Specialist with multiple faces

The South Holland-based K&A Group has been active in inner-city projects for 25 years, as a developer and manufacturer of timber construction bulkhead chains, pavilions, club buildings and precast timber frame elements. With the labels K&A Houtbouw and Kroonhout | Prefab HSB, the group offers a suitable, future-proof timber solution for every project.

"Under the label K&A Timber Construction, we manufacture and supply wooden bulkhead sheds," says K&A Group director Pascal Vergouwen. "On an appealing inner-city project, in addition to the delivery of high-quality prefabricated HSB elements, there simply has to be a bulkhead shack. Not units, but modular office buildings that are also constructed from HSB elements and finished in our clients' house style/colors. Especially for long-term (inner-city) projects, modular housing is a sustainable alternative to standardized units. All interior walls can be placed project-dependently, whereby we are not dependent on standard module sizes. This means we can create any layout you want, with free spans of up to 12 meters! Moreover, the bulkhead chain can be reused many times. At the request of our clients, we also take care of the relocation (disassembly and assembly) of the chain of bulkheads from project to project. And interim storage or even repurchase are also among the possibilities."

Custom solutions in prefabricated wood frame construction

With Kroonhout | Prefab HSB, K&A Group is responding to the increasing need for customized solutions in prefabricated timber frame construction. "HSB elements are well-insulated, durable, vapor-permeable and/or airtight and contribute to an efficient construction process," says Vergouwen. "Moreover, the elements are a lot lighter than concrete, for example, which means that foundations need to be less heavily loaded and lighter. It's not for nothing that prefabricated wood frame elements find eager demand in (inner city) projects."

To make prefabricated construction successful, knots have to be cut early in the process. Even when it comes to wood frame construction elements. Knowledge sharing and construction partnership are essential in this context, emphasizes Vergouwen. "More and more contractors are involving us in their construction team at an early stage, so that we can make optimum use of each other's expertise. Because only together can we arrive at interesting, realistic solutions and the very best result. We place a very high priority on this." In addition, a lot of attention is paid to the right detailing and connections, as well as coordination with other disciplines, he says. "In this regard, 3D/BIM design software has become indispensable. By integrating all disciplines into one three-dimensional model, the chance of errors is significantly reduced. Any clashes are detected and eliminated at a very early stage."

Semiautomatic production line

Another advantage of BIM is that Kroonhout's semiautomated production line connects seamlessly with the drawing program. "What is built virtually is made one-to-one by the machines," Vergouwen said. "We prefabricate our HSB elements into facade-ready products and, if required, build in the frames 'ex-factory'. This takes place in our own production hall in Groot-Ammers and under conditioned conditions. As a result, the quality of our products is constant. Moreover, we can seamlessly coordinate the production and delivery of the elements. At the construction site, it is only a matter of assembly."

Additional production capacity

As a manufacturer of HSB elements, Kroonhout has the product of the future in its hands. "In order to fulfill our growth ambitions and continue to provide our clients with high-quality timber frame construction elements, we will soon enlarge and relocate our warehouse to a new location (on the same industrial estate as the production facility). This will free up space at the current production site to greatly increase our production capacity. This will enable us to continue to meet the constant demand for high-quality precast wood frame elements in the future."

The exact filling of the production hall is not yet fixed, according to Vergouwen, but the expansion will certainly feature a (second) semiautomatic production line. "In addition to performing automated woodworking operations, this production line will help keep our employees vital. After all, they are and will remain the foundation of our company."