Special construction project for Compaxo

Fine meat products have been produced in Gouda for five generations. In exactly 125 years, Compaxo has grown from a small butcher's shop in the city centre to a global manufacturer. Continuous innovation is necessary in order to continue working at top level. Willy Naessens Nederland has therefore recently built and delivered a new rapid cooling room.

'During the day, work in the factory continued as usual; we were only able to work in the evening and at night.'

Compaxo was officially founded in 1896. However, the family history starts a good half century earlier, with a butcher's shop in the centre of Gouda. Here, the fine processed meats - meat cut in a special way - were in particularly high demand. Reason for later generations to start producing these meat products on a larger scale.

Out into the world

A factory was built in 1952 for this purpose at the location where Compaxo Fijne Vleeswaren b.v. can still be found today: Schielands Hoge Zeedijk 35 in Gouda. Salami, ham, grilled sausage, filet americain, barbecue sausages and many other fine meat products are transported from here into the world. And vegetarian and vegan products, also under private label. In addition, Compaxo is an important supplier of bacon, especially for export to Great Britain and Ireland. That bacon, by the way, is produced and exported from the location in Zevenaar. More than half a century ago, the generation at the time decided to open its own slaughterhouse here in order to continue to guarantee quality. Preferably as close to the suppliers as possible. After all, there are many pig farms in this region.

Update

The slaughterhouse has since been largely automated and no longer works exclusively for Compaxo. The capacity is simply too large for that. In order to continue to meet the growing demand, without losing sight of quality, regular renewal is unavoidable. That is why we are currently working hard to 'update' the factory site in Zevenaar. "We are currently in phase 2 and are adding 2,400 m2 of working space: offices and facility, cooling and processing areas. In phase 3 we will get a new reception and stunning area for the pigs and new washing lines. After that, we will be completely up-to-date," says Menno van der Post, director of Compaxo Zevenaar.

Willy Naessens Netherlands

Phase 1 has been completed and is currently operational. "The construction of a new rapid cooling room. The meat is brought to processing temperature here in six hours. There was a great need for this facility, so there was time pressure on the construction. We therefore turned to a party that could deliver quickly: Willy Naessens Netherlands.  And I can say that this has been a very pleasant experience," says Menno.

Own management

The fact that Willy Naessens was able to deliver within the required time is due to the fact that the internationally operating concrete builder has almost everything that is involved in construction under its own management. From the design of the structure and the necessary construction equipment to its own concrete plants and prefab factories. "This not only enabled us to deliver within the set time frame, but also made us flexible in the construction process. This was especially welcome at Compaxo because we had to build over the existing stables. During the day, work in the factory continued as usual, so we were only able to work in the evenings and at night. An added complication was that the construction took place around Christmas time. A very busy period for Compaxo," says Cas Schuurmans, site manager at Willy Naessens Netherlands and closely involved in the project in Zevenaar. He continues: "Quite a challenge, but it went great. The assembly of the hull was also excellent. Floors, cold store walls, roof, it all looks very good. Partly thanks to the excellent cooperation with other engineers.

Pleased with end result

Menno is pleased with the end result: "We had no experience with concrete construction until now. The process is a bit slower before you see any development. But thanks to the specific construction method, after that it goes really fast and we have a building with a nicer look and feel compared to steel. The lifespan is also much longer. So in terms of price/quality, this is a great project. It was a really good collaboration, also on a personal level. Efficient, moreover, with an excellent result."

www.willynaessens.nl