'The world of installation engineering is heavily burdened by capacity and delivery time of materials'

The management of FOJA is formed by a 3-member team. Fons Jans - from which the name FOJA is derived - has been general manager and owner of the FOJA Group for 27 years. Rob Huis in 't Veld is financial director and John Dijkman is commercial director. "This team has been working together for many years based on the philosophy that independence and bundling of strength is the basis for success," Dijkman said.

FOJA is the parent company of total technical provider Hamer (and Hamer Belgium), project and inspection specialist ContrAll, commercial vehicle specilalist FBS and temporary employment agency Jans. Hamer is the largest subsidiary of the FOJA holding company, with 17 disciplines. Together, these operating companies employ more than 500 people. The FOJA companies operate in the Automotive, Fuel Technology, Chemical, Industrial and Utility and Data Center markets in the Benelux. ContrAll is an independent (engineering) agency providing project management, consultancy, design, engineering and inspection for the industrial and fuel sector. It is particularly specialized in pump, tank and electrical installations, ground and civil works, mechanical engineering installations, environment, safety and CAD design. ContrAll has all the knowledge, expertise and tools to bring complex projects to a successful conclusion. The FOJA subsidiaries can fully focus on their core business and are not burdened with support services, the FOJA holding company takes care of that.

"FOJA is the connecting factor between the activities (such as design, realization, control and maintenance) of its subsidiaries. This allows the FOJA companies to relieve clients in the field of technology from A to Z, which is our mission," Dijkman continued. 

Energy Transition

"Our day-to-day operations are currently defined by the current situation," Dijkman continues. "We were already in the energy transition (embarking on heat pumps for utility buildings and electric driving), but to this has now been added the energy crisis due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. The war only accelerates the energy transition and makes it even more necessary. Especially because of the financial aspect, as gas and electricity have become screamingly expensive. Especially the Industry, Utility and Automotive departments within FOJA are looking into the issues raised by the energy transition."

The changing demands in the areas of (fire) safety, sustainability, energy transition and working comfort, as well as the developments in the technologies that make this possible, are creating a changing demand from end users, facility managers and safety oversight agencies alike. "The FOJA Group specializes in installing all kinds of installations in new construction, as well as in existing buildings. Fuel is often thought of as fossil fuels such as diesel and gasoline, but FOJA also distinguishes itself with the construction of installations for alternative fuels such as hydrogen, LNG and HVO."

Electric driving

FOJA also includes the installation of electric charging equipment for electric driving at gas stations and businesses. Dijkman: "A problem we are now running into is that there is insufficient capacity in the network when it is installed. This limits the customer in making his fleet more sustainable. This can be solved with an additional battery, but this again involves additional costs."

FOJA wants to unburden its customers from A to Z but the current problems of society, such as limited capacity and training of insufficiently qualified personnel, does put a brake on the Netherlands' ambition to accelerate energy transition and sustainability.

Future Vision

When talking about its vision for the future, FOJA certainly has a dot on the horizon. "Mission is and remains to take care of clients in the fields of Industry, Fuel Technology, Utility, Automotive, Chemicals and Data Centers from A to Z. But in addition, we want to remain at the forefront of new fuels. Fossil fuels will remain for a while, but will increasingly make way for electricity, LNG, hydrogen, hydro gasoline, solar and wind energy. We do not have to do everything ourselves, but a requirement is that we keep the knowledge and expertise in-house. Only then can we fully and satisfactorily serve and retain customers."

To meet sustainability and CO₂-reduction, FOJA prepares as many installation parts as possible prefabricated, deploys combination trucks to transport large quantities in one go, and is working to make the operating companies increasingly independent. For example, to be even closer to the customer, for all disciplines. It is also switching to electric driving, and where this is not yet possible, the assembly buses and trucks run Euro 6 on HVO.

Dijkman wants to take special note of her own staff: "Because we are very busy and a lot is asked of our employees, we try to take the pressure off in many ways. For example, since six months we have had a Fit & Vital program that helps our people stay mentally and physically fit. A company like FOJA stands or falls with qualified personnel who are in good shape. Only then are we able to live up to our credo: unburdening the client from A to Z."