Sustainable partner in temporary energy solutions

Bredenoord, a specialist in temporary and mobile power solutions, thinks exactly the same way. We spoke with Willem Huisman, Senior Recruitment Advisor at Bredenoord, and colleague Jelmer Thijsen, who contributes to one of Bredenoord's sustainable projects through Wepro. About challenges in the energy transition, the foundation of strong partnerships, and learning on the job.

About Bredenoord

Inventive and far ahead of their time. In 1937, Jan Bredenoord came up with the idea to help Veluwe entrepreneurs by generating electricity from his wood-burning stove.

More than 85 years later, Bredenoord has grown into one of the leading companies in mobile power solutions, serving clients worldwide. Starting at what is now their headquarters, they now have locations across the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.

Reliability and sustainability at the core

Bredenoord has developed into a multinational with a fleet of 2,800 generators, more than 200 battery systems, and over 400 employees. Yet at its core, it remains a warm family business where values like reliability and—of course—sustainability come first.

"When we talk about sustainability, we look far beyond just our equipment. We strive for sustainability in the broadest sense of the word," says Willem Huisman. "Our dream goal is 'three times 100%': 100% together, 100% sustainable, and 100% valuable."

Innovator in the energy transition

We face enormous challenges worldwide when it comes to sustainability. In the shift toward a cleaner and greener future, Bredenoord has already taken major steps. They're actively innovating with HVO fuel (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and recently introduced the next phase in the energy transition: the biogas generator.

This generator runs exclusively on locally sourced biogas and is currently one of the most sustainable mobile energy solutions on the market. A great development. Effective and responsible energy solutions are becoming more available. A major challenge lies in creating sustainable chains.

Willem Huisman: "At Bredenoord, we strive for chain sustainability. We want to be conscious throughout the entire process and try to think along with our clients as much as possible. We aim to deliver hybrid solutions whenever possible. Think of a biogas generator combined with a Battery Box."

Hybrid solution

Generators often don't operate at optimal capacity. A hybrid solution adds even more value in that context. An example: "We supply a lot to festival organizations where the load is often not constant. At one moment, a refrigerator kicks in (peak load) and then switches off again (valley load). A generator's engine is most efficient when it runs at 80% capacity. By having the battery system provide the full load, the generator is only needed when the battery is running low. This way, it can be loaded as efficiently as possible."

Constant innovation

The challenges in the energy sector demand constant innovation. Bredenoord is actively engaged in this, including through projects like NewTechPark, of which the company is one of the founders.

NewTechPark is an initiative that brings together and inspires people, companies, and educational institutions to commit to lifelong development in technology. "Within NewTechPark, we have our own DC lab. There we're currently working with students, teachers, and other companies on a modular energy system. We think it's important to contribute to initiatives like these. Collaboration, helping each other, and adding value. Those core values truly reflect who we are."

Foundation for cooperative partnership

'Peaks and valleys' aren't just present in energy consumption—they also apply to staffing needs. Since 2021, Bredenoord has partnered with Wepro for flexible deployment of knowledge and capacity. "With peaks and valleys, it's not always possible to estimate whether you have enough work for all employees. That sometimes makes it difficult to hire permanent staff. With Wepro, we can respond quickly. Through Wepro, we deploy colleagues when extra capacity is needed. We can scale up and down quickly, and that's valuable," says Willem Huisman.

At Wepro, we highly value sustainable relationships. Cooperative partnerships with an eye toward long-term collaboration. "At Bredenoord, we approach it the same way. Continuity is a key word. From the beginning of our partnership, I've been in contact with Niek Woesthuis, and that's valuable. You build a connection and eventually understand each other. You know you can count on each other. That's what you're aiming for in a partnership."

Unique company

Since 2021, the partnership between Bredenoord and Wepro has delivered several strong projects. The collaboration works well for both sides. This certainly applies to the technical colleagues working at Bredenoord on a project basis. "What makes us unique compared to similar companies is that we don't just rent our products—we also design and manufacture them. That means as an engineer, you're involved throughout the entire product lifecycle. Problems with a generator? The R&D engineers get involved. That gives us valuable insights to improve our products. At the same time, it makes the work very interesting for engineers."

Let’s connect: Jelmer Thijsen

In September 2022, Jelmer Thijsen started working at Bredenoord through Wepro. Jelmer is 30 years old and lives in Deventer. After completing his vocational training in Mid-level Engineering, he studied Electrical Engineering at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, specializing in Electronics. Between playing bass guitar, he also works on technical projects in his free time: "Think of making circuit boards, smart home automation, and building my own climate cabinet," Jelmer explains.

Challenging software project 'Battery Box'

When Jelmer got the chance to work at Bredenoord through Wepro, he didn't have to think long. "I was looking for a challenging software project, and at Bredenoord I got the opportunity to program PLCs. The system had to be built from the ground up, and so far it's been extremely educational. I handle the project I'm working on from A to Z. Because of that, I learn on the job, and that makes it extra interesting."

At Bredenoord, Jelmer contributes to the further development of the Battery Box. The Battery Box comes from the supplier with a screen and its own interface. Bredenoord wants to develop a 'Bredenoord HMI' (Human Machine Interface) for it. "We want to equip the HMI with additional functionalities so the system can work even better with generators and other equipment. On one hand, we need to incorporate as many applications as possible, while on the other hand, it needs to be as user-friendly as possible."

Variety & challenges

It's been 2 years since Jelmer chose to join Wepro. That choice was deliberate. "I like variety and challenges and want to keep developing. Initially, I thought I wanted to go into hardware, but at Wepro I discovered that software engineering suits me much better. There's much more depth to it than I thought beforehand. Maybe that was a bit of a prejudice," he laughs.