ERIKS: technical components and services
The 2009 acquisition of ERIKS fits into the bigger picture, with SHV refocusing on technology since the start of the millennium. The wholesaler trades in valves, gaskets, and other technical components, as well as providing industrial services on an international scale.
What began in 1940 as an on-site supplier of O-rings has grown into one of the world’s largest companies of its kind.
Components on demand
At the turn of the 19th century, milk and dairy production shifts from independent farmers to small factories organised as co-operatives. These factories make increasing use of technical innovation, and their production relies on machinery.
Entrepreneur Arie Eriks spots an opportunity in these first steps to modernity. Son of a milk factory director, he knows that malfunctioning technical components often obstruct the entire production process. In 1940, he founds Eriks Pakking en Rubber (Packing and Rubber) in Alkmaar, in the northwest Netherlands.
Moving around on a cargo bike, he provides rubber O-rings to milk factories experiencing leakage issues. The success of this business encourages Eriks to expand his range and seek potential new applications.