Tweewieler writes about the development of Van Raam

From Amsterdam to the Achterhoek

The article starts with the history of Van Raam. It does not start in Varsseveld, but on the other side of the Netherlands; in Amsterdam. Mr. Van Raam started a forge in Amsterdam in 1900. In 1933 the first bicycle frames were made. In the 70's the neighbourhood in Amsterdam would be cleaned up and the building would be demolished. Eventually this did not happen; the building is still in Amsterdam and is now a private home.

Van Raam decided to move anyway, the choice fell on Aalten: "Aalten in the Achterhoek. Why move to Aalten? Because Van Raam received a substantial subsidy, paid low prices for land and factory and because Germany was close by". 

Read more about the history of Van Raam in the article 'Van Raam manufacturer of adapted bikes throughout the years'.

Manufacturer of special needs bikes

Unfortunately, Van Raam went bankrupt in 1983. In 1984 Van Raam was taken over by Piet Boezel. He started looking for new markets. Henk Kluver explains: "In the years that followed, we started looking for new markets. We made recumbent bicycles and also custom-made racing bicycles. Nice, but there was no real business in these. Then suddenly there came a request for a special bicycle: "An acquaintance of mine had a stroke, but wanted to keep on cycling. Despite the fact that it was difficult for him to keep his balance".

Kluver made a tricycle and from then on Van Raam started to focus on that. Director Ronald Ruesink says: "From the moment Van Raam started to concentrate on something as special as a tricycle, we really focused on that. The ordinary bicycle was not profitable enough. Because we weren't a Gazelle, but just a metal company with about eight men, we had to come up with something else".

Henk Kluver: oldest employee of the Netherlands

Henk Kluver, who started his career as a 14-year-old boy at Van Raam in Amsterdam and moved with the company Van Raam to the Achterhoek at the age of 50, has held various functions at Van Raam. For example, he had been a piper, a specialist in drawing upright lines on a frame. Henk continued to piping frames until his last years at work. This was in addition to many other activities he carried out for Van Raam. He was a great source of inspiration for Van Raam's staff. Henk Kluver eventually retired in 2018 at the age of 96. 

In 2012 Henk Kluver was officially proclaimed the oldest employee in the Netherlands. As the oldest employee of the Netherlands, Henk has appeared in various media. He still regularly visits Van Raam to have a chat with his former colleagues.

Read more about Henk Kluver on the special Henk Kluver page.

Van Raam develops and innovates

In 2001, Ronald Ruesink, his brother-in-law Jan-Willem Boezel and sister-in-law Marjolein Boezel took over the company from father (-in-law) Piet Boezel. Van Raam now has 230 employees.

Because Van Raam was getting bigger and bigger, more space was required. Aalten was exchanged for Varsseveld in 2004. After expansion, this building also became too small and at the end of 2018/early 2019 Van Raam moved to a new and sustainable building.
 
Read more about the new building on the Van Raam construction page.