Three generations of the Broekhuis family at Bredenoord

On Tuesday morning at 8.00 am, we met at the Woudhuis, where this illustrious trio was beautifully captured on camera, both together in front of the Woudhuis and individually at their current workplaces. We then had an in-depth chat with Jesse Broekhuis, his father Henri and his grandfather Jan.

The youngest member: Jesse

Let’s start with the youngest Broekhuis. Jesse is the newest and third generation of Broekhuis to work at Bredenoord. Jesse will turn 21 in October and, having completed his MBO diploma in Mechatronics at Deltion and whilst still learning, he will start working at Bredenoord in September 2022. Prior to that, he had already worked at Rental in the workshop and in Assembly. He now works in the Electrical Workshop, where he and a number of colleagues look after the control cabinets. When cabinets are returned, they ensure they are checked and, where necessary, repaired for the next job. Special electrical requests from customers are also added where necessary or removed upon return. The ComAp control system holds few secrets for Jesse. These days, batteries are increasingly becoming part of the mix, a new field of work with fresh challenges.

Jesse has just bought a house with his girlfriend Isabel in Apeldoorn, and they are currently working on it with the whole family to turn it into a lovely little palace. Besides that, Jesse has played volleyball and enjoys working out and… Volvo. But more on that later.

A driver through and through, Henri Broekhuis

From son Jesse to father Henri, probably the most recognisable face in the Broekhuis family for most people at the moment. After completing his LTS qualification in installation technology, Henri went on to finish his MBO in Mechanical Engineering and has been a permanent employee at Bredenoord since November 1992. That’s now over 30 years. He’s actually been infected with the ‘Bredenoord virus’ for much longer than that. Even as a little boy, he loved going out with his father in the lorry. Grandad Bredenoord would give him a guilder to buy a drink and an ice cream on the way. Henri was born in October 1971 and, as mentioned, has been a familiar sight on the road for over 30 years. He had worked at Bredenoord a little earlier, but in those days lads still had to do their military service. And so it was with Henri, so he only received a permanent position afterwards.

He started out in the rental workshop, but partly thanks to the heavy goods vehicle licence he obtained whilst working there, he was soon sent out on the road with the lorry. His first trip was to the Takens venue in Balkbrug, a trendy nightspot in its day, which had lost its power supply. He hasn’t been off the lorry since. In the beginning, winter was still a somewhat quieter period when Henri would head back to the workshop, but that hasn’t been the case for years now. Henri isn’t really one for long distances; he used to be, but these days he prefers the shorter routes with plenty of customer contact. If you see him driving past in his magnificent DAF, do take a moment to notice the special sticker on it to mark his 30th anniversary.

Henri has been married to Yvonne for almost 25 years; he met her at Bredenoord. The saying ‘One wedding leads to another!’ certainly applies in this case. His first ‘proper date’ with Yvonne was at the wedding of his colleague Wilma, and they got on so well that they married in 1999. Yvonne is no stranger to the old-timers, as she also worked at Bredenoord for a number of years. They have lived together in Loenen for years and, before Jesse, had another son, Sven, who, after a taster placement at Bredenoord, went into the care sector. Was that down to the taster placement? We’re not going to assume so. Henri played volleyball for many years, loves camping, gardening and Volvos. But more on that later.

Broekhuis Senior: Jan!

The eldest member of this wonderful family is Jan Broekhuis. He is still a familiar face to many. Jan was born in October 1946 and has therefore almost reached the respectable age of 77. He joined Bredenoord in 1963 as a 16-year-old boy. That means he has been actively involved with Bredenoord for 60 years. After completing his technical college course in agricultural engineering, he started as a mechanic, repairing generators and diesel engines that were purchased in England and resold in the Netherlands. It wasn’t long before they realised they could build their own generators from used engines, and so they did. Jan became a designer of new generators. By 1975, there were four employees. The more machines they built, the more transport was required, and naturally, the odd one would get damaged in transit. The service team was expanded, as was the fleet of lorries. Jan got his first lorry of his own – surprisingly, a Volvo.

With just five people on the payroll, Bredenoord grew steadily during that period by constantly devising suitable power solutions for customers on the move. It was realised that new generators could also be ‘rented out’. In hindsight, this proved to be a stroke of genius. The rental business took off, and as the rental fleet had by then grown to around 160 machines, Jan ended up in the rental office in 1985. Jan Broekhuis was nicknamed Jan Sigaar because there were so many ‘Jans’ at the time. In the years that followed, he became both the head and the face of the rental department. Jan rented out machinery for over 25 years. Many of the customers he acquired are still clients of Bredenoord today. Many well-drillers, road builders, gardeners and construction companies will still remember Jan Broekhuis from that time.

In 2007, Jan began to enjoy his well-deserved retirement. Though, as they say, you can’t fight your nature. Since then, he has continued to pursue his hobby at the museum alongside Jan Bredenoord and Gerrit Hulshof, his friends from the very beginning. On Monday mornings, they mainly catch up, and every now and then they get an old machine up and running. Jan remains fascinated by technology and Bredenoord.

Jan has been married to Els since 1970, and besides Henri, they had another son, Hans. Hans lives with Selma. Jan and Els have seven grandchildren between them, who have since started families of their own. Their 50th wedding anniversary was somewhat dampened by the pandemic, but they are now approaching their 53rd. After years of camping on Texel, they now opt for a more comfortable holiday a little closer to home. Jan loves playing snooker in his spare time and… you guessed it… Volvo!

Family traits

Anyone who knows the Broekhuis family a little knows that none of them are the type to seek the limelight. Calm and reliable are typical Broekhuis traits. And, as mentioned, they’re all die-hard Volvo enthusiasts! They all drive a Volvo, but that’s not just because of the looks of this sturdy Swedish beauty. A slightly less pleasant family trait is a somewhat weaker back, and as it happens, the Volvo has by far the best seats in the cars. “But doesn’t Henri drive a DAF?” we can hear you thinking… Yes, that’s right, but that’s because this new DAF had a slightly lower step-in height, and having to climb that very high step into the lorry every time isn’t exactly good for your back, so yes, a DAF it is. And when you see them walking, you immediately recognise that typical Broekhuis gait. Incidentally, at family gatherings, the conversation isn’t always about Bredenoord. “It’s not as bad as you might think,” say the gentlemen.

Highlights

If you’ve only just started at Bredenoord, like Jesse, you haven’t experienced that many highlights yet, of course, but he was still able to name a few. Rushing parts to a festival in Germany where a hydrogen generator was running, and more recently to the Grand Prix circuit in Zandvoort, are certainly nice little trips to take a break from your usual work!

As mentioned, Henri has been with the company for a while, and after this question, he could hardly stop talking. Too many to mention, then. But there are a few memorable moments he’ll never forget. Transporting an electronically controlled generator (HAG1040) – at the time a unique unit by European standards – to a Polish barracks, escorted by Americans, for a military exercise involving Russian and Polish soldiers. Back then, it was still the Eastern Bloc. How exciting and extraordinary that was at the time.

The storm that swept across Sweden in 2003, felling countless trees, brought the country’s power supply to a standstill. Bredenoord provided the solution. But the MH17 disaster, where we supplied power for the refrigerated containers used for the victims who had been brought to Hilversum, and the Covid-19 pandemic, during which we also had to supply power to many hospitals, crematoria and temporary mortuaries, have left an indelible mark. The Covid-19 pandemic was particularly tough on the drivers and technicians. You weren’t allowed to go anywhere for a cup of coffee or to use the facilities. More recently, there were the floods and landslides in the Eifel. When, as the first outsider, you drive into a village on a Saturday morning where many houses have been swept away and cars are parked upright, it brings you back down to earth with a bump.

Fortunately, there are many more fond memories. A television recording in Rome for the German ZDF of a church service. More than ten days on the road with the film crew, staying in a beautiful hotel, and then attending church services for four days, all whilst wearing a Bredenoord twin set. An interesting detail: the entire broadcast lasted ‘only’ two hours. Incidentally, the lorry was slightly less reliable than the generator, as the turbo broke down on the way back and the lorry had to be towed to Verona. A new turbo was delivered very quickly, though, so the return journey could still be undertaken within a day.

Henri takes stunning photos like this one of the Delta Works along the way.

Another memorable moment, an international summit in Nice, also with a twinset. And not to forget: the transition to the new millennium. How exciting it was, the transition from 1999 to 2000. All possible machines rented out and waiting at the office for what would come. Would the computers and other digital devices transition seamlessly? Yes, they did, but no one knew in advance.

In recent years, the Zandvoort Grand Prix has, of course, also become a notable event with international appeal. Henri isn’t much of an F1 fan, but he enjoys going to Zandvoort during the set-up and dismantling phases.

Jan has, of course, also experienced many highlights during his long career at Bredenoord. In the early days, milking Willemien the cow was part of the job, but so too were slaughtering chickens and haymaking on the Bredenoord family’s former farm. Those remain fond memories of the early days. But, as Jan also mentioned, there was the late-night retrieval of generators from the Sauerland belonging to customers who hadn’t paid. Thrilling, but certainly wonderful memories.

Jan was instrumental in a number of outstanding projects, including the installation of generators at the Scheldt barrier near the Brouwersdam and at Neeltje Jans. And what about the first generator capable of ‘peak shaving’, the Betuweroute, the High-Speed Line, and the Scheldt Tunnel? Just a few of the remarkable feats of engineering in which Bredenoord and Jan were involved. During various open days, Jan invariably played the role of information officer and enthusiastic storyteller to anyone who wanted to hear the tale. Often, the Lister was brought out and started up. A wonderful photo with Inge de Bruin as a celebrity at the 2012 open day, a photo with his new Volvo, a folder full of lovely photos and words from people he worked with will forever remind us of his wonderful career at Bredenoord. Jan is and will always be part of the Bredenoord family!

During the 2012 open day, Jan shows his grandson Sven an antique generator.

Proud to be a Bredenoorder!

When we ask them: “What are you proud of as a Bredenoorder?”, three key words emerge.

• Opportunities
• Freedom
• Collaboration

All three praise the opportunities Bredenoord offers its employees, as well as the sense of freedom. Freedom lies in the fact that, whilst you are naturally expected to do your job, you are given plenty of scope to contribute ideas on improving products and processes, and there is always room for a chat if something isn’t going well, both at home and at work. According to Jesse, this is certainly not the norm these days, as he hears from friends. Furthermore, they all consider working together with colleagues to be one of the main reasons why they work at Bredenoord.

Coming up with great new ideas together remains a key focus at Bredenoord. Some notable contributions made by the Broekhuis family include the 15 kVA unit with a high-capacity tank, the in-house transformer and the start-up container. Henri mentions the collaboration with Edwin de Graaf, who developed the first lorry with a tyre-changing system in the Netherlands in 2005, and Henri was able to work on this project. This subsequently became his regular lorry, which he drove for 12 years.

The combination of down-to-earth farming wisdom and technical know-how ensures that Bredenoord remains a leading company of which all three will likely be proud forever. And how proud we are to have such a wonderful family within the Bredenoord family!