Over the past hundred years, Bakker Sliedrecht has made a significant contribution to the growth and increase in efficiency of the Dutch dredging industry, offshore, maritime and industrial sector. It proved to be a pioneer in 1978 by being the first company to develop a submersible motor that drives the underwater pumps and suction tubes of the dredgers. Bakker Sliedrecht also led the development of water-cooled drive systems. In the coming years, we will assist the same sectors with electrical systems and automation solutions in a safe transition towards zero emissions, hybrid solutions, and the use of new types of fuel.
1919 – 1930 | In 1919 the history began when founder Sion Bakker started the ‘N.V. Electrotechnisch Bureau S. Bakker’. His workshop was located at the Rivierdijk in Sliedrecht. Back then, the young company installed central heating systems in churches and companies and provided industrial buildings with electrical lighting. In those early days, Bakker started to focus increasingly on the dredging and maritime industry. In 1920, for example, the company installed the electrical lighting installation on the steamship ‘Gränna’, which was built at the former shipyard Baanhoek in Sliedrecht. In 1922 the electrical installation for the bucket dredger ‘Kil’ followed.
1930 – 1955 | During World War II, the company was mainly closed. After the liberation in 1945, Bakker Sliedrecht started to focus more on electrical installations for ships, especially for dredgers and suction dredgers. The maritime order portfolio became fuller and the projects more complex. That is why the company had a new workshop with an office built in 1951, a little further on the Rivierdijk. Bakker hired new technically skilled staff and had 20 employees in 1955.
1955 – 1975 | Still they turned out to be too small in the 1970s. That is why the company bought land in the industrial area Nijverwaard in Sliedrecht. In December 1973, the company moved to its new office and current location at the Leeghwaterstraat.
1975 – 2010 | In recent decades, Bakker Sliedrecht has been involved in the construction of dozens of ships, allowing the company to build up close relationships with various Dutch shipyards. When a lot of construction work in shipbuilding moved to Eastern Europe and Asia, Bakker’s specialists traveled along. In 2010, Bakker Sliedrecht opened its first service hub in China. Additionally, Bakker developed its own BIMAC automation system in 2001. Nowadays, this system still plays a central role in the management of alarming, monitoring, and control of vessels.
2010 – 2018 | Bakker Sliedrecht along with sister company RH Marine, are both experts in the field of electrical systems and automation solutions. This enables us to use our knowledge and skills for our customers from a broader perspective and to innovate across the market. RH Marine focuses on the market for naval vessels and superyachts and Bakker Sliedrecht on applications in dredging and offshore.
2018 – 2030 | In the more than a hundred years of our existence, we have been leading in developing new technologies and innovations. We strive to be a forerunner in the electrical and automation domain in the future as well.
