We are publishing this Annual Book 2023 in 2024, the year of Van Leeuwen’s one hundred years of existence. A wonderful milestone that we are therefore highlighting in this edition. In 1924, Piet van Leeuwen started his company in Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands, with a batch of pipes and iron. Over a period of a hundred years we have grown from a one-person operation into an international network with 70 branches in 32 countries and a worldwide team of over 2,400 employees representing 58 nationalities. Today, on the basis of our network, we offer a large diversity of products and services to various markets and customers.
'Connecting Worlds' is the central theme of our anniversary year. It stands for a world that is greater than the geographical locations where we are based. Greater than the many products that, via our customers, find their way into a multitude of structures, ranging from bridges to cranes, trucks to windmills and dairy plants to pipelines. 'Connecting Worlds' is about our role as a strong, connecting partner in the value chain between supplier and customer. About continuous development and sustainable growth, customer focus, a close-knit company culture and innovative entrepreneurship.
The ultimate connectors who really bring the theme 'Connecting Worlds' to life are the employees in our family business. Each and every day they look after custom solutions that connect customers, suppliers and business relations with each other. In our long history we have always been able to build on our global teams. We value the knowledge and experience of colleagues who have been working for us for years just as much as we value the new insights provided by younger colleagues.
In this Annual Book, six of our colleagues from different countries speak about Van Leeuwen’s strength, based on the experience and expertise that our company has developed in various areas over a period of one hundred years.
Peter Rietberg
Chairman of the Management Board
