{"id":10381,"date":"2021-02-23T08:44:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T07:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aerolift.nl\/?page_id=10381"},"modified":"2021-02-25T09:34:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T08:34:25","slug":"hans-van-den-tol-about-his-retirement-and-successor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.aerolift.nl\/en\/hans-van-den-tol-about-his-retirement-and-successor\/","title":{"rendered":"Hans van den Tol about his retirement and successor"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of this year Hans van den Tol, the CEO of Aerolift, will retire. In an interview we asked Hans about his plans for retirement and his success, Robert Lemm<\/a>. Read the complete interview below.<\/p>\n

\"Interview<\/p>\n

How did you start out at Aerolift?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My involvement with Aerolift<\/a> started in 2004. At that moment I had just returned from China, where I spent 14 months building a limestone factory in Baoding. I had expected to set up more limestone factories beforehand, but this changed when the Chinese Government decided to stop the limestone mining. Back in the Netherlands I visited the \u201cBetondag\u201d, a Dutch exhibition, looking for new opportunities. The then owner of Aerolift, Mr. Van Osnabrugge, advised me to go and talk to Mr. Kaspers. He was the owner of Euronail NV (Belgium) and Euronail Nederland B.V. (Holland), which had the agency for Aerolift in the Benelux in its portfolio. Due to circumstances Mr. Kaspers was looking to sell his shares. I bought the shares and as shareholder, I became the owner of the trading company Euronail.<\/p>\n

The relationship between Euronail and Aerolift opened the possibility to become CEO of Aerolift. I already had a close relationship with the former owner of Aerolift and MHZ, Mr. Van Osnabrugge, and got the chance to participate in a new organisation to take over all shares of Aerolift and MHZ<\/a>, together with my current business partner Tom Zwienenberg. January 1, 2006, the deal was completed and on January 1, 2011, Tom and I became 100% shareholders.<\/p>\n

\"Logo's<\/p>\n

What changed for the customers worldwide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Because of the long period before the acquisition of the company (5 years), our customers all over the world had no notion of the changes. For them, Aerolift and everything it stands for has remained the same.<\/p>\n

What was Aerolift like at that time? What was your vision for Aerolift and how did the organisation change since you became CEO? What marks your period as CEO?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before I acquired the company, Aerolift was a department within UBO Engineering. A company that specialises in customised solutions for installations and machines for the concrete and reinforcing steel industry. The Aerolift activities where important in the yearly result, but not leading. After the separation from UBO<\/a>, the main goal of Aerolift and for me as CEO, was to find the balance between sales capacity, agencies, engineering, and production.<\/p>\n

With my knowledge of all kind of industries in detail, the ability to instruct agencies just by using email and phone, the ability to travel worldwide, because of my fine relationship with the home front, gave me the ability to broaden the markets in which Aerolift could operate. My personal relationship with Chinese close partnerships and a big group of suppliers opened the Silk Road to China on a small scale compared from what the People\u2019s Republic of China is doing. My vision to China is: if you cannot beat them, join them.<\/p>\n

To realise this growth, we needed more people within our group of engineers, and we developed ourselves as a total supplier. From 100% supplier of vacuum solutions<\/a>, we became the total handling solution<\/a> provider. We put more energy and money in product development and inventions<\/a> within the vacuum industry. We specialised ourselves in unique new handling solutions, as robotics,\u00a0transfer stations, automatic carousel systems, heavy load solutions up to 85 Tons and many other unique solutions. We invested in people, but we managed to keep the organisation flat, everybody is aware of what the colleagues are doing and the individual activity of all of us to make every order to a success.<\/p>\n

When did you first became CEO? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

I became CEO from the moment I stopped working for Ballast Nedam (end 2001) and started my own company BI-Management B.V. BI-Management stands for Building and Installation Management. I started with a good, filled order book, with orders from Ballast Nedam and my wide network.<\/p>\n

At Ballast Nedam I was Product Innovator at the Industry and Supply Division. In this position, I was concerned with innovation and development in a wide range of industries. I dismantled entire factories and machines and rebuilt them at other locations. From concrete plants to foundries, and so on. As a result, my knowledge of various industries has expanded enormously. Knowledge that later came in handy again when I took over Aerolift.<\/p>\n

Tell something about your current function at Aerolift.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Together with Tom Zwienenberg I am the owner of Aerolift and MHZ. In my daily activity I run the Aerolift sales department. From my relationship with humans, I think I am a people manager. In other words, I have an eye for the individual needs and motivations of my employees, but also for team needs. The organisation forms a safe environment with open communication, in which everyone can give their opinion and feedback. This way, in my experience as an employer, you get the most out of your employees and the team.<\/p>\n

Honesty, open minded, consequent and knowledge about almost all industries related situations and the fact that I always rule from worrying about situations instead of reaching targets, makes me a trustful leader.<\/p>\n

What do you like about working at Aerolift?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is no repetitive character in what we as a group do on a daily basis. Our business covers the world and every employer in its own specialism is enormously customer minded, inclusive our agencies worldwide. There is no dull moment.<\/p>\n

Can you tell something about Robert Lemm, your successor? Why him?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is a story on its own. About how an internship and a graduation project can lead to a share transition.<\/p>\n

There he was, a charismatic young student with leadership skills, corrective, reluctant in his appearance but competent in content. A new leader was born. We agreed on a shareholder\u2019s exchange over time. Comparable to the method by which Tom Zwienenberg and I became shareholder. In the meantime, Robert Lemm<\/a> is already 9 years part of the team. Robert is slowly taking over my daily activities more and more and will be prepared as good as possible for his future job. Once again, the exchange will be so smoothly that our customers will not notice.<\/p>\n

What are your plans for retirement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I am sailing in small boats since I was 6 years old. By the time I got older, the ships became bigger and bigger, but they always stayed second or third handed. Repairs started as a necessity to stay afloat but ended up as complete restorations. I am the proud owner of a wooden American Sailing Sloop from which there are 7 built. Known in the US as the seven sisters, built in 1954. And I am the proud owner of a wooden Danish fishing cutter of 1953, with the original Grenaa Semi Diesel engine onboard. My future after retirement will be the first mobile shipyard in the Netherlands. This knowledge how to maintain a wooden ship with all its aspects must not be lost for future generations.<\/p>\n

I hope there will be time to write my memoires as building a limestone Company with 350 Chinese in China, my traveling experiences starting as a Mercantile Marine Engineer and many ridiculous and impressive experiences as a world traveller.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the end of this year Hans van den Tol, the CEO of Aerolift, will retire. In an interview we asked Hans about his plans for retirement and his success, Robert Lemm. Read the complete interview below. How did you start out at Aerolift? My involvement with Aerolift started in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10396,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10381","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInterview Hans van den Tol about his retirement | CEO of Aerolift<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Interview with Hans van den Tol, CEO of Aerolift Industrials B.V. About his retirement and successor. 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