On Grote Woerdlaan in Naaldwijk, where SchermNed plans to build new premises, a small celebration was held on Monday, March 3. This is because the screen and insect gas specialist has existed for 35 years. Cock van der Voort founded the company in 1990.
The family business now works with a fun and enthusiastic team, and Jack van der Voort is at the helm at SchermNed, while his brother Mark is active as the owner of the sister company Vitrona, which is involved in sun blinds and terrace coverings for both the B2C and B2B markets. Finally, sister Terry manages the operations and, as co-owner, oversees both companies in (financial) administration and automation.
Team SchermNed at the celebration of 35 years of SchermNed Monday morning. "All the mechanics/self-employed were on the road or on the projects," says the team.
Mesh DNA
It was Cock who came up with the insect mesh filter, a product with which SchermNed has distinguished itself for years and is part of SchermNed's complete insect netting range.
"We have had experience in insect netting since the company was founded in 1990, from window panes to continuous vents, from wooden to the most complete greenhouses, and from foil greenhouses to Venlo greenhouses or wide-span greenhouses. And all over the world, with, among other things, the right UV specifications suited to the geographical location and/or the right price-quality ratio suited to the customer's requirements."
Especially in recent years, insect netting, which used to come and go, is on the rise in horticulture, particularly as growers look for alternatives now that the use of crop protection products is increasingly restricted. "If a grower is thinking about insect netting, they should definitely think of us for honest advice," Jack believes.
Insect mesh filter
SchermNed's insect mesh filter is an alternative to the accordion system, or harmonica netting, which is much better known in horticulture and is also supplied and installed by the Westland-based company. The insect mesh filter system can easily be applied in both existing and new greenhouses, anywhere in the world. Regarding installation, it can be implemented without any modifications to the air mechanism while maintaining the maximum window opening. "We have never been able to advise and implement so many insect nets as in the last few years. In eight out of ten existing greenhouses where we install insect netting, growers choose our unique insect mesh filter."
Father Cock's innovation has been and continues to be developed. Further tests with the enhanced insect mesh filter are currently underway. "We notice that the market is increasingly focusing on climate, lifespan, and cleaning of insect mesh. With new innovations, we want to further strengthen the insect mesh, improve its lifespan, and offer new options."
Installation insect mesh filter system
More self-testing in screen installations and netting
At its office in Naaldwijk, SchermNed has its own demo and test room. "There is a greenhouse there with a 1-meter leg height where we carry out tests and training for our fitters," he says. Jack is proud to be the first screen company in eighteen months to have successfully passed a HortiQ certification, partly due to a special project in Saudi Arabia with partner Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects.
"We have started testing more and more ourselves in recent years. Also, thanks to the reliable partners we have been working with since 1990, including Van der Valk Systems, we can make a difference every day. Thus, as a family business, we have made great strides in recent years, taking both our screen installations and insect mesh systems to the next level. We feel, smell, and taste our products to gain more knowledge about where a product comes from, how long something lasts, and so on."
Besides the rise of insect netting, the last few years have also seen the rise of (additional) screen cloths in greenhouses. Here too, there are innovations that SchermNed is working with. "Over the last eight to ten years, we have seen, especially for export, that we work a lot with ValkScreenVision 2.0. This makes retracting and replacing screen cloths less time-consuming and less risky (working at height) for both the crop, the grower or investor, and us as installers."
Father Cock
Even though founder Cock is no longer active in the day-to-day business, Jack can still rely on his father. "My father still has an ambassador role with us, and I can always go to him for advice, a chat, or a cup of coffee. For example, if we come across a special system that calls for a unique solution. My father is a real developer and a nice, honest guy. That still comes in handy. And also, when we want to examine something closely, he is a listening ear. My father is still at the company every Tuesday morning for a few hours for a cup of coffee. For those moments alone, we are grateful."
Growth and new construction
In recent years, SchermNed has grown with the purchase of a new adjacent extra production hall, from nicely awarded projects to the renewed team, as well as thanks to a takeover of Alsemgeest Scherminstallaties in 2024. A new growth step is already in the pipeline. Or rather, a building step, shares Jack. "We want to construct a new building. From the new building we want to build, you should soon be able to look out over a part of Westland. It should really be something where people say: 'Awesome, this is where I work nicely or where I would like to come and work.'"
The new building will be on the site where both SchermNed and sister company Vitrona are already located, while Father Cock once started in the shed of his house. "I find it important that an office space is a nice place to work, with a healthy climate. In the future, we hope to start hosting customers and growers at our office here more often. This doesn't happen much in today's screen world. I want customers to know who we are, and continue to build a good mutual relationship with our loyal customers. We are neither the biggest nor the smallest player in the market, but above all, we want to be a reliable, honest partner with short lines of communication and build great projects as relationships."
For more information:
SchermNed B.V.
Screen installations and insect netting
+31 (0)174 62 22 14
info@schermned.nl
www.schermned.nl