Our history

A road full of memories

From sand supplier to an international construction and development company

Our history dates back to 1877. Ballast Nedam started under the name 'Ballast’. First, as a sand supplier providing empty merchant ships that went to sea with a sand ballast. Thanks to our first project 'The Afsluitdijk', constructed in 1927, the ‘Nederlandse Aannemers Maatschappij’ (Nedam) became well known as a construction company. In 1969 the companies Ballast and Nedam merged into Ballast Nedam. In 2015, we became part of Rönesans Holding, our parent company. Together, and with the dedication of our skilled people, we are building towards a sustainable future.
  1. The Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij

    The Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij (A.B.M) was founded by B.H. Thüring. Ballast started as a sand supplier and supplied empty merchant vessels that went to sea with ‘ballast’.

    1 January 1877
  2. Contractor H.F. Boersma

    Contractor Boersma settled in The Hague and started as a constructor of villas and country houses.

    1 January 1899
  3. Mr. Ch. De Vilder and Mr. P.J. Cromjongh received a large share

    Mr de Vilder and mr Cromjongh received a large share in the Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij (A.B.M). De Vilder was the owner of a contracting company of groundworks and at that time an important buyer of A.B.M.'s sand.

    4 October 1910
  4. Vredespaleis

    With the construction of the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis) in The Hague, 'Nedam' became well-known nationwide.

    28 August 1913
  5. Nederlandsche Aannemingsmaatschappij N.V.

    H.F. Boersma founded the predecessor of the Nederlandsche Aannemingsmaatschappij N.V.

    29 December 1916
  6. The first international steps were taken

    The construction activities went so well that H.F. Boersma started a construction company in the Dutch East Indies as early as 1921 – which were the first international steps in the company's history.

    1 March 1921
  7. Bazel building

    Nedam gained further fame with the construction of The Hague Congress Centre, the old Bijenkorf in Rotterdam and the head office of the Dutch Handels Maatschappij (Bazel building) in Amsterdam.

    1 March 1926
  8. The start of mechanisation

    The introduction of the dragline was a milestone for the construction industry in the Netherlands. It was the beginning of mechanisation; the first labour-saving excavator to automate sand extraction.

    1 March 1927
  9. Start of concrete building activities

    A year of major decisions. Thanks to a successful tender for the work 'Drainage sluices in Den Oever', the concrete construction activities started.

    1 March 1928
  10. Afsluitdijk

    After the war, 'Ballast' increasingly focused on dredging work -and later civil engineering work- abroad. Within the national borders, Ballast established its reputation with the construction of the Afsluitdijk.

    28 May 1932
  11. Velsertunnel

    The Velsertunnel under the North Sea Canal was built. This tunnel is still regarded as a monument to modernisation in the Dutch construction industry.

    28 September 1957
  12. Merger between 'Ballast' and 'Nedam

    The Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij changed its name to Ballast-Nedam Group N.V.; the name Ballast Nedam was born.

    3 June 1969
  13. Grootel's Bouwmaatschappij

    The Ballast Nedam Group grew. In part through the fusion of Grootel's Bouwmaatschappij.

    1 January 1972
  14. Ballast Nedam B.V.

    Ballast Nedam becomes a limited company under the name Ballast Nedam B.V.

    30 December 1977
  15. Oosterscheldekering

    The construction of the Oosterscheldekering (the largest part of the Delta Works), the design of the modern Schiphol Airport, the Amsterdam City Hall and the construction of the Amsterdam Stopera took place.

    1 March 1986
  16. Exchange listing Amsterdam Ballast Nedam N.V.

    The Ballast Nedam shares were re-listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and the B.V. became an N.V. again. In addition, the international project market showed a lot of interest in the Netherlands.

    16 May 1994
  17. Sale of dredging activities

    The dredging activities were sold and Ballast Nedam's head office in Nieuwegein was opened.

    4 November 2002
  18. Takeover by Rönesans Holding

    Renaissance Construction B.V. made a public offer for all Ballast Nedam shares. The bid was successfully completed, and Renaissance (100% subsidiary by Rönesans Holding), became the majority shareholder.

    26 November 2015
  19. Cessation of listing

    Ballast Nedam was delisted from the stock exchange.

    10 February 2016
  20. Ballast Nedam majority shareholder Stripe Consulting (UK)

    In 2019, Ballast Nedam acquired the majority of shares of the British Stripe Consulting. 

    1 August 2019
  21. Acquisition of 49% of the shares in Heitkamp Construction Swiss GmbH

    Acquisition of Heitkamp Construction Swiss. This is a further step towards the desired internationalisation and additional expertise in tunnelling.

    31 March 2020
  22. Acquisition of Willems Bouwbedrijf

    Ballast Nedam acquires the shares of Willems Bouwbedrijf. The construction company based in Venlo is added as an independent company to Ballast Nedam's portfolio.

    9 November 2021
  23. Acquisition Mouwrik Waardenburg

    Ballast Nedam acquires the shares of Mouwrik Waardenburg. The road construction company from Waardenburg and Elst is added as an independent company to Ballast Nedam Road Specialties.

    21 March 2022
  24. Take over Avenue Building Company

    Ballast Nedam takes the next step in its international growth with the acquisition of Avenue Building Company Ltd. (ABC). This company specialises in healthcare construction projects in the United Kingdom. 

    4 January 2023
  25. Ballast Nedam takes over Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri

    In January 2024, Ballast Nedam N.V. acquired 100% of the shares of Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri (Ronesans Industrial and International Construction). The business unit becomes part of the international portfolio within Ballast Nedam.

    2 January 2024
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