Klaas enjoys challenges and variety
Klaas de Meer’s father has been a crane operator at Haitsma Beton for years and thought his son would fit in well there too. 'That’s how I ended up at Haitsma in 2020. The nice thing is that my father received a bonus for recommending me' says Klaas.
Klaas started as a production worker, but was soon asked to become a formwork mould builder. Since early 2025, he has been the formwork techniques coordinator, arranging everything for his fellow formwork mould builders.
What does your working day look like?
'That’s very varied. One moment I’m busy with scheduling and procurement, and the next I’m studying the drawings. I also still regularly work as a formwork builder myself, especially now that we’re understaffed. It’s difficult to find personnel. That’s why we’re very happy with the young colleague who’s just started with us.'
'That’s very varied. One moment I’m busy with scheduling and procurement, and the next I’m studying the drawings. I also still regularly work as a formwork builder myself, especially now that we’re understaffed. It’s difficult to find personnel. That’s why we’re very happy with the young colleague who’s just started with us.'
What exactly does a formwork mould builder do?
'Simply put, you make moulds out of steel or wood into which concrete is poured. With the products that come out of our moulds, we then construct bridges, viaducts, piles and even multi-storey car parks. We now have eight large production halls where we make these kinds of prefab concrete elements. There’s a lot involved, both technically and practically. In the field of concrete, Haitsma really plays in the Champions League.'
What’s the largest element you’ve worked on?
'I think that was a pre-stressed bridge girder about 68 metres long. But really, we’re constantly making enormous elements. For example, we’re currently building a large sea jetty for the harbour in Brunsbüttel, Germany. We’re also working on the renovation of the De Nieuwe Meer in Amsterdam. For this project, we are supplying, among other things, the concrete support beams for the flyover.'
'Simply put, you make moulds out of steel or wood into which concrete is poured. With the products that come out of our moulds, we then construct bridges, viaducts, piles and even multi-storey car parks. We now have eight large production halls where we make these kinds of prefab concrete elements. There’s a lot involved, both technically and practically. In the field of concrete, Haitsma really plays in the Champions League.'
What’s the largest element you’ve worked on?
'I think that was a pre-stressed bridge girder about 68 metres long. But really, we’re constantly making enormous elements. For example, we’re currently building a large sea jetty for the harbour in Brunsbüttel, Germany. We’re also working on the renovation of the De Nieuwe Meer in Amsterdam. For this project, we are supplying, among other things, the concrete support beams for the flyover.'
Which project do you find most special?
'Then I’d choose the Herepoort ring road in Groningen. I often drive on this ring road myself, and every time I’m proud that we made the concrete girders for it. The bridge in our own village, Kootstertille (where Haitsma Beton is based), is also a project I really like. For that, we made reusable girders. In time, the entire bridge will be replaced, and then these girders can be used elsewhere.'
It sounds like you're in the right place at Haitsma?
'Absolutely. It’s a fantastic company with great colleagues, lots of opportunities for advancement and cool projects. Working with such massive concrete elements makes the job extra challenging. That’s why we also pay a lot of attention to safety. For example, we’ve made special concrete slabs to cover the gaps that arise between the support beams during production. This greatly reduces the risk of tripping or falling. We even won a Take Care Award for this.'
'Then I’d choose the Herepoort ring road in Groningen. I often drive on this ring road myself, and every time I’m proud that we made the concrete girders for it. The bridge in our own village, Kootstertille (where Haitsma Beton is based), is also a project I really like. For that, we made reusable girders. In time, the entire bridge will be replaced, and then these girders can be used elsewhere.'
It sounds like you're in the right place at Haitsma?
'Absolutely. It’s a fantastic company with great colleagues, lots of opportunities for advancement and cool projects. Working with such massive concrete elements makes the job extra challenging. That’s why we also pay a lot of attention to safety. For example, we’ve made special concrete slabs to cover the gaps that arise between the support beams during production. This greatly reduces the risk of tripping or falling. We even won a Take Care Award for this.'
Are you also interested in working at Ballast Nedam?
At Ballast Nedam, you can develop and become a little better every day. In the Netherlands and abroad. Together with almost 2,000 colleagues, we are committed to a future-proof living environment. Will you join our team to contribute to this?
