During the 34th edition of the Voka Open Bedrijvendag on Sunday 6 October, many companies will throw open their doors to the general public. This edition too, there is a lot to discover: from port brothel to frying oil. Flows gives an overview by province.
West Flanders
Ostend is one of the hotspots on Open Bedrijvendag. The participating companies are connected by a cycle route. The eye-catcher in the port area is Hangar 1, an almost 120-year-old warehouse that fell into disrepair but is currently being renovated. You can find out about its future use as a multifunctional building with lively event spaces, chic eateries, modern offices and a contemporary mega-part Hangar d’Amour with 36 rooms.
In Zeebrugge, the Belgian Navy fit the Sunday part of the NAVY TECHNOFest into the programme of Open Bedrijvendag. Roro operator CLdN is also participating but only with virtual, online company visits. In Meulebeke, E-Supplier is showing its range of low-speed electric vehicles such as vans. At the Regional Training Centre in Roeselare, you can learn about forklift driver training, among other things.
East Flanders
At Quatra in the Lokeren borough of Eksaarde, visitors will get the chance to take a look behind the scenes at the Lokeren family business that in just ten years has grown to become the European market leader in used cooking oil and deep-frying fat recycling. The company processes more than 160,000 tonnes of used frying oil a year into raw material for low-carbon fuels such as biodiesel and HVO for road transport, and biokerosene (SAF) for aviation. In an interactive experience with TV screens and informative panels, company employees will explain each step of the recycling process. You can also taste chips there.
At DSV Solutions in Eddastraat in the Ghent port area, you can take a look behind the scenes thanks to a tour through the warehouse. DSV’s history is also highlighted and there are demonstrations with drones, a cleaning robot and of some operational processes.
Companies elsewhere in Ghent port also open their doors. For instance, you can visit steel giant ArcelorMittal‘s site. You get a view of the gigantic site that runs from Kennedylaan to the Ghent-Terneuzen canal. A visit to the hot rolling mill is spectacular. There, the hot cast slabs are formed into steel plates in the desired thickness. In the rolling shop, the rolls from the cold rolling mill are ground flat and to the desired roughness. In the shipping hall, visitors witness the automation technology in ArcelorMittal’s logistics.
At Aertssen Transport & Logistics in Verrebroek, you can experience the past, present and future of Aertssen Group. It is the first time the company has opened the site to the general public. Take a look at the impressive machinery, enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the site and jump inside the office building.
Antwerp
With container terminals in Belgium and the Netherlands along the inland waterways connecting the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, BCTN is a leading player in intermodal transport. On Sunday, the company offered visitors a unique insight into the Benelux’s largest inland terminal in Meerhout. With the modification of the bridges on the Albert Canal, barges can now load four layers of containers and De Vlaamse Waterweg celebrated that milestone with a first ship at BCTN’s terminal in Meerhout.
Interested parties can also go and have a look at DeWaterbus. “As a pioneer in water-bound public transport in Belgium, we offer a sustainable, efficient and pleasant way of travelling along the waterways of Antwerp and the surrounding area,” DeWaterbus echoes. For the next eight years, Brabo and XO Boating may operate DeWaterbus.
Those who want can also drop by Global Port Training, which specialises in all training related to port and terminal operations worldwide. Outside the logistics sector, the University Hospital Antwerp in Edegem, the Justice House in Antwerp and the Liberty Ranch in Kalmthout, for example, also propose.
Limburg
In Limburg, Logistic Valley Flanders, the new name of the former Ford Genk site, is one of the hotspots of Open Bedrijvendag. On a bus ride, you can discover the large scale of the site. In the container village, you can meet the companies located at Logistics Valley Flanders. The Port of Limburg site itself will not be open for security reasons, but will be introduced via presentation.
Still in Limburg, in Oudsburg you can learn about the ins and outs of Scania Parts Logistics, the parts distribution centre of the Swedish truck manufacturer.
Authors: Roel Jacobus, Yannick De Spiegeleir, Koen Dejaeger
