Van Raam produces uniquely special needs bicycles and specializes in tricycles, transport bikes, scooterbikes, wheelchair bikes, tandem bikes, double rider bikes, and low step trough bikes (also known as comfortbikes). Each model is also available as an electric bike (Pedelec).
Van Raam is a Dutch producer of unique custom bikes. Want to know more about our company or special needs bikes?
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In an interview with the ABN AMRO (a Dutch bank), Marjolein Boezel, Van Raam's finance and HRM director, explains that Van Raam has now become the world market leader in special needs bikes. To meet the growing demand for special needs bikes, Van Raam had built a completely new factory in 2018, largely financed by ABN AMRO. Read more here.
Piet Boezel took over Van Raam in the 1980s. At the time, Van Raam only made bicycle frames. Under his leadership, Van Raam specialised in the design and production of special needs bikes for people with disabilities. This after a friend suffered a stroke and could no longer cycle on a regular bicycle. In 2001, Marjolein, Jan-Willem and Ronald took over the company from their father (in law). Since then, the Van Raam bicycles have travelled all over the world.
Marjolein tells ABN AMRO: "At first, we sold 75 per cent of our bicycles in our own country and the rest abroad. But that's changed a lot in recent years. The distribution is now 60 per cent abroad and 40 per cent in the Netherlands."
If you build new, you do it as sustainably as possible, that is obvious. But above all we wanted to make a place where our people feel comfortable
To meet the demand for special needs bikes, Van Raam built a completely new factory in Varsseveld in 2018. In early 2019, Van Raam opened the energy-neutral bicycle factory with a sustainable climate system of 18,000m2. Here the special needs bikes are designed and almost completely produced. In this sustainable bicycle factory are among other things 25 closed ground wells, heat pumps, triple A glass, solar panels etc. Marjolein Boezel says: "If you build new, you do it as sustainably as possible, that is obvious. But above all we wanted to make a place where our people feel comfortable. After all, you spend more time at work than at home. That's why there's a lot of glass in the factory, for example. People don't want to look at a wall, they need daylight."
If the demand is large enough, we may open a factory in America in the future.
Marjolein BoezelVan Raam is working a lot with innovative techniques, such as 3D printing and 3D scanning.
Marjolein Boezel says: "You can print smaller numbers and adjust things very quickly. That saves time and money."Two new locations have also been added since the bicycle factory opened in 2019: an assembly factory in Poland and a new hall at the bicycle factory in Varsseveld. The factory in Poland is not the last factory abroad, according to Marjolein Boezel. She says: "If the demand is big enough, we might even open a factory in America in the future."
Van Raam's factory was largely financed by ABN AMRO. AMBN AMRO Groenbank provided part of the funding for the new building in the form of a loan, with ABN AMRO taking care of the application for green certificates. Marjolein Boezel says: "We've been working closely with ABN AMRO relationship manager Evert van Rootselaar for years. Because he understands the context, we can act quickly. When we applied for financing for the new building in Varsseveld, for example, ABN AMRO came on board very quickly. They worked out all the possible scenarios for us first, which gave us a lot of peace of mind and confidence."
Read the full interview (only available in Dutch!) with Van Raam on ABN AMRO's website.
Would you like to read more about the history of Van Raam, our factory, our mission and vision, etc.? Then visit the page 'About Van Raam'.
On the Nieuwsfiets.nu website an article has been posted about Van Raam, manufacturer of special needs bikes. The title of the article is ‘Van Raam makes customization available worldwide’. In the article is stated that the unique Van Raam special needs bikes are available both in the Netherlands and abroad. We provide a brief summary of the article.
Since Van Raam's relocation in January 2019, there has been a lot of media attention for the manufacturer of special needs bicycles. In November 2019, De Gelderlander (a Dutch newspaper) published a large article about Van Raam. In this article the Gelderlander talks about the sustainable building and bicycle test track, the history, Van Raam as world market leader and the prizes it has won. Read more about the article by the Gelderlander here.
Van Raam makes special needs bikes for people who can no longer cycle on a regular bicycle. Van Raam has grown enormously in recent years. In 2014 Van Raam had 90 employees, which has now doubled. In 2019 Van Raam moved to new premises, twice the size of the old building. In the 'Achterhoek Vacature' newspaper, technical director Jan-Willem Boezel tells more about Van Raam, its employees and innovation.
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