Family Meilink
Meilink is one of the oldest family businesses in the Netherlands. Originally founded by Derk Hendrik Meilink, his son Albert Meilink and son-in-law Frederik van Dassen as Stoomzagerij en Houthandel Meilink & van Dassen in 1874, the Borculo-based company sawed planks of oak from the surrounding estates for local carpenters. The last Meilink was grandson Derk Hendrik who died in an accident in 1945.
Family Braam
In 1946 Frits Braam took over the B. Meilink company with, at that time, three employees, whereupon his brother Wim Braam joined him a few years later. With the very first packaging job in 1948, the Braam brothers shifted the emphasis from sawing to the production of boxes and the packaging of goods. They established contacts with the industry in Hengelo. In addition to Stork, Holland Signaal, Dikkers and Bamshoeven, Fokker and Werkspoor in Amsterdam also ordered packaging from Meilink. This was the beginning of the development into the Meilink of today. At the end of the 1960s, Meilink expanded into the industrial area of Borculo.
Family Rikken
In 1988 Wim Braam and Jacques Rikken took over Meilink, after which Jacques Rikken became sole owner in 1993. With the arrival of Jacques Rikken, Meilink also began to focus on cardboard, in addition to wood, and in addition to industrial packaging, Meilink increasingly became a logistics service provider and forwarder. From the mid-80s to the end of the 90s, the company grew strongly through takeovers and expansions in Boxmeer, Schijndel, Raamsdonksveer and Rotterdam. This was followed by an expansion in Edam in 2009. Peter Rikken has been the director/owner of Meilink since 2012, after having been on the board of directors with his father Jacques for a number of years.
Sustainability in the chain
Sustainability is a chain-wide concept. It is about the relationship with our employees, our customers, our suppliers and our environment. It is also about energy, the application of sustainable materials and combating waste and unnecessary waste.
Meilink believes in a future with renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy, because extracting energy from fossil fuels is finite. And that end is in sight. That's why we're betting on renewable energy on all fronts.
By investing in sustainability now, we can achieve demonstrable lower costs in the long term, both economically and socially. Treating people, our planet and our company with care: to us, People, Planet, Profit is a chain-wide commitment to continuity and the future.
Locally represented
We are a global player with a presence close to you. With eight offices in the Netherlands we have extensive expertise in all kinds of areas. But we speak your language when it comes to projects. Local presence also means that you have access to all our services and solutions through your regular advisor. Even if they are not local at all. We are a large, but accessible organization. Transparent and approachable, that's what we are all about.