Extra production hall gives room for big ambitions

Meppel – Alumax Boats has more than doubled its company size by moving into a second production hall in Meppel harbor as of November 1. The substantial expansion gives the aluminum boat builders the space to further shape the growth that has begun.

The second hall where Alumax Boats moves in has a floor area of about 950 m2 and is located directly on the water of the Meppel part of Port of Zwolle. In the new Alumax hall, very different models of aluminum hull boats are built; from sloops to tenders and from fireboats, workboats and luxury yachts to water cabs. The existing production hall with a production floor area of 700 m2 at Setheweg in Meppel, where Alumax Boats has been located since 2009, will be fully utilized as of November 1 for the technical finishing, furnishing and cladding of the aluminum boats.

Director Remko Germeraad, who together with Jarno Visscher owns Alumax Boats, is delighted with the expansion. “We had been looking for quite some time at the possibilities to expand,” says the Meppel boat builder. In doing so, all possible options were reviewed. “We had new construction plans but the current construction prices made that option quite risky.” Moving to a new location was also a possibility but Germeraad says that never materialized. “There is no more land available in the Meppel harbor area, so that was difficult.” Just when the entrepreneurs were thinking of looking beyond the borders of Meppel as well, the opportunity presented itself to move into the new Alumax hall. ” When this hall turned out to be available we were able to do business quickly with the owner,” states a satisfied Germeraad.

The large expansion of capacity by moving into the second building offers Alumax Boats, according to the director, many more opportunities than it already had. To meet the increasing demand for Alumax boats from Europe but also beyond, the capacity at the Setheweg was not sufficient “We can now better meet the increasing demand for aluminum boats, where especially the demand for boats for the professional user is growing.” In addition, the good contacts Germeraad has in Vietnam are not doing the company any favors. “We delivered the first multi-purpose vessel in Vietnam early this year. Which can be deployed as a patrol/ambulance and-or firefighter and that has the necessary impact,” Germeraad says with a smile. The second order has just been secured and many more will follow. He expects more orders from the Asian country to follow in 2023 as well. “So we desperately need the new hall.”

[at photo: Alumax Boats’ second location in the Meppel part of Port of Zwolle]