When you walk intoWetering in Heesch, everything indicates that this is a family business. What is it about? It is the way colleagues interact with each other. The sense of connection you feel when you step inside. The friendliness. At the same time, Wetering is a modern company with a clear vision for the future. Through their work, they contribute every day to a more beautiful and future-proof Netherlands, in which sustainability plays a major role. Part of this is a new DX355LC electric crawler excavator from Staad.
This article continues below the video
Video: Wetering: view the crawler excavator in the field
Tom van de Wetering is the Managing Director of Wetering. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Toon, who started the company from his home in Heesch in 1955, and his father Hans, who took over the reins together with his brother Jos in 1995. In that year, the company also moved to its current location on Cereslaan in Heesch. Tom joined the team in 2015 as a site manager. He is now the Managing Director and took over the reins from his father Hans in September.
As a multidisciplinary contracting firm in civil engineering with around 100 permanent employees, Wetering has a unique specialization: clay exploitation. “In addition to clay for the ceramics industry, we also supply clay to contractors for the construction of dikes, for example,” explains Tom. “We do this in a socially responsible manner. In collaboration with nature organizations, for instance, we transform about twenty hectares of agricultural land into nature reserves annually through our clay extraction.”
Message continues below the image
Corporate social responsibility runs like a common thread through the company. “As a family business, we want to continue for many generations to come. That is why we have invested heavily in zero-emission equipment. Currently, we have three electric excavators, our own battery container, three electric trucks, and electric company cars.”
The latest addition is the DX355LC electric crawler excavator, painted in grey/red company colors. “We needed a large machine. We had seen that Ploegam uses those big machines from Staad,” says Tom. “I struck up a conversation with sales specialist Frank Verbij from Staad at a truck show in Liessel, and that is how we ended up at Staad.” He is satisfied with how the sale came about. “We needed this machine for a project, and Staad was the only one in the Netherlands that could supply this type of excavator. And they could deliver within seven months, so we could get to work with it immediately.”
Message continues below the image
The DX355LC electric crawler excavator was delivered in April 2026. At the same time, the new operator started working for the machine. “We filled out the build book together with our mechanic because most aspects of our machine build are standardized. That build book from Staad is a good and handy tool for achieving the correct build.”
The initial experiences with the machine are good. It was first deployed in Borgharen on the Maas bank restoration project. “In the beginning, working electrically was a new experience for the operator, but once he got used to it, he is very pleased with it. It runs perfectly. The battery capacity is good. Our own battery container was stationed at the project so that we could charge it ourselves.” Wetering assesses the best battery solution for each project. The company has its own charging station in Heesch, where mainly trucks are charged. In addition, Energy as a Service is sometimes used, whereby an external party brings fully charged batteries to the construction site and exchanges them.
Tom dares to state that Wetering is at the forefront when it comes to sustainability and innovation. “We were fortunate enough to secure several long-term government projects, which allowed us to invest in zero-emission equipment as well. For example, we are currently preparing for the reinforcement of the Grebbedijk, the redesign of the Lage and Hooge Raam streams, and a stream diversion for the Aa en Maas Water Board. And for all these projects, we are working on water safety with a future-oriented approach, while limiting emissions and noise thanks to the use of electric excavators.”
Message continues below the image
Tom is proud of Wetering and enjoys the work they carry out. So what is so great about it? “Being outdoors and getting to work in the most beautiful places in the Netherlands. But if you want to work electrically, that also presents a challenge, because there is usually no electricity in those most beautiful places. That requires a different way of thinking. And fortunately, we have people who think proactively and solution-oriented. That is in our DNA.” Tom does everything he can to maintain that company DNA: “The beauty of Wetering is that we are a close-knit team. Family ties or not, everyone feels connected to each other and to the company. I am not a copy of my father or my grandfather, and I do things my way. But certain customs are ingrained nonetheless, and that is what makes us unique.”
Does Tom have a wish for the future? He laughs. “I see plenty of work for the future. But also some uncertainties. I wish that we, as a company, could continue to ride the waves so that we can keep our wonderful company going for generations to come.”
This article was published in Grondwerk Magazine, Autumn 2026 edition. Would you like to receive this beautiful magazine as well? Then click here.
View the photo album below. Click on the image to enlarge.
Contact us. We are happy to tell you more about it!
