You drive past them, but you don't know their story

It turns out that their products and services are sometimes closer than you might think. We discovered this during our visits to Pedak Meettechniek, Coolen Engineering, and HWC Cleaning Services.

Take Pedak, for example. It’s a company that might not immediately ring a bell for many people, but whose products can be found in a surprising number of places. Pedak, where we were welcomed by owner Roland Vossen and CFO Job Windhorst, supplies high-quality measuring equipment and comprehensive measurement solutions. What does that entail? Monitoring temperature, humidity, and air pressure in operating rooms and other critical areas. But also monitoring the indoor climate in museums to protect art and historical objects. Or consider checking product quality and shelf life, for example, for cookies and other food products. In addition, Pedak has its own calibration laboratory and provides maintenance and calibration services for measuring equipment.

At Coolen Engineering, too, there’s a world hidden behind the company’s doors that you might not immediately expect. They develop and manufacture high-quality machine parts, machines, and custom technical solutions for companies that need something not readily available off the shelf. Brothers Huib and Rob Coolen always strive for high-quality technical products and solutions, working every day to improve the company. It’s something you can simply feel and see when you walk through the factory floor. Key principles include quality, service, and customer focus—values they’ve upheld and safeguarded from day one.

And then there’s HWC Cleaning Services. What began from a completely different background has grown into an all-around cleaning company that now operates nationwide. The owner, Hugo Nelissen, once made a remarkable career switch: from a Michelin-starred chef to an entrepreneur in the cleaning industry.  Starting out as a window cleaner, he built a company that offers window cleaning, interior cleaning, facade and roof cleaning, industrial cleaning, and post-construction cleaning. And if you think that’s all, think again. HWC also rents out inflatable play structures and other items.

Three companies, three completely different stories. But there are similarities, too: craftsmanship, quality, a focus on the customer, and above all, a spirit of entrepreneurship that isn’t always apparent on the surface. Together with Michel Graef, an economics Alderman , we discussed the companies, their development, and their ambitions. Because it’s precisely by looking behind the scenes that we discover what’s really going on with entrepreneurs in Leudal.