Minister-president of the government of Flanders, Yves Leterme, was among guests at the official opening of Vandecasteele Houtimport‘s new facilities in Kortrijk-Aalbeke, Belgium.
The family-owned company has increased its warehousing to 120,000m3 and expanded its site from 10ha to 16ha, 12ha of which are undercover, housing much of the company’s tropical hardwood specialities from Africa, South-east Asia and South America and its softwoods from North America, Russia and Scandinavia.
Founded in 1883 by Louis Vandecasteele, the company has gone from strength to strength. Turnover has increased annually since 1987 and the company had to expand its site by 5ha in 1994 to keep pace with demand.
The latest investment includes a new computer system and a large fleet of lorries, and a new road is being built to divert the company’s heavy traffic straight into the the site instead.
Vandecasteele Houtimport, which has received awards for its environmental practices, has accreditation from the Forest Stewardship Council, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes and Malaysian Timber Certification Council.
