Four weeks in Mexico and a challenging commissioning project ahead. Software Engineer Lisa Meeuwenoord travelled to Monterrey to commission the Selmers equipment she had worked on back in the Netherlands. “It was my first real project,” Lisa says. “I had worked on smaller parts before and learned from others, but this was the first project where I had written most of the software myself.”

Lisa has been working at Selmers for just over two years. She studied Electrical Engineering at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and joined Selmers through its collaboration with Yellax. Her work involves writing and testing the software that controls Selmers’ machines. In Mexico, she got to follow that work through to commissioning on site. It was also Lisa’s first time working abroad. She was excited about the opportunity but admits she was nervous beforehand.

Starting up, step by step

The project in Monterrey consisted of three machine lines: an external blaster, a coating line for applying epoxy coating and an internal blaster. Before Lisa arrived, the equipment had been mechanically assembled and electrically connected. Her job was to start up the controls and bring the machines into operation.

Lisa began by setting up Ethernet devices and IP addresses and downloading the software to the PLC. From there, she checked the I/O signals and configured components such as pressure and temperature transmitters. “You check all the signals one by one to make sure they respond as they should,” Lisa explains. “Then you slowly start up the different parts of the machine and build from there.”

The engineering work starts well before commissioning. In Beverwijk, the team works out how the machines should operate, which sensors are needed and how the controls and HMI (Human Interface) screens should work. Depending on the project, parts of the equipment are also tested before shipment.

Different disciplines, one team

Lisa spent four weeks in Mexico, but she was far from the only Selmers colleague involved. Different specialists joined the project at different stages and in different teams, covering mechanical, electrical and software engineering.

That cooperation proved important during the commissioning. When Lisa encountered a software problem she could not immediately solve, she contacted colleagues back home and worked through it with them remotely. When mechanical or electrical issues came up, she worked with specialists on site to find a solution.

From theory to practice

Mexico also gave Lisa more hands-on experience with the hardware. Her Electrical Engineering degree had focused heavily on theory, while on site she could see how things worked in practice. “Things can work differently in practice from how you imagined them beforehand,” Lisa says. “When you actually see what is happening, it also becomes easier to find the cause of a problem.”

After four weeks, Lisa handed over the software work to colleague Roy, who continued the commissioning. “Looking back, she enjoyed being part of the project from start to finish. “It was

a really cool project,” she says. She had support from colleagues when she needed it, but she also had to work through problems herself. “I did get stuck sometimes, but I always managed to work it out,” Lisa says. “That gave me a lot of confidence.”

The project was a team effort. Alongside Lisa, Frank Timmer, Jerry van Willigen, Maurice Tijm, Thijs Straver, Jay van der Veen, Roy van Rijn, Govert Voltman, Thomas Morgan and Denis Dubinin also travelled to Mexico at different stages of the project.

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The price per litre tells only part of the story when comparing coating systems. The idea for Selmers’ Coating Efficiency Scan started with a question from customers: what does a coating line actually cost to run each year?

To answer that question, Selmers developed models for the operating costs of both water-based and UV LED coating lines. When the figures were compared, one factor stood out: coating consumption. “That was the point where we saw how much difference the coating costs can make,” says sales engineer and UV-LED expert Nick Vet. “The price per litre may be higher for UV coating, but that does not tell you how much coating you actually use over a year.”

More than the price of the coating

The difference becomes clearer when you look at how much coating is actually used over the course of a year.

“With water-based coating, you lose part of the material through evaporation and you also have overspray, which can’t be easily reclaimed without adding solvent,” Nick explains. “With UV LED coating, the material only cures when it is exposed to UV light. That means coating that is not applied to the product remains liquid and can be collected and reused much more easily.”

As a result, a coating that looks more expensive per litre can still lead to lower coating consumption and lower annual operating costs.

From calculation to Coating Efficiency Scan

That insight led Selmers to develop the Coating Efficiency Scan. The online scan gives companies a first indication of how much coating they use annually, what that costs and how this could compare with a UV LED coating process. By combining that with an indicative investment for a UV LED line, the scan can also provide a first estimate of the potential return on investment.

Nick deliberately describes it as a starting point rather than a finished business case. “The first calculation is really a quick overview,” he says. “You enter a few basic figures and get an indication of what the difference could be. If the result looks interesting, we can then work out the actual case in detail.”

That second step is important, because every production line is different. Actual coating consumption, line speed, operating hours, product dimensions and the existing process all influence the outcome.

Not every application is the same

UV LED coating is not the right solution for every application. The shape of the product, for example, can determine whether the process is suitable. “There are applications where I simply tell a customer that UV is not the right solution,” says Nick. “It depends on what they want to coat.”

That is why the Coating Efficiency Scan is a starting point. If the initial results look promising, Selmers can take a closer look at the specific application and work out the business case in more detail.

Curious about your own coating costs?

Use the Coating Efficiency Scan to get a first indication for your production line.

Start the Coating Efficiency Scan →

Selmers – Foto artikel ROI

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Wind farms and hydrogen plants get much of the attention, but without the right pipelines to and from these facilities, the energy transition is unfeasable. Every pipeline for gas, hydrogen or CO₂ must also withstand corrosion, pressure and aggressive substances for decades. The coating that provides this protection largely determines whether a project can operate safely, economically and sustainably.

For almost sixty years, Selmers in Beverwijk has been building factories and production lines for coating steel pipes for the international pipeline industry. Founded in 1966, the Dutch family-owned company now has almost six hundred references worldwide and has supplied technology for projects including Nord Stream 1 and 2, the Northern Endurance Partnership and Porthos. While many companies in the industry supply individual machines, Selmers builds complete production lines, including automation, quality control and software.

Jan Peter Biersteker, Sales Director LINEPIPE at Selmers, sees the market undergoing a fundamental shift. “The pipe coating market has become highly international. Where suppliers once served a country or continent, they now operate worldwide.” Of the handful of companies that have been active in the market for decades, only Selmers remains. Over the past ten years, however, a new wave of entrants has emerged, many of them from Asia.

Safety comes first

Outside the industry, coating is often underestimated, even though it directly affects safety and security of supply. Pipelines carry gas, oil, hydrogen or CO₂, which can be explosive, flammable or polluting in the event of a leak. Their design life is now around fifty years, with construction costs of between one and two million euros per kilometre.

“The security of our energy and drinking water supply, and nowadays also the transport of CO₂, depends to a large extent on the quality of these pipelines,” says Biersteker. Conflicts and declining domestic gas production are increasing the pressure for new infrastructure, while global energy demand continues to rise despite the transition to greener energy.

New requirements

Natural gas pipelines face different risks from the networks now being built for hydrogen and CO₂. With hydrogen, the main focus is on preventing permeation and hydrogen embrittlement of the steel. For CO₂ transport, corrosion control is crucial because moisture in the stream can form carbonic acid that attacks the steel.

Selmers supplies technology for a range of applications: anti-corrosion coatings such as FBE and 3LPE/3LPP, friction-reducing epoxy flow coatings on the inside and concrete weight coatings for offshore pipelines. “For Selmers, hydrogen is not something for the future,” says Biersteker. “We have been preparing for it for years, investing in innovation, automation and knowledge development.”

One example is Aramis, the Dutch CO₂ storage project at Maasvlakte by Shell, TotalEnergies, Gasunie and EBN, which is scheduled to become operational around 2030. In the short term, the project requires approximately two hundred kilometres of pipeline, four times as much as Porthos, with a capacity of 22 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. Around sixteen thousand pipes need to be coated, each weighing more than twenty tonnes after the concrete weight coating has been applied. A local coating plant near Maasvlakte could significantly reduce transport, emissions and risks, as transport accounts for a substantial part of the total investment in a pipeline project. In addition, the latest coating technology could reduce emissions by around ten per cent while improving the quality of the finished product.

Data drives the process

But automation and process control have changed the industry most over the past decades, from manual work to integrated production systems. “It is no longer just about applying a coating, but about optimising the entire process, from surface preparation to inspection and data recording,” Biersteker explains.

Customers expect full traceability: for every pipe, it must be possible to demonstrate which parameters were used and whether the specifications were met. Sensors and real-time monitoring make it possible to adjust processes before deviations occur, resulting in less downtime and material loss. According to Biersteker, Selmers is therefore increasingly shifting from machine builder to technology partner, involved from the initial concept to well into the lifecycle of an installation. “Customers are not just choosing a production line, but a partner who thinks along with them.”

Sustainability gains

The greatest sustainability benefit of coating lies not in the production process itself, but in the longer service life it makes possible. A pipeline that lasts longer requires fewer replacement investments, less material and lower CO₂ emissions over its entire lifecycle. Energy efficiency in new installations also reduces operating costs for customers.

In the coming years, Biersteker expects growth particularly in offshore projects. Within five to ten years, he sees hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure developing into one of the defining markets for the industry, with high demands on material selection and coating performance.

According to Biersteker, policymakers would do well to view infrastructure not as a cost, but as a strategic investment. Predictable regulation and a long-term vision are needed, as energy projects have investment horizons spanning decades. Investing in pipelines and transport capacity today lays the foundation for future energy security and competitiveness.

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Blue and white balloons flutter in the wind at the entrance. The sky over Beverwijk looks threatening, but for now, it is still dry. Good timing, because on Friday, 28 August, the doors of Selmers are quite literally open. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, suppliers, business partners and other guests have been invited for a look behind the scenes. And, of course, to raise a glass together.

From three o’clock onwards, the first guests start arriving. The afternoon begins with a behind-the-scenes tour of Selmers.

From mini-Selmers to the real thing

And where better to start the tour than with Selmers in miniature? At the scale model created especially for the 60th anniversary, Daan takes the first groups through the different worlds of the company. From Factory Automation to steel pipe coating, pipeline construction and UV, it all comes together in the model.

Then it is time for the real thing. The route through the company is marked out, in true Selmers style, with blue and white tape and arrows. At the first stop, Milan and Khalil show how FUSE Factory Automation helps make factory processes smarter and easier to manage. The interest is immediate, with the first questions coming in before the explanation is even finished.

The tour continues past various coating processes, concrete coating, pipe-in-pipe and testing. At each stop, a Selmers colleague is ready to explain the work from their own practical experience. This gives visitors not only a look behind the scenes, but also the chance to meet the people working on Selmers’ machines, installations and solutions every day.

The tour ends at tube coating, where visitors are introduced to UV LED. This technology uses light to cure the coating extremely quickly, within just one second, while also being more energy-efficient. A good example of how innovation at Selmers continues, even after 60 years.

Time for a toast

After all that technology, something very different is waiting at the exit: a tray filled with glasses of champagne. From there, the route leads outside to the festively decorated partytent, where the tour turns into drinks and conversation.

And then it turns out the timing really could not have been better. Just as almost everyone is safely under the party tent with a drink and something to eat, the heavens open. Not just a few drops, but a proper Dutch downpour. Outside, the rain comes pouring down; inside, the celebration carries on.

The rain certainly does not spoil the mood. Suppliers and business partners who have travelled to Beverwijk for the anniversary have plenty of time to catch up. Some have come from further afield, from Friesland or Brabant, while others are quite literally from across the road. A bite to eat, a glass in hand and plenty to talk about, from projects and partnerships over the years to new opportunities ahead.

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Sixty years of Selmers also means sixty years of packing suitcases. To visit customers, projects and plants all over the world. Travelling was very different back then. Sometimes you would be away for weeks, with little more than a fax or a crackling modem to stay in touch with home. And of course, things happened along the way. Siberian snow, aircraft wrecks, an open helicopter door… Some stories are simply worth telling again.

Mexico, then and now

In 2007, Selmers sold its first complete plant on another continent, in Tampico, Mexico. Today, Mexico is familiar territory. Chris Baars, Area Sales Manager for the Americas, travels to the United States and Mexico around eight or nine times a year. The job doesn’t always take him to the places you would pick for a holiday. “The steel and pipe industry simply isn’t usually located in the most beautiful parts of the world,” he says. But when there is time to travel between customers, he sometimes finds himself driving through some truly beautiful areas.

A fax and a crackling modem

Rob Schouten also remembers how different travelling for Selmers used to be. He describes his first trip to Ukraine as “a whole new world”. You couldn’t simply make a call if something came up. A fax was about all you had. “They put you on a plane and you had no idea where you were going to end up.”

And some flights required a little extra faith. At an airport in Iran, Rob saw several aircraft wrecks. “We were going to take off. Well, we hoped we would,” he recalls.

Jan Peter’s first long-distance trip for Selmers was one to remember. Together with Jan Lemmens, he travelled to Khartoum in Sudan. He calls it “a massive eye-opener”: a completely different culture and safety conditions to say the least. Also at a time when mobile phones existed but internet access was still scarce. Sending an email meant using a separate 14.4k modem, complete with that familiar crackling sound. And it wasn’t easy to leave the country either at the end of their stay. What happened? The trip was extended with one day and the customs were asking for an exit visa. With help of their local agent and under the eye of guards with kalashnikovs, both gentlemen got renewed visa and were happy to leave the country.

Adventures in Siberia

Former Selmers director Jan Lemmens travelled to projects in Russia and Siberia for many years with Selmers’ Russian agent, Arkadi Liandres. On one of those trips, they boarded an old military helicopter. Water started dripping from the ceiling onto the instrument panel, but the pilot didn’t seem concerned. Below them was little more than an endless expanse of white.

When the pilot started his descent, Arkadi asked how he knew they were in the right place. “I just know,” came the answer. A little later, he dropped them off in the middle of nowhere. “Take your suitcases. Someone will come and pick you up. Goodbye!” And off he went. There they were, knee-deep in snow at minus thirty, not a house or a pub in sight. Twenty minutes later, a van turned up to collect them after all.

The door was still open

Another trip to Siberia, this time in summer. When Jan and Arkadi reached their helicopter, they noticed that some parts were missing. Those parts were lying on the ground. The pilot assured them he was simply checking the aircraft before take-off.

Eventually, everything was back in place. At least, as far as they could tell. They took off but at around two hundred metres, the helicopter suddenly started descending again. The rear door was still open. Arkadi simply closed it himself.

The engineer comes along for the ride

In China, Jan was travelling with Fang Gang, Selmers’ agent in China, to visit several pipe coating plants that Selmers might be able to modernise. On the return journey from Urumchi to Beijing, there turned out to be a problem with their aircraft. It was two days before they could finally leave.

Once in the air, Jan got talking to a Chinese fellow passenger. The man turned out to be an aviation electronics engineer and the person who had just repaired their aircraft. There had been quite a few problems with it, so he was travelling along just in case anything went wrong again. Jan ordered another beer.

Travelling for Selmers is very different today. Still, as long as customers and projects take Selmers around the world, new stories will always come home with them.

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Manager Global Services Milan Tijm on FUSE Maintain and the future of service and maintenance

Maintenance, spare parts and day-to-day questions are all part of operating a production line. With FUSE Maintain, Selmers is bringing more and more of this information together in one place, giving customers greater insight into their assets, parts and maintenance.

For Milan Tijm, Manager Global Services, this is part of a broader development. Traditionally, service is often reactive: a customer needs something and gets in touch. With FUSE Maintain, Selmers wants to gradually change that. Milan: “From reactive to more proactive and eventually perhaps even predictive.”

FUSE Maintain is part of Selmers’ broader digital FUSE platform and consists of four components: Asset Manager, Part Manager, Maintenance Manager and Service Board. Asset Manager and Part Manager are currently being piloted with two customers. Maintenance Manager and Service Board are still under development.

It all starts with insight

The first step is to have a clear overview of the installation. In the Asset Manager,  a plant is structured step by step: from a complete asset, such as an External Coating Area, to the individual equipment’s, modules and ultimately the components that make up those assets.

“You can basically keep going one level deeper,” Milan explains. “You start with the complete plant, underneath that you might see the Areas then the Equipment’s, then the Modules, Inbound Conveyor, for example, and from there you can go down to the components of that asset”

From searching to finding

That same structure also forms the basis of Part Manager. Until now, spare parts have been managed using a catalogue listing the various parts, including information such as part numbers and descriptions. In the Part Manager, customers can see their assets and look at an exploded view of each machine. The components shown in the drawing correspond to a table containing information such as the part number, quantity and description.

This makes it easier to identify exactly which part is needed. Milan also knows the alternative from everyday practice. “Someone sees that a bearing is broken, takes a picture and says: this is the one we need. And then our guys need to ask: where exactly are you, what am I actually looking at? If you’re unlucky, there are three different bearings in that machine.”

With the Part Manager, customers can find the relevant part, select it and add it to a quote request. The request can then be generated as a PDF, which the customer emails to their Selmers account manager. Keeping that step personal is a deliberate choice. “If it automatically comes in through a FUSE Maintain email address, you lose that conversation with the customer,” Milan says.

A request does not necessarily mean that Selmers simply supplies exactly what is listed. Milan gives the example of a customer requesting one nozzle when there are several in the machine. The account manager can look at what is actually needed and discuss whether it would make sense to replace more than one. In this way, FUSE makes finding and requesting parts easier, while allowing the account manager to advise the customer based on what is required.

Knowing what’s coming

With the Maintenance Manager, Selmers wants to add another layer: not only providing insight into the plant and components of installation, but also into the maintenance they require.

Suppose someone on the shop floor notices during an inspection that a component is worn. This can be recorded, after which the person responsible for maintenance can decide what needs to happen next: is a replacement part required, or should a work order be created?

This brings information from the shop floor together with maintenance planning. Milan: “You combine what is happening in real time on the shop floor with the planning and budget at the level where the decisions are made.” This provides a clearer picture of what is happening within an installation and what maintenance is coming up.

Information where it belongs

The fourth component of FUSE Maintain is the Service Board. Milan compares the concept to a Facebook feed: users with access can post messages and photos and respond to each other. In practice, this type of information is often shared in WhatsApp groups. “Our own guys do it too. On site, you often just have group chats. That makes sense. But something you posted three weeks ago is already way up in the chat. You know how WhatsApp works,” Milan says.

Service Board is designed to link that information to the relevant asset. This makes it possible to see the communication history for each machine. Events and work orders relating to an asset can also be accessed from the same place.

Keeping service personalized

FUSE Maintain makes it easier for customers to access information, manage maintenance and find the right parts. But for Milan, digitalisation does not replace personal service. “Customers need to know they can rely on us. That we know the machines, give honest advice and work together to make sure their installations keep doing what they were built to do.”

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Taco Righarts explains the world of Linepipe Construction

What actually happens to a steel pipe after it leaves the mill? For Taco Righarts, Sales Manager at Selmers, it’s a perfectly logical question. Linepipe Construction is perhaps one of the less familiar parts of the company, yet this is where the next stage begins. Individual pipes are joined together to form complete pipelines, both onshore and offshore.

“It’s actually quite simple,” Taco says. “You start with pipes that are generally 12.2 metres long. They’re welded together until you reach the length required for the project.” From there, he takes us through the process step by step. What exactly is Linepipe Construction? What role does Selmers play? And why does installing a pipeline on land look so different from laying one at sea?

Onshore or offshore

How a pipeline is installed depends entirely on the project. For an onshore project, the pipes are welded together on site. After welding, the joint is treated by blasting and applying a protective coating. This is called field joint coating. Selmers supplies the equipment that makes this possible. “We don’t supply the coating itself, nor do we carry out the process,” Taco explains. “We provide the machines that enable our customers to do it.”

Offshore, there are several ways to install a pipeline. At a spoolbase, individual pipes are first welded together onshore into long sections, known as pipe strings. These are loaded onto a pipe-laying vessel, coiled onto a reel, and transported to the project location, where the pipeline is unspooled and laid on the seabed. Because the pipeline follows a gentle curve from the vessel to the seabed, this installation method is known as S-lay.

For projects in deeper waters, this approach is not always suitable. In those cases, the pipes are welded together on board a pipe-laying vessel. As the vessel moves forward, the pipeline gradually grows and is lowered almost vertically to the seabed. This method is known as J-lay. “The principle remains the same,” Taco says. “Only the way you execute it changes.”

From agreement to delivery

How do you know a machine will actually do what it is designed to do? According to Taco, that process starts long before the first machine is built. During the sales phase, Selmers and the customer define the project requirements together. Once these have been agreed upon, the design process begins, followed by detailed engineering, manufacturing and a series of test phases. “At the start, you agree on what the machine has to do,” Taco says. “At the end, you demonstrate that it does exactly that.”

Machines are first tested at the factory and later again on site as part of the complete production process. This allows any issues to be identified and resolved as early as possible. “You’d much rather solve problems here than after everything has been shipped,” Taco explains.

Throughout the entire project, the customer remains closely involved. Every step builds on the agreements made at the beginning of the project, ensuring that Selmers can demonstrate that the installation performs exactly as promised.

Ready for the next step

While the fundamentals of Linepipe Construction remain the same, the technology continues to evolve. According to Taco, automation is playing an increasingly important role. “You want to be able to monitor your processes more effectively,” he explains. “You know exactly how long every step takes and where improvements can be made.”

Automation provides greater insight into the process and makes it possible to automate more activities. As a result, opportunities for optimisation become visible much sooner. Selmers is also investing in further modularisation. By building machines from standardised modules, development becomes more efficient while still allowing solutions to be tailored to each customer’s specific requirements.

Never the same day twice

After eighteen years at Selmers, Taco still enjoys coming to work every day. According to him, the variety is what makes the difference. “The contact with customers, the people, the machines, the international side of the business,” he says. “It’s always different.”

Every project brings its own challenges, and that is exactly what keeps the work interesting. In the end, it all comes down to delivering a solution that helps the customer move forward.

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With motor powers even reaching up to 1 Megawatt, Selmers extruders can be mighty machines. But according to Jan Peter Biersteker, Sales Director Linepipe Division, power is only part of the story. What really matters is understanding the coating material, the machine and the process in which they come together. That is why Selmers decided to develop its own extruder specifically for pipe coating.

From granules to coating

In a typical three-layer coating system, the pipe is first cleaned before a powder coating is applied for corrosion protection, followed by an adhesive layer and a plastic topcoat. Selmers extruders are designed for both these adhesive and topcoat layers.

Jan Peter compares the basic principle of an extruder to a very large, highly sophisticated meat grinder. Plastic granules, such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), enter the machine and are transported by a rotating screw. Under high temperature and pressure, they melt into a thick, homogenous syrup-like material that eventually leaves the extruder as a thin, continuous film.

What sounds straightforward requires precise process control. The characteristics of the coating material must be understood and considered in the design and operation of the extruder.

The heart of the coating line

Selmers originally purchased extruders from external suppliers but later decided to design and build them in-house. This allowed Selmers to develop its own knowledge of the machine, the materials and their behavior during the coating process. “We really build our extruders specifically for pipe coating applications and pipe coating materials. That is key,” Jan Peter explains.

He describes the extruder as the heart of a coating process line.  That heart does not operate in isolation. Pipe speed, rotation, temperature and the condition of the preceding coating layer all influence the moment at which the extruded material is applied. According to Jan Peter, there is only a small process window in which the extruded material can be applied correctly. Understanding the complete coating line is therefore an important part of integrating the extruder into the process.

Flexibility and process control

Selmers extruders are designed to operate across a broad output range, allowing different coating capacities to be handled with the same machine. A frequency converter and optimized screw design help stabilize the output, while controllable heating and cooling provide further process control.

Process data also plays a role. Machine and process information can be stored and used to repeat specific settings, supporting continuous and measurable coating quality. “The customer gets a very flexible machine that can work with different types of coating materials and at different speeds,” Jan Peter explains.

Smarter use of material

Process optimization can also reduce material consumption. One example is Selmers’ hydraulic weld seam compensator for specific offshore pipe coating applications. According to Jan Peter, this can reduce coating material use by around 10% or more, lowering both material costs, raw material consumption and last but not least lower the overall footprint of pipeline construction.

Built for the long run

Selmers extruders are used for a range of applications, including PE and PP application, color marking, flat-film, sleeve and jacket extrusion, for example in pipe insulation processes.

And they are built to stay. According to Jan Peter, Selmers extruders can remain in operation for 20 to 30 years and generally require very little maintenance. “It really is a quality product,” he says.

Want to know more about Selmers’ extruders or how they can be integrated into your coating process? Get in touch with our team.

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How Sem Aardenburg puts quality management into practice

ISO 9001 helps Selmers further strengthen its quality management. With that goal in mind, the company launched its ISO 9001 programme, resulting in ISO 9001 certification in October 2025. Work Preparation & QA Officer Sem Aardenburg played a key role throughout the process alongside Operations Director and Quality Manager Ramon Keizer. “We wanted to further develop our quality management. ISO 9001 provides us with a solid framework to achieve that,” says Sem.

Sem first joined Selmers as an intern while studying Business Engineering. After his internship, he stayed on as a working student. Following graduation, he returned to Selmers. In his role as Work Preparation & QA Officer he is responsible for workshop planning, preparing production and quality related tasks. It’s the variety that appeals to him most. “I’m not sitting behind my desk all day. I’m constantly walking around, talking to colleagues, and every day is different.”

Building a solid foundation

Operations Director and Quality Manager Ramon Keizer started the ISO 9001 implementation in 2024. After returning to Selmers, Sem joined the project and took responsibility for much of the coordination. One of the biggest tasks was documenting the company’s business processes. Every department mapped its own way of working, from Sales through to Site and Global Service.

“It was a huge amount of work,” Sem explains “But now we have all our processes clearly documented, making them transparent and easy to follow throughout the organisation. That makes it much easier for new colleagues to get up to speed and helps us explain exactly how each process works.”

The work doesn’t stop there. Annual reviews ensure that Selmers continues to evaluate its processes critically and improve them wherever necessary.

Improving everyday practice

The ISO 9001 programme has already led to several practical improvements. One example is the checklist that now accompanies every machine leaving the workshop. Technicians go through all key checkpoints and record any remarks for the Site Manager. The completed checklist is attached to the machine in a sealed document pouch, allowing the Site Manager to see immediately which checks have been completed and whether any points require attention.

For Sem, quality should never become a paperwork exercise. “We don’t want to create documents simply for the sake of documentation. They have to provide information that people can actually use.”

Quality is built together

By involving colleagues from the very beginning, improvements become practical and widely supported.  “If you simply tell people, ‘This is how we’re going to do it,’ you’ll lose them. Together we look at what works and how we can make it even better.”

That approach fits the culture at Selmers. Everyone is encouraged to share ideas and contribute to improvements. As one of the younger colleagues, Sem works alongside employees with decades of experience. Even so, he has never felt that his age was a disadvantage during the ISO 9001 programme. “As long as you stay connected with people and listen to each other, it doesn’t matter whether you’ve just started or have been here for twenty years.”

For Sem, quality ultimately comes down to one simple principle: “Doing things right the first time and delivering something you can be truly proud of.”

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A holiday, as it’s called in industry jargon, might sound like a break, but in pipe coating, it’s the last thing you want. A small imperfection can lead to corrosion, paving the way for leaks, environmental damage and costly repairs. This article explains how holiday detection helps identify coating defects before they become a problem.

The term “holiday” originates from shipbuilding. If a painter accidentally missed a spot, part of the hull remained unprotected. They called it a holiday. Not because they were celebrating, but because the painter clearly needed one.

Today, the stakes are much higher. Just as an uncoated wooden ship could rot and sink, an undetected flaw in a modern pipeline coating can eventually lead to corrosion and pipeline failure.

What is holiday detection?

Holiday detection is one of the final quality checks before a coated pipe leaves the production line. The process identifies defects in the protective coating before they become a problem.

During the inspection, a holiday detector applies between 2 kV and 30 kV to the coated pipe. If the coating is intact, it insulates the steel and no current flows. If there’s a defect, the current reaches the steel and immediately triggers an alarm.

Holiday detection also helps prevent issues such as cathodic disbonding, where the protective coating loses adhesion and leaves the steel vulnerable to corrosion.

No room for guesswork

If there’s a gap in the coating, it needs to be detected before the pipe leaves the production line. That’s why the machine’s signals leave no room for doubt. As Jan Peter Biersteker, Sales Director LINEPIPE Division, explains: “At that moment, it’s alert mode in the factory! WEE-OOO WEE-OOO and flashing light.”

Why early detection matters

A holiday means the protective layer of a pipe isn’t doing its job. In industries such as oil, gas, hydrogen and CO₂ transport, coating defects simply aren’t an option. Pipelines are expected to operate safely for 30 to 50 years, making reliable coating inspection essential.

Early holiday detection helps to:

• Prevent corrosion before it develops into leaks.
• Avoid costly repairs and downtime. On offshore pipelay vessels alone, delays can cost millions per day.
• Reduce the risk of failures after installation.
• Protect long-term pipeline integrity.

A pipeline is only as strong as its weakest link. One coating defect can have major consequences.

Real-world challenges

Holiday detection sounds straightforward, but in practice it requires speed, precision and immediate decision-making.

Pipes continue moving through the production line while inspections are carried out. If a test fails, operators often have only minutes to decide whether a coating should be repaired locally or recoated.

The challenge becomes even greater on offshore pipelay vessels, where coated pipes are welded together before being lowered into the sea.

As Jan Peter explains: “Re-coating an entire pipe is a massive job. And since our coatings are built to last for decades, removing them isn’t exactly a casual afternoon task. That’s why, in many cases, fast, local repairs are the best option.”

Tailored to every project

No two production environments are exactly the same. Some projects require fully automated inspection systems capable of scanning an entire pipe within seconds and providing immediate feedback.

That’s why Selmers develops holiday detection solutions tailored to each production environment, helping customers combine speed, accuracy and reliability throughout the coating process.

The final quality check

As one of the final quality checks before a pipeline enters service, holiday detection helps identify coating defects before they become costly problems. Detecting imperfections at the right moment helps prevent repairs later and supports safe, reliable pipeline performance for decades.

The post Holiday detection: No room for coating defects appeared first on Selmers.

Giving Fuse a face

Sometimes, an idea simply appears in the middle of the night. That is exactly what happened to Lonne van Heijningen. The 24-year-old UX/UI designer has been working at Selmers for less than a year and is the creative mind behind Fusie: the mascot of Fuse, the digital platform featuring multiple applications for factory automation.

“It actually started as just a fun little extra,” Lonne explains. “I was working on something else and thought: I can’t look at this anymore right now. That’s when the idea for a mascot for our platform suddenly popped into my head.”

And the idea kept growing. Not just within the team, but within the development of Fuse itself. Fusie has already appeared at Tube in Düsseldorf and is increasingly helping to make the platform more accessible, user-friendly and recognizable.

Creative and technical

Creativity has always played a major role in Lonne’s life. As a child, she was constantly drawing, creating and trying out new hobbies. She chose a study programme that combines creativity and technology: Engineering Product Design at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

As a UX/UI designer at Selmers, she focuses on the user experience of Fuse: how people navigate through applications, where they encounter difficulties and how technology can be made understandable and enjoyable to use. “In the end, it’s not just about technology,” she says. “It also has to feel logical to the user.”

Besides developing the applications themselves, she also contributed to the platform’s identity: from naming and colour schemes to the overall visual style of Fuse.

From idea to character

For Lonne, every design process starts in much the same way: analyzing, researching and, above all, sketching. “I sketch and write down everything that comes to mind. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Then I start researching what is involved, and from there new ideas emerge.”

With Fusie, that process happened surprisingly quickly. One night, while looking at an image of a car fuse, she suddenly saw a face appear in it. “That’s when I thought: this could be it.”

From that moment on, Fusie really started to take shape. Not just visually, but also in terms of character and purpose. The mascot had to truly fit Fuse. “We looked at what Fuse stands for: accessibility, user-friendliness, trust and familiarity. All of that had to be reflected in Fusie.”

Attention at the Tube

Tube Düsseldorf was the first time Fusie was introduced to the outside world. For the exhibition, Lonne not only designed digital applications, posters and visuals, but also created a physical model of Fusie. A major challenge, as she quickly discovered. “At first I thought: how hard can it be? But in the end, there’s much more involved than you expect.”

The design not only had to look good but also had to work technically. The model was built from multiple 3D-printed parts and had to be sturdy enough for transport and use on the exhibition floor. In addition, she worked on interactive applications in which Fusie guided visitors through the Fuse platform. Using a touchscreen, visitors could navigate through different applications themselves, with Fusie serving as a familiar guide.

The model was intentionally designed to draw visitors’ attention to the keychains and, in turn, to the platform itself. Visitors enthusiastically took them along, and colleagues wanted one as well. “I’m even hearing now that the keychains disappear at home because children love them so much,” she laughs.

Just getting started

What is she most proud of in the end? That her spontaneous late-night idea grew into something tangible that has now truly become part of Fuse. “I have ideas all the time,” she says. “But this is one of the first times I actually fully carried one through.”

Today, Fusie stands proudly at Selmers and continues to grow alongside the platform itself. And the future? Lonne already has plenty of ideas. “I mainly hope people will start recognizing Fusie more and more. That it truly becomes part of Fuse.”

The post How UX/UI Designer Lonne van Heijningen brought Fusie to life appeared first on Selmers.

During Tube Düsseldorf, the anniversary scale model on the Selmers stand attracted plenty of attention. The miniature world, filled with coating lines, ships, trucks, lighting and hidden details, sparked conversations among visitors throughout the exhibition. What people saw on the show floor was the result of months of building, testing, painting and improvising.

The idea for building scale models already existed within Selmers. Earlier, a smaller model had even been created internally as a farewell gift for a colleague. For their 60th anniversary year and Tube Dusseldorf exhibition, everything came together. Rob Schouten wanted to create a new model and Mariëtte Poldervaart developed the initial layout and floor plan, as well as the concept of building the miniature world in the shape of the Selmers logo. She also played an important role during the early design and scaling phases.

Ruben Kalkman, industrial designer at Selmers, became involved in the project early on. He was originally hired to work on the CTO project for the UV line. “I like working with my hands and I’m quite creative,” Ruben explains. “Once the design for the CTO line was finished, I basically rolled straight into the scale model project.”

Building, testing and scaling

What followed were a few months of designing, building and adjusting. The model brought together several Selmers processes, including UV, spoolbase, internal and external coating, factory automation and pipelines. The miniature world not only showcased the machines themselves, but also the environment around them: from transport and shipping to pipelines and field applications.

Machines were 3D printed, modified and then painted by hand. Working on scale turned out to be one of the biggest challenges. “You can’t just scale down a machine with the push of a button,” Ruben says. “Some parts became so small that they were almost impossible to print.”

The base of the model was built using wood, polystyrene foam, wall filler and epoxy resin for the water sections. A 1:87 scale was deliberately chosen so standard model-building components could be used. “That way you can simply walk into a hobby shop and buy trees that fit perfectly,” says Daan Kraetzer, mechanical engineer at Selmers.

Even so, most of the work remained highly manual. Foam was cut by hand, landscapes were built from scratch and details were painted one by one. “At one point Rob said: who gets to build a scale model as part of their job?” Ruben laughs.

All hands on deck

In the end, the challenge was not the building itself, but the planning. Ruben’s holiday had already been scheduled and because the project had expanded while he was still handling most of the work himself, the final weeks became a race against the clock. “When I said there was no way I could finish it on my own, three extra people suddenly joined within two days,” Ruben recalls.

Daan had already been asked earlier to help with the project, but due to other work he was only able to fully join during the final phase. Other colleagues who played an important role in building the model included Alex Schulein,  Marijn Vlaar and Richard Roelande. Alex was responsible for the lighting and several visual effects, bringing parts of the miniature world to life on the exhibition floor. There were even plans for a moving truck, but in the end the idea proved too fragile for transport and exhibition use.

While Ruben was away on holiday, Daan took the lead during the final phase of the project. In a short period of time, the last components were painted, finished and assembled to make sure everything was ready in time for Tube. “I’ve never asked so many people if they could paint,” Daan laughs.

A nerve-racking trip to Düsseldorf

Then came another challenge: transporting the entire construction safely to Germany. The model was packed inside a specially built wooden crate and completely surrounded by foam. “Imagine you see that trailer bouncing down the road and all you can think is: this is never going to end well,” Daan says.

In the end, the model arrived in Düsseldorf without any damage. Just to be safe, the exhibition team was sent off with a small goodie bag filled with glue and paint. “Luckily, they never had to use it,” Ruben says with a smile.

Bringing people together

The reactions at the exhibition made all the hard work worthwhile. “We heard that the model sparked many conversations,” Ruben says.

The scale model can now be admired at the Selmers office. And if you take a closer look, you’ll discover several hidden details and inside jokes that the makers deliberately added along the way. But what exactly are they? “You’ll have to find those yourself,” they laugh.

The post The making of the anniversary scale model a miniature world that turned heads appeared first on Selmers.

How innovation and sustainability go hand in hand at Selmers

Twenty years ago, machine building was mainly about functionality, price and delivery times. Machines had to be reliable, quick to build and, above all, do what they were designed to do. “At the time, aspects such as energy consumption and service life played a less prominent role in design choices” says Technical Manager Enno Lokkerbol. “If a machine worked, we would simply make a heavier version for a larger pipe.”

That has changed. Today, sustainability and energy efficiency play an increasingly important role in the development of new machines and processes at Selmers. Not only because customers are asking for it more explicitly, but also because experience has shown how much impact smart innovations can make.

Smarter cleaning, significantly lower energy consumption

One of those innovations emerged from a process that, for many years, had been carried out in virtually the same way all over the world: cleaning the inside of steel pipes before applying a coating. Traditionally, this is done using large fans and extensive filtration systems that remove grit and dust from the pipe through powerful airflows, requiring a considerable amount of energy.

With a smart solution internally known as the centipede, grit is no longer removed using heavy extraction systems. Instead, the system blows the grit out through the bottom of the pipe, significantly reducing the number of filters and fans required. At an installation in Mexico, this will result not only in less maintenance and downtime, but also in an estimated annual energy saving of 300,000 to 400,000 kilowatt-hours.

“That’s where you really see innovation and sustainability coming together,” says Enno. “Not just because it saves energy, but also because customers notice that their processes become more reliable.”

Major innovations and small improvements

At Selmers, there is a continuous search for ways to design machines that are smarter, more efficient and more sustainable. To achieve this, knowledge from different parts of the organisation is deliberately brought together. Engineers, workshop employees, buyers, service managers and sales staff all contribute ideas during joint brainstorming sessions where every idea is welcome. “There’s an enormous amount of knowledge within the company,” Enno explains. “Everyone looks at a problem in a different way.”

Sometimes, it is the relatively small adjustments that make a big impact on a larger scale. For example, by designing constructions more intelligently so that less welding is required. Or by producing parts as smart “puzzle pieces” that fit together without additional processing. This reduces transport movements, lowers energy consumption and uses materials more efficiently. “In the end, you still save a huge amount throughout the entire production phase,” says Enno.

A fresh perspective on sustainability

Young employees also play an important role in this development. Last year, a graduate intern at Selmers was tasked with mapping sustainability opportunities within the organisation and gathering new ideas. With a fresh perspective, she organised several brainstorming sessions and collected improvement opportunities from across the company. “She asked questions that

experienced engineers sometimes no longer stop to think about,” Enno says. “That fresh perspective worked incredibly well.”

He also sees this development reflected in a new generation of engineers. Whereas sustainability was hardly ever a topic of discussion in the past, young technical professionals are now consciously looking for opportunities to contribute to more energy-efficient and future-proof machines. “Five years ago, I hardly ever got those questions,” he says. “Now engineers join the company who genuinely want to contribute to sustainability. That awareness is growing enormously.”

The entire lifecycle

As a result, Selmers’ approach to innovation is changing as well. Where machines were once designed primarily around functionality, there is now much greater focus on the entire lifecycle of a machine: energy consumption, maintenance, reliability and long-term performance. “In the past, the focus was mainly on functionality,” says Enno. “Now we look much more at energy efficiency, maintenance and the impact across the entire lifecycle. That’s where we make the difference today.”

The post Designing smarter for a sustainable future appeared first on Selmers.

Khalil Zanklo on practical solutions, transparency and smarter collaboration

In many production environments, companies still rely on separate Excel files, local storage and disconnected systems. Information is spread across laptops, shared folders and manual reports. That often works fine if everyone knows exactly where everything is, until something goes wrong or someone leaves the company.

For software engineer Khalil Zanklo, that is exactly where an important part of innovation at Selmers can be found. Not in complicated theories, but in solving practical problems that customers face every day.

“Many customers still work with different systems or separate files,” he explains. “Everyone has their own Excel sheets, scripts or ways of working. As a result, a lot of things need to be checked manually, which increases the risk of errors.”

“Innovation is mainly about gaining better control over data and processes, so that manual checks become less necessary,” Khalil says. “I design systems in which data is centrally available and automatically verified, so everyone works with the same information, and everything becomes transparent.”

Fewer disconnected systems

That may sound like a small change, but in practice it makes a major difference. At some customer sites, information was scattered across laptops or stored in separate files. As a result, processes often became dependent on individual knowledge. As long as someone knew where information was stored, things worked. But as soon as that person was no longer available, the process became vulnerable.

“If data is not properly checked, errors occur,” Khalil explains. “For example, with parts, assets or production data. Then everything must be manually reviewed again.”

To improve this, Selmers developed systems that automatically process and verify data. “Customers receive feedback much faster when something goes wrong,” says Khalil. “At first, that can sometimes be confronting, because you suddenly gain clear insight into where errors occur. But ultimately, it makes processes far more reliable.”

The impact often becomes visible quite quickly in practice. The focus gradually shifts from checking and correcting towards improving and optimizing processes.

Directly applied in practice

What Khalil particularly appreciates about the way Selmers works is that solutions do not remain on the shelf for long. “We analyze a problem, develop a solution and then apply it directly at the customer’s site. That also means you immediately see what works and what still needs improvement.”

Direct contact with customers is exactly what makes the work interesting. “You see the challenges people face in practice. That allows you to develop much more targeted solutions.”

This approach also makes systems increasingly transparent. Data is brought together in one place, and information becomes more accessible to multiple people within an organization.

“As a result, you become less dependent on separate files or individual operators,” Khalil says. “Communication also becomes much clearer, because information is no longer scattered across emails or separate documents.”

Working smarter with data

That is where an important development for the industry lies in the coming years. Many companies still work with outdated systems or store information locally. As a result, knowledge is lost and errors occur within processes.

“The most important thing is that data is properly organized and centrally available,” Khalil says. “That creates more overview, makes errors visible more quickly, and allows processes to be organized far more efficiently.”

The post Why fragmented data slows down production processes appeared first on Selmers.

For many customers, it feels like magic. A steel pipe enters a coating line, is exposed to UV LED light for just one second, and comes out fully cured. “Go ahead, touch it,” says Selmers sales engineer Nick Vet. The reaction is almost always the same: amazement. How can something dry so quickly?

Over the past few months, Nick has seen that reaction time and again during demonstrations at the UV LED line for an American customer, temporarily set up in Beverwijk. He explained the process, demonstrated the technology, and introduced visitors to a solution that was still new to many of them.

From curiosity to expertise

Within Selmers, Nick is the go-to person when it comes to UV coating systems and complete production lines. “The product itself is obviously very cool,” he says. “But what I especially enjoy is everything around it: helping customers, developing solutions, and showing how it works. The complete process.”

When Nick joined Selmers two years ago, he knew very little about UV coating technology. He built up his knowledge step by step, not by reading thick manuals or formal training programs, but mainly through curiosity. “By listening carefully and asking a lot of questions. Talking to coating suppliers, engineers, and customers. That’s how you learn how everything connects.”

“I wouldn’t say I have the deepest technical knowledge of every individual component,” he says modestly. “But I do know the bigger picture of UV LED and how the market is developing.”

A technology gaining ground

While traditional UV coating systems were the standard for many years, UV LED is rapidly emerging as a serious alternative. With UV LED, the coating is not dried by heat or evaporation, but cured by light. As soon as the pipe passes under the UV LED lamps, a chemical reaction starts within the coating. Within seconds, the layer is hard enough to touch and continue processing.

“So technically, it’s not really drying,” Nick explains. “A chemical reaction takes place. That’s why the coating is already cured after just one second.”

According to Nick, the UV LED market is growing because the technology combines quality with efficiency and lower operational costs. “With traditional coatings, you basically have two sides of the spectrum,” he explains. “On one side, you have cheaper systems using water-based paint, but those often compromise on quality. On the other side, you have epoxy and powder coatings: very high quality, but expensive and energy-intensive.”

According to him, UV LED sits perfectly in between. The quality is higher than water-based paint, while long-term operating costs can actually be lower. “The only downside is that the machine itself requires a larger upfront investment,” says Nick. “But when you look at consumption, energy use, speed, and waste reduction, it quickly becomes very attractive.”

Applications in the steel industry

The technology is especially interesting for steel pipe manufacturers. Think of pipes for solar applications, fencing, construction, and sprinkler systems, but also galvanized pipes where UV LED coating adds extra protection and color.

“With galvanized pipes, you first apply a zinc layer to prevent corrosion,” Nick explains. “When you then add a UV coating on top, you not only create a nice color finish, but also improve the performance of that zinc layer.”

According to Nick, UV LED is about much more than simply selling a machine. “We actually sell two things,” he says. “A coating solution and the production line that comes with it.” That is why conversations rarely start with the machine itself, but with the application. What should the coating achieve? What performance is required? And what does the end customer expect?

More than just a machine

According to Nick, Selmers mainly stands out because of the combination of automation, expertise, and close cooperation with coating partners. “You notice customers have a lot of questions,” he says. “So you not only need to understand the machine, but also the coating itself and the entire process around it.”

“Our lines are highly automated,” he explains. “That reduces the risk of human error, minimizes waste, and allows coatings to be used much more efficiently. In the long run, that makes a huge difference in operational costs.”

In addition, a UV LED line only works properly when everything is perfectly aligned. “The coating, the temperature, the pressure, the airflow, the pipe transport, everything has to work together. That’s why we often sit down together with coating suppliers and customers to create the right solution.”

Planting a lot of seeds

This approach is helping Selmers increasingly establish itself as a serious player in UV coating technology, especially in UV LED. The market is growing rapidly, particularly in North America, where UV coating is already widely used in the steel pipe industry. Nick also sees strong potential emerging in Europe, India, and the Middle East. “We’re still very much in the phase of developing the market,” he says. “Many customers already know the technology, but not everyone knows Selmers in this field yet. So we’re planting a lot of seeds.”

That means having conversations, giving demonstrations, inviting customers, and showing why UV LED is the future of the industry. The ambition is clear: Selmers wants to become the name customers automatically mention when talking about UV LED coating lines.

“It doesn’t happen very often that a new solution enters the market that is better, more energy-efficient, and more cost-effective at the same time,” says Nick. “If a customer ultimately decides not to choose UV LED, then I probably didn’t explain it well enough.”

The post Nick Vet is the go-to person for UV LED as part of Tube & Profile coating appeared first on Selmers.

In the Netherlands, Hans van Breukelen is a famous football name. In the United States, he simply became Hans van Brooklyn. “Think about Brooklyn, New York,” Hans always says. “That’s almost the same as Breukelen.” With the World Cup 2026 taking place in the United States, this feels like the perfect moment to meet Selmers’ own ‘Hans van Brooklyn’. The man who has helped grow the company’s presence across America for more than a decade.

Hans has lived in the United States since 1999. At the time, he worked for the Dutch heavy-lift and transport company Van Seumeren, later Mammoet. What started as a business opportunity turned into a permanent move. “My wife and I came to Houston to have a look,” he says. “We thought: this is a world we can live in. We gave it a shot and never went back.”

A Dutchman in Texas

Hans eventually joined Selmers through his long-standing connection with Meemaken and Roderick van Seumeren. During the acquisition of the Texas-based company Alltec, he became increasingly involved with the organization and later took on the role of Selmers representative for the United States.

Bridging two cultures

One of his first and most important challenges was helping bridge the cultural differences between the Netherlands and the US. “The Dutch are very direct,” he explains. “Not intentionally harsh, but sometimes that’s how it comes across in America.”

Together with Area Sales Manager Chris Baars, Hans travelled extensively across the country, getting accustomed to how business relationships differ throughout the US. By travelling together, meeting customers and discussing conversations afterwards, Selmers gradually developed an approach that felt natural and effective in the American market.

Closer to the customer

More than twelve years later, Selmers has become firmly established in the American market. The company is active in pipe coating, steel mills, pipe and tube manufacturing and offshore spool base equipment. But according to Hans, the next step is now even more important.

Selmers USA is currently being further developed into a stronger local organization, focused on service, maintenance, repairs and spare parts storage, bringing the company physically closer to its customers. “You’ve got to be here,” Hans says. “Customers want us to be closer to them.”

Eventually, this could even lead to manufacturing activities in the United States. “That would be a new step for Selmers here.”

The other Hans van Breukelen

And then there is, of course, the soccer connection. Although Americans rarely recognize the name Van Breukelen, soccerfans elsewhere in the world often still do. Hans remembers checking into a small hotel in Indonesia many years ago, when the hotel employee suddenly became excited. “He thought I was the Dutch goalkeeper,” Hans laughs. “I said: no sir, same name, that’s all.”

Dutch roots

When it comes to soccer itself, Hans still has strong Dutch roots. Asked which historic match he would most like to have witnessed live, he immediately mentions the legendary Dutch national team of 1974. “At that time, the Dutch introduced Total Football,” he says. “Beating Brazil and Argentina felt like a miracle.”

These days, living in America means he follows American football more than soccer. But during the World Cup, his loyalties become slightly complicated. “I’m American now,” he says, “but I still have Dutch roots. So I just hope the US and the Netherlands don’t have to play each other.”

Off the pitch

591 Saving a penalty or scoring the winning goal?

“Scoring the winning goal.”

590 Watching the World Cup final in the stadium or from the couch at home?

“In the stadium, but unfortunately too expensive, so on the couch.”

591 Orange jersey or cowboy boots?

“Probably both”

590 Dutch bitterballen or American barbecue?

“Dutch bitterballen.”

Despite living in the US for more than 25 years, Hans still travels back to the Netherlands every year. Partly for family, but definitely also for bitterballen, broodjes kroket, frikandel speciaal, huzarensalade and haring.

591 Team captain or the quiet force behind the scenes?

“Team captain. If I think I know how to win, then I need to be the captain. I like to change into the quiet force behind the scenes, what is more in line with my contributon towards Selmers the last 10 years of my career.”

The post Hans van Breukelen, or rather: Hans van Brooklyn Bridging cultures & growing Selmers USA appeared first on Selmers.

Lars Naber on software, digitization and the courage to innovate

Walk through the Selmers workshop and you will mainly see steel, installations and large industrial machines. Yet today, a significant part of innovation happens out of sight: in software, data and digital systems.

In recent years, that development has become increasingly important. “Originally, we are very much a mechanical engineering company,” Lars explains. “We have a workshop where large machines are built: tangible, a lot of steel. But now that we also offer software services, an entirely new discipline has been added.”

That digital side of the business is growing rapidly. Where Selmers formerly primarily supplied machines, the company is now increasingly helping customers monitor production processes and organize them more intelligently through software and digital services.

“You can see the industry moving more and more in that direction,” says Lars. “Customers no longer expect just a machine; they also expect support with their digitization efforts. That’s exactly what we are working on now: how can we create added value for our customers?”

Software as the next step

“We started by developing software to monitor production processes at customer sites,” Lars explains. “That proved successful quite quickly. Several customers with similar production processes are now using the system.”

Soon, demand for data followed. “You see that our customers’ clients are also starting to demand information,” he says. “For example, about the pipelines being produced. We are now responding to that by collecting and making that data available.”

This also changed the way software was developed within Selmers. “In the beginning, we approached it in a fairly traditional way, using programmers and programming languages,” Lars explains. “But programmers often do not know our industry very well, and that created difficulties sometimes.”

Those developments also resulted in FUSE, a platform in which production data and quality information are digitally connected to the product throughout the manufacturing process.

A low-code platform

A few years ago, Selmers switched to a low-code platform, allowing applications to be adapted and further developed much faster. “If a customer wants to change something, for example moving a button or adding an extra field, we can now do that relatively quickly. That makes us far more flexible.”

According to Lars, this approach is now truly proving its value. “You can see that it is starting to gain real traction within our software division. We are quite ahead of the curve in this area. Siemens regularly asks us to share our experiences with their prospective customers.”

Learning by doing

According to Lars, innovation rarely runs completely smoothly and that is simply part of the process. “With software development, you are never really finished,” he says. “It is constantly evolving.”

Sometimes that also leads to unexpected situations. Lars recalls a project in Indonesia where data had to be collected without a stable internet connection. “In the end, we had to work with a prepaid 4G SIM card that regularly ran out of data,” he says with a laugh. “Those are exactly the kinds of things you do not always anticipate beforehand.”

That mindset characterizes the way Selmers approaches innovation. “You simply have to do it and dare to try,” Lars says. “When you are doing something for the first time, you make decisions based on assumptions. That can be exciting, but people here really support each other to make it work.”

For Lars, that is one of the company’s greatest strengths. “If you have a culture where employees are blamed for mistakes, innovation simply will not happen. Here, you are given the space to experiment. Everyone is ready to help one another.”

The next step

“We are already collecting a huge amount of data,” Lars says. “The next step is for companies to start using that data in increasingly smarter ways. That is where the real difference will be made in the years ahead.”

The post More than machines appeared first on Selmers.

Koen van Klooster on modularisation, flexibility and the next step for Selmers

Custom engineering has always been the foundation of machine building at Selmers. But behind the scenes, the way these solutions are developed is changing. By building smarter and more modularly, Selmers aims to remain flexible in responding to customer-specific situations while also becoming more scalable.

According to Product Manager Koen van Klooster, innovation is not only about new technology or impressive machines. “What we are really working on now is a new way of operating,” he explains. “We are moving from purely engineer-to-order towards a smart combination of modularisation and customisation.”

The SMS Transition

Within Selmers, this development is known as the SMS transition. Whether SMS stands for Selmers Modular Systems or Smart Module Systems, the principle is the same: be modular where possible, and provide customised solutions where needed.

It may sound technical, but in practice it is mainly about flexibility. “There are different ways to approach modular construction,” Koen explains. “In the past, we worked more with fixed variants: small, medium and large. That worked well when customers mainly built new plants. But the market is changing. Customers are increasingly focusing on expansions, upgrades and integration with existing systems. And that requires much more flexibility.”

He compares the new approach to a modular building system. “A bit like LEGO,” he says with a smile. “You work with standard components that can be combined flexibly. But unlike a completely fixed system, we deliberately want to maintain the freedom to adapt solutions to the customer’s specific situation.”

Scalability and Engineering

The change is driven not only by technology, but also by the growth of the organisation.

“One of the main challenges is scalability within engineering,” says Koen. “We want to continue growing without needing a proportional increase in manpower. By building smarter and more modularly, we can scale more efficiently while still offering customers solutions that perfectly fit their needs.”

For customers, this translates into shorter lead times and systems that integrate more easily with existing installations.

Modularisation, Data and Lifecycle Management

“What we see now is that several developments are coming together: modularisation, data and lifecycle management. This means we are not only delivering equipment, but also thinking about maintenance, performance and support throughout the entire lifecycle of an installation.”

According to Koen, it is precisely this combination that makes the difference. Selmers is no longer only looking at individual machines, but increasingly at the bigger picture. How can an installation remain reliable? How can data be used more intelligently? And how can customers be supported for years after commissioning?

Innovation and Mindset

Yet according to Koen, innovation is ultimately not just about systems or technology, but above all about mindset.

“Courage is an important word,” he says. “Innovation means doing something that has not been done before. That involves risks. Not everything works perfectly the first time, but that does not stop us from trying new things.”

What appeals to him most is the combination of freedom, trust and ambition. “You are given a goal, but also the trust to decide yourself how to achieve it.”

For Koen, innovation at Selmers is visible on multiple levels: in technology, in data, but also in the way teams collaborate and continue to evolve.

“It is truly part of the company’s DNA,” he says. “We are always looking for ways to improve, and we are not afraid to try something new.”

The post Innovation starts with a different way of thinking appeared first on Selmers.

And we are one of the top 10 finalists! 🏆

We are incredibly proud to share that Selmers has been nominated by several of our valued partners for the OVNH Ondernemingsverkiezing Noord-Holland. And we are one of the top 10 finalists! 🏆

With our strong global presence, this nomination is a special recognition of our entrepreneurial roots and impact in Provincie Noord-Holland. Making it even more meaningful: it comes in our 60th anniversary year. Truly the icing on the cake, or in our case, a permanent UV coating on a pipe. 😉

Innovation, partnership, and ambition have brought us this far. With your support, we can go even further.

👉 Help us win and submit your vote for Selmers
https://lnkd.in/eNXTTrw8

💡 Innovate better together!

The post Selmers has been nominated by several of our valued partners for the OVNH Ondernemingsverkiezing Noord-Holland. appeared first on Selmers.

Thank you for 60 years of cooperation!

Tube Düsseldorf 2026 has come to a close, and we look back on a successful week!

We saw a continuous flow of visitors at our stand. Customers, prospects and agents found their way to Selmers, leading to open, content-rich discussions with clear opportunities for follow-up. All business segments: Linepipe, Linepipe Construction, LED UV and Factory Automation, were very much ‘en vogue’ throughout the week. We were especially pleased to welcome many new visitors, eager to get to know our company and solutions.

On Wednesday, we celebrated our 60th anniversary with customers during a boat trip on the river Rhine. An evening of lively conversations over dinner, followed by a night full of entertainment.

Tube 2026 once again showed an industry in motion, resilient, innovative and ready for the future. With visitors from over 130 countries, it proved to be a truly global meeting place.

Thank you to everyone who visited our stand and took the time to connect. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Innovate better together!

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Concrete weight coating

The seas tie the world together. That is why the unseen arteries of our energy system run across those waters. Steel pipelines carry the fuel that keep factories humming – and homes warm. But the sea is vast, deep and unpredictable, with an ecosystem and rules of its own. Not just nature itself, but how we, humans operate within it too (think trawling nets, electrical-/data cables). Pipelines have to cope with that reality – and stay put on the seabed.

So… just add weight?

Under water, a pipeline displaces water – and buoyancy pushes back. Rule of thumb: 1 m³ of water ≈ 1,000 kg of lift. The combined mass of steel and concrete must comfortably outweigh that, tuned to each diameter, wall thickness and steel grade. This isn’t “just add more”; it’s exact calculation for controlled negative buoyancy. (In practice, a 12-metre joint often lands between 15 and 40 tons.)

No ordinary concrete

Standard ready-mix won’t do. For undersea use, the industry blends cement with iron ore. That makes the mix roughly 1.5 times heavier than conventional concrete, often with a faint rusty hue from the ore. Mass alone isn’t enough though; the jacket has to be tough. So we reinforce it to prevent loss of integrity under impact or during handling.

Two ways to reinforce

• Wrapped reinforcement (wire mesh): the pipe rotates; we wrap the mesh, when we apply the concrete mix.
• Pre-welded cages: slide a welded cage over the pipe first, then apply the concrete jacket.

The right choice depends on mechanical requirements, line design and overall project cost.

Two ways to apply the jacket

There are also two application methods:

• Wrapping / compression: a controlled, quasi-continuous process with a more paste-like mix. The pipe turns gently; the finish is clean and repeatable: an ideal process for smaller pipe diameters at high capacity production outputs.
• Impingement: a dry, slightly moist mix, projected at high speed onto the pipe. High throughput and excellent adhesion – the option when higher density (and weight) is required and bigger diameters production leads.
  Together with clients we specify, per route, the best combination of reinforcement, recipe and application. The outcome: the exact target submerged weight, tight diameter/weight tolerances and minimal material use.

What happens above water (and why it matters below)

Before a single meter goes offshore, everything is staged in the storage yard. On the lay barge, joints are welded on board and placed on the seabed. These are floating factories with serious day rates—downtime isn’t an option. We plan to the lay window (for example, the Baltic roughly March–October) and align recipe, QA/QC (Quality Assurance/ Quality Control, handling and logistics early with the yard and contractor. In good conditions you lay 2–4 km per day. Predictability here is pure cost control.

Aren’t we ‘moving off gas’?

Renewables are the future every country is working toward. But the fact remains: no nation can yet do without gas. We still rely on oil and gas to drive, to heat our homes, and to keep industries running. Even in the most progressive countries, alternatives aren’t yet sufficient—whether because of infrastructure, cost, or sheer scale. The transition is happening, but not overnight.

The renewable-energy routes are already there

The upside: the same corridors remain usable for decades—also for other energy carriers. A well-made concrete-weight-coated line is designed for at least 60 years; in practice, a hundred isn’t unusual.

So what flows next?

Offshore wind can be converted into hydrogen and brought ashore via existing or new routes. Captured CO₂ can be transported safely to depleted fields beneath the seabed. Win-win when you think about it.

Would you like to brainstorm with us?

Want to talk concrete weight coating? We’re happy to spar, test and deliver what works on your line, within your window. Our engineers know the pitfalls and will go as deep as needed (even close to 3,000 metres). Have a look at our full product description: https://www.selmers.com/selmers-solutions/concrete-weight-coating-plant-cwc/

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Only if you ignore the engineering!

In Europe, some may favour epoxy, but the U.S. and Asia still trust cement. Each market has its reasons — yet CML remains a proven, scalable solution worldwide. You just need to know what you’re doing. And Selmers does. With over 25 plants implemented globally in the past 60 years — including one every two years in the last 15 — we know when, why and how CML works.

A reputation that precedes CML – but can be misleading

Yes, CML is heavier. Yes, it needs careful handling. And yes, damage can occur during transport if production isn’t spot on. Cracks often appear later — not from fragility, but from poor process control. Dismissing CML as outdated misses the point. Applied and handled properly, it provides robust, long-term corrosion protection for water-carrying pipelines. It’s not outdated. Just underappreciated.

Why CML still makes sense

CML offers a series of benefits chemical coatings can’t match:

• Easier application with fewer variables
• Less critical surface prep
• Self-curing, no quenching or curing chambers
• No risk of organic leaching when mixed right
• Excellent long-term performance
• Safe for drinking water

It’s low-tech in the best way — if you know what you’re doing.

Expertise matters — and Selmers has it

There’s no one-size-fits-all. Selmers’ experience spans decades and dozens of plant builds — from fully automated to hybrid setups. Every project is configured to fit local standards, customer needs, pipe sizes and volume. We don’t just build machines — we build the solution.

Two coating routes with CML

Application depends on pipe size — typically above or below 600 mm diameter.

• Wheel rotator: ideal for small-diameter pipes, spun on (pneumatic or solid) wheels. The number of wheels depends on the pipe’s shape and the rotation speed needed, which is tied to the cement recipe.
• Belt rotator: large pipes are supported and rotated in wide belts that carry up to 20 metric tons — fast, stable and secure.

No burning man – screaming man!

CML isn’t risk-free — and that’s where real expertise shows. If you ever see a grown man scream with cold fear in a rotating pipe coating process, you know it’s time to start running… So, what are the risks?

• Safety: a pipe escaping at full rotation is no joke. The cause? Ovality or bent pipes — especially in small diameters. That’s why Selmers uses press-down systems to keep them in place. Larger pipes, embedded in wide belts, eliminate this risk. Those setups generate 10 to 90 G-force — which keeps them in place. (For reference, fighter pilots hit 5G.)
• Mixing configuration: the perfect mix demands the right centrifugal force, mixing pan size, mixing arms, and sand/cement ratio. Without know-how, you’ll be engineering by trial and error. Selmers systems are built to avoid cracks and guarantee consistency.
• Clean operation: a mixing pan not fully emptied or cleaned can ruin the next batch. Our systems bake cleaning and flushing into the process — no shortcuts.

Why choose Selmers for CML?

Selmers doesn’t just supply equipment — we engineer systems that coat multiple pipes at a time, built for low maintenance and long service life. From rotating tyres to paddings, our components are durable and easy to replace. That means uptime. And peace of mind.

Smarter, faster, more controlled — meet our automation layer

Optional, but strongly recommended: Selmers’ digital product registration system. It tracks and logs every step — no notebooks, no guesswork. You get a digital thread of all process data: pipe specs, mix ratios, spin time, curing, quality checks, and more. In today’s world, that’s not a luxury. It’s protection. Because when something goes wrong down the line, the one with proof usually stands strong…

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The ‘vacuum cleaner’ we don’t have to sell door-to-door

“Ding-dong. ‘Good afternoon, ma’am, may I show you something?”

Before you knew it, a well-dressed salesman was standing in your living room, demonstrating a futuristic vacuum cleaner that claimed to solve all your problems—dust allergies, pet hair, and probably even your taxes. The only problem? It blew just as much dust back into the room as it sucked up, and it cost about the same as a small car.

Fortunately, at Selmers, we don’t have to go door-to-door selling our latest innovation and green solution! This system will sell itself, simply because it works, and saves money. No slick sales pitches, no ‘free set of steak knives,’ just hard-hitting energy savings and efficiency.

What are we working on?

Right now, we are developing an innovative sustainable solution that embodies this principle: the ‘Centipede’. The Centipede will be commissioned at the end of year, but its’ savings potential is so impressive that it is already selling itself even before it’s finished!

A hundred ‘legs’ march in perfect harmony!

The Centipede blowing tool has about a hundred blow-nozzles, hence its name. So, what do the hundred ‘legs’ do that make it so effective? When cleaning pipes before coating, dust and abrasives mostly accumulate at the lower right side of the pipe. The old solution? A massive setup of blowers and ventilators pushing air throughout the entire pipe to remove the particles. Best compared to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut…

So, where regular practice is to use lots of power and energy, and produce lots of waste, the Centipede takes a smarter approach. Instead of brute force, it uses a combination of single targeted blowers at the exact right spot. The result?

• Lower energy consumption: hundreds of thousands of Kwh savings per year.
• Fewer blowers, fewer dust filters: lower material costs and cleaner work environment.
• Less maintenance: equipment gets a longer lifespan.
• Less waste, more efficiency: this is exactly what sustainability is about.

No hollow phrases…

At Selmers, we are constantly developing green innovations—including this centipede—and our goal is always to make them efficient from day one. We’re not saying efficiency and cost savings always equals sustainability, but in industrial processes, the two often go hand in hand. The bottom line is: “Less energy usage– less waste and less material –lower costs”. So, good for the planet and for your business.

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In the Pipe Coating Industry, Mistakes Are Unacceptable

A holiday—as it’s called in industry jargon—might sound like a break, but in pipe coating, it’s the last thing you want. A small imperfection can lead to corrosion, paving the way for leaks, environmental disasters, and sky-high costs.

The term “holiday” comes from shipbuilders who, if they missed a spot while painting, left part of the hull exposed. They called it a holiday—not because they were celebrating, but because the painter clearly needed one!

Today, the stakes are even higher. Just like an uncoated wooden ship could rot and sink, an undetected flaw in a modern pipeline coating can lead to corrosion and catastrophic failure.

What Is Holiday Detection?

Holiday detection ensures coatings are flawless by identifying weak spots before they lead to corrosion. The process: a holiday detector applies 2kV to 30kV to a coated metal surface. If the coating is intact, it isolates the current, and nothing happens. But if there’s a gap—BAM!—the detector makes direct contact with the steel, triggering an alert.

Cathodic Disbonding

If a coating doesn’t bond properly, it can lead to cathodic disbonding—where the protective layer loses adhesion, leaving the metal vulnerable to corrosion. Holiday detection catches weak spots before they cause real damage.

“No Room for Guesswork…” 

If there’s a gap, you don’t want to find out the hard way—through leaks! That’s why the machine’s signals are unmistakable. As Jan Peter Biersteker, Sales Director LINEPIPE Division, puts it: “At that moment, it’s full Christmas tree mode in the factory! WEE-OOO WEE-OOO and flashing lights all around.” 

Why Early Detection Matters 

A holiday means the protective layer of a pipe isn’t doing its job. And in industries like oil, gas, hydrogen, and CO₂ transport, the rule is simple: zero tolerance for coating defects. A tiny flaw today can lead to corrosion tomorrow, weakening a pipeline designed to last 30 to 50 years.

So, the reasons are clear:

• Prevents environmental disasters: Catching these issues early is critical—a single leak can be devastating.
• Avoids astronomical costs: Offshore lay barge vessels cost millions per day.
• Prevents disaster-level system failure: A failed welded pipeline section post-installation creates a logistical and financial nightmare.

A pipeline is only as strong as its weakest link. One coating mistake can mean big trouble.

Where and When Is Holiday Detection Used? 

• • During production – Inline testing for internal and external coatings.
  • During storage – Transport and handling can cause damage.
  • Before pipeline construction – Pipes are tested before being welded and installed.

The Real Challenge?

Now, try performing holiday detection under these conditions: constantly moving pipes that demand precision even as everything shifts. Tight schedules where a new pipe must be ready every few minutes. And instant decisions—if a test fails, you have less than five minutes to choose between recoating or repairing. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Not every pipeline is installed under perfect conditions. Some go into the harshest environments on Earth, like offshore pipelay barges, where pipes are welded and coated before being lowered into the ocean. As Jan Peter notes: “Re-coating an entire pipe is a massive job. And since our coatings are built to last for decades, removing them isn’t exactly a casual afternoon task. That’s why, in many cases, fast, local repairs are the best option.” 

As Many Flavors as a Gelato Shop!

Some projects require tailored solutions—like a robotized detection system that inspects a full pipe in seconds, delivering real-time results. These high-stakes projects rely on trust between Selmers and its clients, making innovation happen at record speed. That’s why holiday detection comes in as many varieties as an Italian gelato shop—we customize every solution to fit unique challenges.

You Snooze, You Lose

In this industry, staying sharp is everything. Fortunately, Selmers designs detection systems so advanced, they do most of the work for you. But let’s be clear: “You snooze, you lose in this business.”

So, need a holiday? Take one. The benefits will outweigh the costs.

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