On April 1, Ton van Dijk succeeded Freek van Rijn as General Manager at Van Dijk Heating, who now leads the parent company, Greenhouse Technology Group. Freek expresses full confidence in his successor: "Ton has proven himself as a commercial director and brings both leadership and real-world grower experience to the role."
Ton, who is unrelated to the company's founder, stresses the collaborative nature of the company's success. "My role is modest. It's all about creating the right conditions for the team to thrive."
He takes on the position at a time when Van Dijk Heating's energy-efficient solutions, including the Ecoster E and Active Ventilation System (AVS), are in growing demand across Europe and North America. "The recent energy crisis and climate targets are challenges, but they also create momentum for innovation," he notes. "We're seeing strong international interest in our systems, and we're ready to meet that demand."
© Van Dijk Heating
Celebrating 50 years in the industry
Founded in 1975 by Piet van Dijk, the company has spent the past half-century building a reputation for reliable, low-maintenance systems for heating, water treatment, CO₂, and climate control. In 2004, long-time employees Hans Harting and Joek van der Zeeuw took over the business, expanding its offerings with innovative systems like the AVS.
After Hans' departure in 2022, Van Dijk Heating joined Greenhouse Technology Group, positioning itself for accelerated growth. Joek, now Technical Director, reflects on the milestone: "It's nice to mention past management, but the real backbone of the company is the people on the shop floor and in the office. We'll be celebrating them too—how and when remains a secret for now."
Advancing with the upgraded Ecoster E drain water disinfector
As Van Dijk Heating celebrates its 50th anniversary and announces new leadership, a commercial greenhouse is already reaping the benefits of one of the company's most recent innovations: the upgraded Ecoster E drain water disinfector. The energy-efficient, electric system is a significant upgrade from the previous gas-fired version, offering not only environmental benefits but also operational simplicity and cost savings.
After 22 years of reliable service, the company decided it was time to replace their old disinfector. "It was still working fine, but we knew that some components were being discontinued," explains Victor Piek, Manager at Interplant Roses. "We took the opportunity to look at newer technologies and found the new Ecoster E to be the best fit. We're confident in good results at lower costs."
© Van Dijk Heating
Specializing in rose breeding for over six decades, Interplant Roses focuses heavily on plant health during its intensive crossing and selection processes. Water disinfection plays a critical role in this. In the Netherlands, strict regulations prevent simple discharge of drain water, making reuse through proper disinfection essential.
The newly installed Ecoster E at Interplant uses an innovative heat exchanger to dramatically reduce energy consumption. "The new system cools treated drain water down to just 2°C above the supply temperature, compared to 5°C in the older model," says Ton van Dijk, who recently took over as General Manager of Van Dijk Heating. "This means that nearly 50% less energy is required for heating, which is a major leap forward in efficiency."
Although the Ecoster E was still in prototype phase at the time of installation, Interplant Roses became an early adopter of a smaller-capacity version. "It's been running smoothly from day one," Victor says. "We hardly even notice it—just like the old system, it runs without a hitch and hasn't needed any maintenance yet."
Bosman Van Zaal oversaw the installation process. Project Manager Geert Nell praises the new technology as a timely innovation. "Interplant Roses was game to install a prototype, and in retrospect, we didn't even need the backup plan. The system is running beautifully and fits into the growing international trend of responsible water reuse. Even in places like Africa, we're seeing increased interest in these kinds of sustainable solutions."
For more information:
Van Dijk Heating
+31(0)30 656 38 44
info@vandijkheating.com
www.vandijkheating.com