Machinefabriek Goudkuil
Machinefabriek Goudkuil Apeldoorn B.V. was established in 1912 by the grandfather of both brothers, Wim and Albert Goudkuil. Apeldoorn, with its location next to the Veluwe with its many streams carrying clean, soft water, was home to a lot of laundries back then. The laundry machines had to be repaired from time to time, and that became Goudkuil’s expertise.
During the Second World War, the foundation was laid for the company’s current core business. There was a huge shortage of materials during the war. The focus shifted from making repairs to purchasing used laundry machines, restoring them and then selling them on. This was done throughout the country, and soon the first export activities started up in the 1960s.
Today, Goudkuil is one of the largest global players in the field of restoring industrial-scale laundry equipment. Besides restoring equipment, Goudkuil is also involved in the purchase of new machines and conducts maintenance and repairs on machines around the world. In Apeldoorn, Goudkuil has a 20,000 m2 production hall containing the world’s largest assortment of laundry machines.
Customers from all over the world visit Apeldoorn with their requirements for a laundry machine or view the machines online. After expert guidance and advice, the machine that best fits the customer’s requirements is selected. Extensive automation is increasingly taken into consideration to save on labour costs, and the organisation of logistics flows also play an important role in the laundering process.
Besides laundries, their customers include locations where laundry services are critical, such as hospitals, hotels, and cruise ships. In Europe, the machines are delivered to the customers via their in-house transport company for on-site, turn-key installation. For customers outside Europe, the machines are shipped by container. Wim Goudkuil: ‘Every time I see the Goudkuil plaque on laundry machines in faraway places such as Buenos Aires, the Dominican Republic, Jakarta or Australia, it gives me an enormous sense of pride.’ Wim and his brother are even more proud of Goudkuil’s team of 23 professionals: ‘They always manage to do the job and leave the customer completely satisfied.’
Export countries More than 80 countries on all continents of the world.