IHC Vremac Cylinders began life in 1958 as Vremac, a company of four people; it has now been in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, for the past 50 years. The company specialises in the manufacture of hydraulic cylinders, and it now has a workforce of about 130. It has been part of the IHC Merwede Group since 2007 and turnover in 2008 is expected to be EURO 35 million.
The founder of the company, Mr Venderink, was a manager at Werklust Excavators, and he decided to branch out on his own in Apeldoorn repairing hydraulic cylinders. He came up with the Vremac name as an acronym of Venderink reparatie en machinefabriek (Venderink Repairs and Machine Factory). In 1971, his son-in-law Mr Van ‘t Hof joined the company. In 1986, Mr Van ‘t Hof took over the company, eventually selling it to Mr Jansen in 2001.
Expansion
Since 1984, the company is based at the Laan van Malkenschoten 95 in Apeldoorn. Vremac repaired hydraulic cylinders for clients in many branches of industry but it soon moved on to manufacturing new cylinders. To keep the factory working at full capacity, the company also provided other machining services. The late 1960s was a period of demand for a wider range of products. Vremac responded to this demand, and, in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, it manufactured other products in addition to cylinders.
In the new millennium, the focus shifted to cylinders and, at present, the company’s sole product is hydraulic cylinders. As a result of the dramatic expansion of the company, in terms of both turnover and the size of the products, it was decided in 2008 to open up a new site at St. Eustatius 18-20 in Apeldoorn.
Turnover in the 1950s was minimal, although precise figures are not available. Over the years, it grew steadily to EURO 12 million in 2004. Since 2005, there has been a dramatic increase to an expected EURO 35 million in 2008.
Present and future
IHC Vremac has been a part of the IHC Merwede Group since 2007. The IHC Merwede Group was an important client for Vremac and strategic interests led it to take over the company in 2007.
Picture: IHC Vremac premises 2008
