Major construction project at Voncken Bakery

Every day, some 150 delivery points plus its own 23 shops are supplied from Voncken Bakery's production location in Kerkrade with, among other things, fresh bread, flans and chocolate products. A huge logistics operation, which will soon become easier with a new building - built by LTI.

'Can't be done, doesn't exist' is the motto of Frans Voncken, general manager of Voncken Bakery. His motto has (partly) ensured that the one bakery shop in Heerlen that Voncken and his wife Piroschka took over in 1993 grew into a thriving bakery business with 23 shops and some 150 external regular customers, including Limburg care homes, retailers and offices. "We produce 6,000 buns an hour here and some 40 different types of custard. But we also accept orders for five petit fours, each with a different flavour and appearance. For elderly people with chewing and swallowing problems, we have many bavarois-style cakes in our product range, and people with a gluten allergy can also come to us. We want to offer all customers enough choice," says the enthusiastic Frans from the cake showroom above the company's production location. In the room, customers can go for a viewing and tasting session. "The glory days of communions are over, but fortunately, there are still plenty of weddings."        

From nothing to something

At the production site, located on a business park in Kerkrade just a kilometer from the German border, there is also a bakery shop. "Perhaps unusual by Dutch standards, but quite normal in Germany," says Frans. Every day, he also works a few hours in the shop to keep in touch with the products he sells. Meanwhile, some 270 employees assist him in the business - in the shops and at the production site. "From here, all cases are supplied three times a day plus all 150 remaining customers are provided with their orders. A huge logistical operation. It starts as early as production. After all, bakeries are the place where something is made from nothing. And we run all kinds of different specialities here: bread, pastries, sandwiches and, from external locations, chocolate products and ice cream. Everything has to come together and out the door at the same time."

Out of shape

Frans Voncken is the fourth generation in the business, but the first to see greater potential in that one shop in Heerlen. Every few years he took over a few bakeries for which no successor had been found, or started shops in new locations. "In 2008, we went from six to 12 shops. Because of that growth, we decided to open a production site of about 1,200 square metres and an office here. That was our first introduction to LTI from Lopik, the company that then took care of this entire project for us. They are specialists in areas such as refrigeration and freezer equipment, air conditioning, climate control, and construction and renovation of mainly food businesses. They can relieve busy entrepreneurs of the entire package, both constructional and installation."

Some 1,200 square metres were added in 2014. "This project, too, was carried out satisfactorily by LTI from start to finish. Meanwhile, we are once again outgrowing our premises: employees are too close together, we have too little overview of where things are and logistics could be tighter. We also want to move the chocolate shop to this location and create a larger shop with room for sixty guests. So we are going to build yet again. Craft remains paramount. People can't make me angrier then to speak about 'the factory'. We may be producing in large numbers, but craftsmanship is key."

Industry-specific knowledge

LTI's expertise was called in for the third time for the renovation. Frans: "The communication between us has always been open; the choice was quickly made. Once again, we can outsource the entire project to them; it's a turnkey renovation for us. During the design, for instance, we were already advised on the routing, such as changing and day rooms for staff and hygiene locks. But we were also guided in the sustainability process - the current cooling and freezing installations will be converted to CO2 installations, for instance - and in applying for permits and subsidies. They know exactly where to turn. The company also has industry-specific knowledge, for instance on how to use the proofing cabinets in an energy-efficient way and how to connect all disciplines. Soon, after the renovation, all we have to do is put in our inventory. Yes, LTI makes such a mega-project a lot easier."

Around May next year, a 3,500-square-metre building with a production area (including chocolaterie), spacious office and a large shop will be built on the currently derelict site next to the current production site. Frans expects the new building to last a while: "Our ambition is not to become even bigger, but better. The new premises are going to help us enormously in this respect."

www.bakkerijvoncken.nl
www.lti-bv.nl

Photos ©Marcel van Hoorn Fotografie