Trelleborg celebrates 140-year anniversary of Ridderkerk factory

Oct 24, 2019

By Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation is delighted to be celebrating the 140-year anniversary of the inception of its manufacturing facility in Ridderkerk, Netherlands.

The factory has a proud history which began back in October of 1879 when Bastiaan Bakker started the company. It remained a family-owned company (Bakker Rubber) until 1985 when it was acquired by Trelleborg.

Over the years, the company has produced a range of high-quality, high-performance solutions ranging from dredging hoses and fenders all the way to rubber hammers, bicycle and airplane tires as well as parts for the Dutch Royal Family's Golden Carriage.

2015 saw the expansion of the Ridderkerk premises in order to accommodate the merger of two Netherlands-based plants. It combined our factory in Ede, Netherlands, into the Ridderkerk complex, which was expanded about 16,000 square meters with the addition of two connected factories and an office building. Today, the site is about 22,000 square meters in size and the factory employs around 150 members of staff.

After continuous growth, our marine and infrastructure operation is the global market leader for sealing systems for immersed tunnels and grout seals for the installation of offshore wind farms. Building on Dutch heritage, our operation is also one of the leading companies to design and produce water management sealing and damping solutions.

The history and expertise of our Ridderkerk facility has resulted in a portfolio of major projects. This recently saw the supply of our sealing solutions to China’s ShenZhong Link, as well as the Hong Kong Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project.

Here’s to many more successful years for our Ridderkerk factory!

For more information on Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation, please visit: https://www.trelleborg.com/en/marine-and-infrastructure