it unique for the facility, so you won’t see it at another water park. When possible, we always try to create unique environments using the characters of the water park.” SAFETY IN TECHNOLOGY Since the early 2000s, Van Egdom has embraced technology which enhances the safety of their rides and attractions. “At the beginning we were using a system which you had to hand-configure,” says Mr. Van Dijk. “Now we have built a special program which the engineering department can run which can calculate the weight and the water going down, so it can anticipate problems. It means before we start a project we know for certain whether the design is safe or not, and we can make corrections. So we are ten times more efficient now than we were before the 2000s.” Software, however, is no substitute for years of practical experience. “One of our strong USPs is that we have people in the engineering department who have twenty-five years of experience in the company,” says Mr. Van Dijk. “These people have built and engineered literally thousands of flumes around the world. So they know exactly what they’re doing. It’s the combination of our software with the experience of our engineers which allows us to ensure maximum safety.”
ENVIRONMENT MATTERS Recently, Van Egdom have been supplying clients with more energy-efficient flumes. “It’s a unique element of our approach,” says Mr. Van Dijk. “We now have flumes which have insulation around them. Normally, if you enter a flume in wintertime, you have a cold stream that goes from top to bottom. We made insulating foam mats outside our polyester, which stops that. There’s a big environmental and cost benefit with this improvement, because it massively saves heat in water parks. It also reduces noise, which is particularly important for parks in city areas. And it improves the visitor experience, because you don’t get cold drips inside the flume, and you don’t have this cold flow of air.” Van Egdom also have an ongoing recycling program at their production house in the Netherlands. “We separate the polyester
parts during our processes into two categories,” says Mr. Van Dijk. “All our polyester comes with a durable, UV-resistant coating for longevity. Then some of the waste is recycled by another company to make new products like chairs and tables. It costs us a little bit more to get rid of our polyester like this, but we think it’s worth it.” INVESTING IN THE FUTURE Van Egdom has a dedicated school for idea-generation and innovations. “It’s a building school with a group of 50 students,” says Mr. Van Dijk. “They come up with new ideas which we can integrate into our programs and projects. At the moment we’re developing a new line of spray parks, spray park items, and a new line of water play structures for kids. We’re also working on integrating some new systems which allow the engineers to work even quicker and to work out extra bills on things like steel parts.” “We’re very proud to have been trading for fifty years, “says Mr. Van Dijk. “Our Cyclone 50 system is named after that anniversary. We’re proud of staying on the cutting-edge when it comes to developing new attractions, large attractions, and interactivity. We look forward to creating more innovations and bringing more special experiences to families around the world.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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