History of Venus & de Waard BV

In the year 1945 – the war had just ended – the Port of IJmuiden was severely damaged. There was a lot of work to do before the port could fully function again. The same applied to the fishing fleet, part of which had fled to England. Another part was seized by Germany. One by one the ships returned to the Port of IJmuiden and had to be made suitable for fishing.

Engine and Machine Repair Workshop

It was at that time that Leendert Venus and Elbert de Waard (both mechanics) decided to start an engineering company. They named it “Venus & de Waard Engine and Machine Repair Workshop”. They settled on the eastern side of the fishing harbour, on the premises of Timmerfabriek Leenheer. The first employee was Freek Venus. His brothers, Leen and Joop, followed some time later.

In the early years Venus & de Waard employees had to make do with a small workshop in which three lathes, a milling machine and a saw machine were set up. When given the chance, the lot adjacent to the property was purchased and building was immediately begun.

In 1964 the name of the company changed to “Firma Machinefabriek Venus & de Waard”.

Private company

In 1967 Leendert Venus died. His son Leen Jr. followed in his footsteps and became co-director, together with Elbert de Waard. Leendert Venus’ sons were appointed co-shareholders.

Slowly the workshop became too small to handle all the work. In 1970 the property on the other corner of the 2e Industriedwarsstraat was purchased from fish cannery De Neco and was converted into a second workshop. At that time the company converted into a private company.

Take-over

When Eldert de Waard died in 1977, the Venus brothers took over the management of the company. They were, however, not very young anymore. In the years 1986 and 1987, they both stopped working. Since there were no successors, the company was sold.

On December 29th, 1987, Venus & de Waard was acquired by IJmond Pijpleiding owner Cees Heere. In 2008 he sold the company to his son Peter, who changed the name to Venus & de Waard BV.

Modern and flexible

Managed by Peter Heere, the company has grown significantly. The team has expanded considerably and the activities are broader than ever. Today, Venus & de Waard BV is a modern and flexible company, which is not only concerned with ship repair and construction work, but also with assembly, disassembly, machining and the processing of non-ferrous materials. On top of that, Venus & de Waard started a new division for the inspection, revision and overhaul of gearboxes. This specialized team operates from a new location in Wormerveer. To conclude, the company is a supplier of industrial hoses and fittings, pumps and GRP gratings.

On November 2nd 2020 Venus & de Waard BV celebrated its 75th anniversary.