Today the official opening took place of the expansion of the Stertil B.V. facility in Kootstertille, The Netherlands. The opening was performed by the Commissioner to the King for the Frisian Province.
President and CEO of the Stertil Group, Ulbe Bijlsma, on the stage during the opening of the expansion.
The Stertil Group has opened the expansion of its global headquarters located at Kootstertille in the Netherlands. This new expansion comprises 7,500m2 of additional production and office space and is a significant step in the Group’s £multi-million investment in its facilities around the world.
Three highly successful business divisions operate within the Group. Stertil Koni supplies and supports heavy-duty vehicle lifts to simplify industrial and commercial vehicle maintenance, repair and servicing. Stertil Dock and Door Products supplies and installs high quality innovative loading bay equipment. Stokvis Service provides a comprehensive network of service engineers to support users of Stertil equipment in the local Dutch market.
The official opening of the new expansion was performed by Mr A A M Brok, the Commissioner to the King for the Frisian Province. Speaking at the ceremony, he cited Stertil as an example of how entrepreneurship, innovation and vision go hand in hand with strong ties to the local community of Friesland. “Stertil is an important asset to the region and an international calling card for Friesland.”
Mr. Arno Brok, the Commissioner to the King for the Frisian Province, addressed the management with the words: ‘You and your employees have laid a solid foundation for the future of this company.’
Mr A A M Brok also expressed his pride on behalf of the municipality. “Stertil has experienced many developments and economic crises over the years, but its wings have spread and the company is now active all over the world. With today’s expansion, Stertil is even more anchored in the region. This anchoring creates a connection with the community. As a leader in innovation and being active globally, from the United States of America to China, the question is whether this is well enough known in Friesland? We should perhaps be a little more proud of our larger companies, and Stertil is one of them. They deserve to be in the spotlight not only today but also tomorrow and in the days to come.”
Ulbe Bijlsma, President and CEO of the Stertil Group, said, “This new expansion to our headquarters, involving an investment of €6.5 million, is the result of a number of developments. The most important is the need for extra space to facilitate future growth, improving efficiency and contributing to Stertil’s sustainability.”
The expansion at the Kootstertille site accommodates on-site logistics and storage capacity plus additional office space for the Supply Chain, Marketing and Sales departments. Mr. Bijlsma continued, “Sustainability is important to Stertil and our successful Stertil Koni EARTHLIFT mobile column lift is a great example of this. This patented heavy-duty mobile vehicle lift is regenerative, meaning that energy is generated as the vehicle descends. In other words: regaining and using the gravitational energy released to recharge the batteries in the columns. This sustainability is echoed in the design of our expansion with almost 1,100 solar panels, optimal building insulation and central heating water heat pump technology. Also, an efficient layout requires less internal transportation using our modern fleet of electric forklift trucks.”
As part of this expansion, Stertil has invested in a state-of-the-art “Experience and Knowledge Centre” which will be realised and operational in the last quarter of 2022. The purpose of this new centre is for training and demonstration, as well as providing qualification and certification programmes on best-practices to the extensive network of International Stertil Service and Installation Engineers. The full product range of Stertil-Koni and Stertil Dock Products will be operational and on display.
Mr. Bijlsma: “The Stertil Group also took the opportunity to acquire an additional 6.5 acres of extra ground from the local Council that will ensure that the company can expand far into the future. Even more importantly, recently we announced that the Stertil Group has acquired Nussbaum Custom Lifts GmbH and Nussbaum World Lifts GmbH, in Kehl, Germany, as from 16th February 2022. A very reputable manufacturer specialised in high quality light duty vehicle lifts in the automobile segment”.
On behalf of the Stertil group Mr. Bijlsma expressed his appreciation to the holding of the Stertil Group, Citadel Enterprises, for the confidence they have by investing in the Stertil Group.
From left to right: The Commission to the King for the Frisian Province, Mr. Brok, the Mayor of the Municipality Achtkarspelen, and President and CEO of the Stertil Group, Ulbe Bijlsma.
The Commissioner to the King for the Frisian Province, Mr. A.A.M. Brok, spoke laudatory words during the official opening. He cited Stertil as an example of how entrepreneurship, innovation and vision go hand in hand with the ties in the local community of Friesland. “Stertil is an assent to the the region and an international calling card for Friesland”. He expressed his pride on behalf of the municipality. “Stertil has experienced many developments and economic crises over the years, but its wings have spread and the company is now active all over the world. Here is a stable and healthy company. With today’s expansion, Stertil is even more anchored in the region. This anchoring creates a connection with the community. Leading when it comes to innovation and being active globally, from the United States of America to China, the question is whether this well enough known in Friesland? We should perhaps be a little more proud of our larger companies, and Stertil is one of them. They deserve to be in the spotlight. On a day as today, but also tomorrow and the days to come.”
The GEA’s aim is to act as a single focal point for our members, representing their interests within the Automotive Industry, and in liaison with other professional bodies and Government organisations.
