You’ll have encountered them everywhere in The Netherlands: roads, bicycle lanes, parking spaces, train platforms, sports premises and even at Schiphol Airport: lines, arrows, stripes and surfaces made by the specialist machinery from Van Velsen reflection lines, market leader in the field of road markings with over 85 years of experience.
Van Velsen reflection lines was established in 1935 by Cornelis van Velsen, owner of a paint and wallpaper shop in Bodegraven, The Netherlands. An ambitious and practical man, Cornelis decided to put orange ‘caps’ on white roadside posts to make them more visible. In the mid-1950s he started placing lines on roads with a simple self-designed machine tied to a car with a rope. Roads were getting busier in this era and the lines helped guide traffic. In the following years, Van Velsen developed into a specialized company for road markings that provide solutions for any situation and location. Despite now having more than 100 employees, the company has always maintained the character and strength of a small family business. What’s more, its pioneering spirit and ambition are as present today as they were at the start.
A step ahead
Because Van Velsen has a high regard for sustainability and also wants to stay a step ahead of the competition in this area too, it started looking for an alternative to the diesel generators that power the boilers in its trucks. The thermoplastic paint used for road markings has to be heated up and stirred. After looking at a variety of suppliers, Van Velsen chose a system from WhisperPower.
“It was important for us to embark on this new adventure with a reliable partner, We are not experts in electricity and wanted to be sure we could always reach someone to ask for advice. If one of our trucks stops working this can cause major problems as roadworks always have a very tight schedule. The markings are the final part of the roadbuilding process and we are therefore the last company to leave the site. Not having proper support can lead to lots of stress as the work must be completed on time.”
René Verweij - Van Velsen, Workshop head
Reliable
The company decided to first equip one of its trucks with two WhisperPower Lithium Power Plus 48 Volt – 16.6 kWh (315Ah) modules and three WPC inverter/battery charger combinations to feed the 3-stage consumers via the lithium battery modules. The roof of the truck was equipped with solar panels.
A trial period showed that this solution was ideal for Van Velsen as René explains.
“The system works perfectly and we have now equipped two of our trucks. In addition to being beneficial for the environment, we are using much less fuel. Another benefit is that our staff can do their work without the generation of unpleasant smells and noise pollution. Moreover, WhisperPower’s experts are reachable 24/7. They can read the system remotely at the slightest sign of trouble and resolve the issue nine times out of ten. On the odd occasions that things cannot be fixed remotely we still have a WhisperPower Elite 8 outdoor diesel generator as back-up.”
René Verweij - Van Velsen, Workshop head
The plan now is to equip more trucks with the hybrid system from WhisperPower in the future. Sustainability, emissions and reduced pollution are increasingly important to clients such as Van Velsen.
“It is our goal to be entirely emission-free in a few years’ time,” René concludes. “We are therefore delighted to have found a long-term partner in WhisperPower. In addition to supplying a top product, we know that the people behind the company always have our back.”
René Verweij - Van Velsen, Workshop head