Ballast Nedam

Ballast

The existence of the Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij can be attributed to the Noordzeekanaal. Its original operations back in 1877 were simplicity itself: empty merchant ships going to sea obtained dune sand as ballast. In later years, the company also applied itself to dredging. In the first decade of the 20th century, the company began to grow under the direction of Charles de Vilder, a paver and roadworker based in Amsterdam. Ballast evolved from a sand supplier to a construction firm, and from 1928 onwards, also operated as a concrete manufacturer. The introduction of the first labour-saving excavator in 1927 marked the automation of sand extraction. After the Second World War, Ballast focused increasingly on dredging operations – and later, on civil engineering works too – abroad. The firm established its reputation within Dutch borders with the construction of the Afsluitdijk in 1932 and the Velser tunnels in 1957.

Nedam

H.F. Boersma set up in business as a contractor in Den Haag from 1899 onwards. He began with the construction of villas and country houses, but earned his reputation through the construction of the Vredespaleis in 1913. Four years later Boersma founded the company Nederlandse Aannemingsmaatschappij N.V. The building activities went so well that by 1921 he had already begun to establish a building company in what was known at the time as the Dutch East Indies. Nedam became more widely known through the construction of The Hague Convention Bureau, the former Bijenkorf department store in Rotterdam, and the Nederlandsche Handels Maatschappij headquarters in Amsterdam, known as the Bazel building.

Merger

The Ballast Nedam Group came into being through the amalgamation of the two companies in 1969. The former Ballast contracts with the Middle East were extended, and Ballast Nedam was involved in the start of mammoth projects such as the Kuwait International Airport and the King Fahd Causeway, one of the longest cross-channel connections in the world. Works of distinction in the Netherlands include the development and construction of the Maarssenbroek district in the province of Utrecht, the Oosterscheldekering, the design of the modern Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the construction of the Amsterdam Stopera in 1986. The Ballast Nedam Group grew as a result of the acquisition of Van Grootel’s Bouwmaatschappij in 1974. Three years later, the name was changed to Ballast Nedam B.V.

Ballast Nedam was purchased by British Aerospace in 1987 for £47 million. In October 1993 British Aerospace announced its intention to sell Ballast Nedam. In May 1994, Ballast Nedam shares were once again quoted on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, and the private limited company became a public limited company once more. The company strengthened its position in the Dutch market through acquisitions, but sold its dredging activities in 2002. Ballast Nedam then withdrew from the international project market and concentrated its activities mainly within the Netherlands, where the Ballast Nedam story all began.

Sponsorship

Ballast Nedam sponsor the "Bouw in Beeldprijs", an annual photography prize in the Netherlands. The prize is awarded every year to a photographer who, in the eyes of the jury, has best captured the construction theme. The Bouw in Beeldprijs started in 2007.

Revenue and profit history

The loss over the year 2014 of €103 million was very large causing the company to ask for additional loans from banks and other partners. The loss was mainly caused by the division of Infrastructure due to the project for broadening part of the national A15 highway in The Netherlands. The company filed claims at the government for the enormous cost increase of this project. After announcing the loss over 2014, the company stated by one of its executives, Erik van der Noordaa,that the company will not execute such large and complex projects any more in future

Projects (selection)