Concrete Factory in Veghel Retires After 56 Years

Concrete Factory in Veghel Retires After 56 Years

MBI De Steenmeesters invests in a sustainable future.

Over the past decades, 50,255 ships have docked at the quay of this factory, and more than 201,020 trucks of raw materials have been delivered. To increase production, machines 3 and 4 were added in 1978. In addition, machines 1 and 2 were retired in 2002, as the other presses could achieve the same results. In 2008, a two-shift operation was implemented, and Europe's largest stone press, the Big Bertha, was installed. Big Bertha is truly impressive: it can produce two pallet layers of stones in just 12 seconds. The colorfast concrete paving stones with a top layer of natural material, known as GeoColor, are well-known in the market due to their quality and color. Since 1982, these stones have proven themselves in public spaces.

Reason for Retirement

MBI has four production locations in the Netherlands. The location in Veghel, the oldest production site, mainly produces concrete paving stones. It has become necessary to set up entirely new production lines within the next three years to continue meeting the required standards in terms of sustainability and quality. A team of specialists has researched the most optimal investment approach, both from MBI's perspective and, of course, from the perspective of customers and the market. The result of this investigation led to this significant decision.

On Monday, March 6, it was announced that the production location in Veghel will close by the end of 2024. This decision was made with mixed feelings, as this location marked the beginning of MBI. However, MBI is excited to initiate investment plans for the concrete production locations in Aalst (near Zaltbommel), Nieuw-Lekkerland, and Kampen. These facilities will become some of the most modern and sustainable in their category and will produce the most up-to-date products in line with current trends.

Value-Added Strategy

Since 2007, MBI’s strategy has focused on innovative products with added value. When only the most basic matters, MBI is less visible. However, when aesthetics, sustainability, and human well-being are important, MBI is indispensable. The sustainable developments towards machine-laid paving also require more flexibility. All these aspects are highlighted in MBI's future investment plan for products for public spaces. MBI aims to offer a complete range of products for urban areas with climate-adaptive functionality. The continued development of paving materials with colorfast top layers combined with the lowest possible environmental impact (MKI value) is another important reason for this change.

For the garden and infrastructure market, a completely new tile factory was built in Kampen in November 2023. This has become one of the most sustainable concrete factories in Europe. Several post-processing techniques, such as sandblasting, coating, and brushing, are also possible. The climate control is entirely gas-free and climate-neutral, and the concrete tiles are made with much less cement.

For the rapidly growing facade brick market, with the successful GeoStylistix concept leading the way, MBI has also made an investment in producing facade stone strips in-house. The key features are dimensionally stable, lightweight, easy to process, and sustainable.

At the Nieuw-Lekkerland factory, a major investment has been completed with a fourth, modern production line specifically built to further expand the unique GeoCeramica® concept.

The choice for the largest investment program in MBI's history goes hand-in-hand with the decision to retire the oldest site in Veghel and increase and modernize the production capacity at other locations.

People and the Environment Play a Prominent Role Inside and Outside MBI. With this modern and ambitious strategy, the motto remains #mooimetMBI.

New Headquarters

The headquarters has moved just two streets to Kennedylaan 16 in Veghel. This new office is completely CO2-neutral with an excellent climate control system. Since July 15, all staff functions have been operating from this location.

A video has been made for this occasion. You can watch the full video here: