The Principle—no Job half-done

Just establishing values is not enough. You have to live them. That is often easier in family businesses with a rich tradition. They are the businesses whose formulas often sound amazingly simple, feel timeless and become “classics.” Just like Dutch building company Ten Brinke, established in 1902 as a local construction business: “My father taught me that you should always build with passion,” says CEO Wim ten Brinke. Passion, passed on from one generation to the next, is central to Wim ten Brinke too.

But passion? Is that still possible? Particularly in such a tough sector? “Admittedly, it’s getting ever more difficult,” Wim ten Brinke says. This is why he is building a firm strategic foundation and based on solid principles: “The projects we prefer and almost always take on”, says the CEO, “are those where our company performs every phase, from planning and site acquisition right up to handing over the keys.”

If you want top points for client satisfaction, it is important to identify with your work and the common goals of a project. Ten Brinke therefore uses its own expertise across the entire value chain so as to provide benefits for clients in construction time, quality and value for money. Anything assumed to be unavoidable in construction projects, i.e., unnecessary delays, costly amendments during building or repairs following completion and the associated non-conformance costs, and the grueling arguments between contracting parties often arising from a lack of transparency, is drastically reduced. “Our ultimate target is the overall result. For the desired result, cooperation between project development, planning and construction operations has to be perfect. In our company, project developers and builders are one team: “Everyone has their own project, which supports the common goal—and that’s what counts at the end”, says the CEO, and here is where he has also sought the advice of Porsche Consulting’s management consultants.