This year marks Special Cargo’s 25th anniversary. That means 25 years of safety in dangerous goods logistics. On the occasion of this anniversary, Nieuwsblad Transport conducted an interview with Erik den Dikken and Saskia Rijkaart, the owners of our family business. You can read their story in Nieuwsblad Transport’ s Oliebollenspecial. “We want to continue to grow, but always with our father’s vision in mind.”
Continuity and commitment. These are important values of family-owned Special Cargo Services, international company in dangerous goods logistics. Founded in 1998 by Huib den Dikken with business partner Hans van der Maat, the company now has six offices throughout the Netherlands, and one in the U.S. Ten years ago, son Erik took over from his father Huib. But with a mission: ensure continuity, in order to one day pass the company on – with the same family values – to the next generation.
The next generation
Over the years, more and more branches are added, for example in IJmuiden and Vlaardingen. In 2013, Erik, the second generation of the Den Dikken family, took the helm: ‘I wanted to continue this growth, but in doing so I had been instructed by the family: expanding and broadening the services is good, but maintaining good care for customer and employee, so that you can pass on our company healthily to the next generation. An important message that is in our DNA and therefore also an important factor in the strategic choices that are made.
Internal ambassadors
‘We have grown very quickly in recent years, including the establishment of new branches – in Schiphol-Rijk, Spijkenisse, Veenendaal, Europoort, and even in Houston (Texas) – and then you notice how difficult it is to maintain the family feeling. But the story of the family business continues to be told, and so it’s incredibly gratifying to see that we have many internal ambassadors within Special Cargo. Employees who passionately transfer the family feeling to the new batch of colleagues. That’s what we do it for.
Investing in innovation
“At the same time, of course, as a family business we have to be future-proof,” adds Saskia Rijkaart, Erik’s sister. She leads the company’s commercial team. ‘This is why we continue to move with the times wherever possible. Broadening our services, for example by establishing the training branch Special Cargo College. Investing in innovations, such as our digital training portal, new packaging techniques and an environmentally friendly fleet. As a serious player in the logistics market, we want to remain innovative and at the forefront of this.’
Read the full story on News Sheet Transport
Saskia Rijkaart and Erik den Dikken: “We want to continue to grow, but always with our father’s vision in mind: while maintaining the close bond within and between the teams and with our customers.”
