IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Ambition for growth This year, KAAK celebrates its 175th anniversary. Lodewijk van der Borg (CEO) and Theo Lammers (COO) granted us an interview with this occasion at the forefront and shared how the Group was shaped around the silo to truck’ concept, the defining moments in its impressive timeline, changes old and new, and how its member companies build on each other’s expertise to advance in their field and provide comprehensive solutions.
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From left to right: Lodewijk van der Borg, CEO, Koos Frowein, CFO, Aart-Jan Hartman, CCO, and Theo Lammers, COO.
Mihu: The year marking the Group’s 175th anniversary is also when Silowacht further enhances KAAK’s ‘from silo to truck’ know-how. What does this motto represent for the company? Lodewijk van der Borg: Over the past 50 years, if there was an opportunity to add a company that filled a gap within our portfolio, we took it. With Silowacht we now provide a complete project, starting from the silo up to the crate, and fully commit to our ‘silo to truck’ slogan that has represented us for the past 20 years. We have been building on this concept by acquisitions and incorporating areas of specialization into our offers so that we could be a one-stop-shop for our customers. As supermarkets started baking their own bread, especially in the West European markets, they welcomed our approach; they were not originally bakers and were very receptive to finding solutions to all burdens of such projects with the KAAK Group and automating their processes. Mihu: Going back to KAAK’s beginnings, how has it developed from a single company to the comprehensive Group with all the related services it is now? Lodewijk van der Borg: The company started in 1846 as a roofing business. Jan Hendrik Weenink then passed it on to his son Jan, who changed its focus to metalwork. Bernard Kaak took over the company next (1881) when he married Weenink’s widow, Bernadina, and the business went on to produce sheet metal bakeware. He was the great-grandfather of today’s owner, Mr. Jan Kaak. Sometime around WW2,
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KAAK started building the first straps for local bakeries. At the time it was one of the few who was able to produce them, so more bakers became customers. In the 1960s, the company started to automate its equipment and became a supplier for a large company called Benier. At the beginning of the 1990s, Benier found itself in rough waters and went bankrupt and consequently became the first addition to the company turned Group. In 1997, Daub (part of Krupp) was acquired into the Group. Dough preparation was covered by Benier, the proofers and handling systems were provided by KAAK, and the ovens by Daub. This is how the motto ‘from silo to crate’ began. MCS joined next, in 2005, specializing in ovens, proofers, and pizza lines. In 2007, we bought Lhotellier – which meant adding coating expertise to our bakeware. In 2009, we launched DrieM, a start-up for sheeted production lines, and in 2016 JAWS (the English word for ‘KAAK’) followed, our recruitment firm to help us find the right employees in the Netherlands and abroad. In 2019, we started K3D and went into 3D printing. This brings us to this year when Silowacht was added to the Group. Theo Lammers: Going forward, we have ambition for growth and the possibiltites are also there, we believe. When the right train comes along, we get on board. Mihu: The company has grown a good deal recently despite the challenges. How did KAAK overcome such hardships? Lodewijk van der Borg: The company was relatively small until the 1960s; and up until that time, there were at most 25 people working at KAAK. During WW2, the company
