which took four years), the A9 Gaasperdammerweg motorway, and the N31 national highway near Harlingen. More and more projects are also taking place abroad. For instance, Henk van Tongeren employees can regularly be found at construction sites around Bremen, Berlin and Potsdam. Another fine project was carried out in France when the Paris metro had to be extended to connect to the future Olympic village.

Government agencies require water management support, something that is becoming increasingly more important in these climatologically changing circumstances. Rain showers are becoming shorter and more intense, and that creates new challenges for stormwater runoff. The municipality of Apeldoorn is the first to adopt Henk van Tongeren’s in-house DSI® technique, where excess rainwater is no longer drained off into the already overstretched sewage system but is infiltrated into the soil instead.

Sustainable solutions

Decreasing the ecological footprint of technical installations is one of the focal points of the business. Wherever possible, solutions are created based on sustainable, renewable energy sources. Henk van Tongeren is also constantly focused on developing innovative, sustainable waste reduction techniques. For example, many pumps have the in-house developed Green PowerBox® and Green PowerPanel® functionality for temporary access to sustainable energy at any required location.

Ambitions

The company strives to become the leading groundwater contractor in the Netherlands. An essential step in this direction was the acquisition of Theo van Velzen Grondboortechniek en Bronbemaling, which was completed in 2021. This doubled the business’ size; today, Henk van Tongeren has six offices spread out throughout the Netherlands. Besides a strong market position in the western part of the country, the acquisition has given the group its own engineering department. Henk van Tongeren also has an in-house installation facility and a company in Lithuania that produces water treatment systems.

Export countries: Germany, Belgium, France, Lithuania