21 June 2016 | News
The grand opening of the new European headquarters of the Chinese company Hikvision Digital Technology at Business Park De President took place on Friday 24 June. Their site in Hoofddorp will house European Sales & Marketing, distribution and technical support.
Hikvision commissioned contractor Hercuton to design and construct the building, which consists of a 2,000 m2 office (including showroom, training rooms etc.) and a 4,500 m2 warehouse on a 9,525 m2 plot. The building is located on Dirk Storklaan, one of the main roads in De President. More than 70 people are now employed here.
More than 17,000 employees
Hikvision is the leading global supplier of high-quality digital video surveillance products and solutions. The company has seen impressive growth since it was founded in 2001, developing into a global player in just 15 years. It now has more than 17,000 employees across 14 branches throughout the world, customers in more than 100 countries, and a market share of over 35% in China. The excellent connections with nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol make Business Park De President the ideal location for Hikvision.
Annual growth 50-70%
Hikvision’s growth figures reveal that the company has grown annually between 50% and 70% in recent years. This obviously has an impact on the number of employees and the space required in the near future. However, De President provides the space and opportunity to expand even further as Hikvision’s needs change.
Business activities
The property is finished to a very high level, with great attention to detail, both inside and outside. The wide range of capabilities offered by Hikvision’s products are exhibited in specially equipped rooms; from protecting retail products, children’s rooms and shopping centres, to surveillance solutions for casinos. The Chinese influence is also clear in the canteen, where there is an extensive offer of home-made Chinese products. Employee welfare is important to the company, reflected in everything from the fresh orange juice that employees can make themselves, to the spacious garden with pond and various seating areas around the grounds.
Business park in demand
Local, regional and international companies can all find high-quality location options within this business park (circa 100 hectares in total, with still some 52 hectares available for allocation). Since development started in 2008, around 50 companies of all sizes have moved into the park, including Lexpoint, Staples, Nelson, Master Totaalinrichting and Scotch & Soda. Demand continues to increase. Only 6.5 hectares of the first phase remain available, and initial talks on allocating sites in phase 2 (10.7 hectares) are already taking place.
One thing is clear to visitors at De President: there’s a lot of development going on here, including two areas of new construction, and two expansion sites. Obviously the benefits of being just a stone’s throw from the A4 and A5 motorways, as well as Hoofddorp train station, play a role. But there is more to this park than its central location, easy accessibility, immediate availability and high-quality active park management. The park is home to successful entrepreneurs who have successfully weathered the crisis period. It is a mixed group of differently-sized companies from various sectors, all complementing each other well. This ongoing success stands out in Hoofddorp and its surroundings, generating new interest.
Hikvision could no longer operate from its former base in the nearby Graan voor Visch, but found space to grow in De President. Sky Group (logistics provider) and DRT (data centre) have also started building new premises and will be moving in later this year. Schwalbe Netherlands (bicycle tyre specialist) and Royal Textile (bedlinen wholesalers) both needed more space and recently expanded their premises. In short, there is a lot of business activity in De President.