Anodizing for sustainable and circular facades

Anyone who can already present half a century of experience in his field can definitely call himself an expert. Alucol, the specialist in anodizing and coloring aluminum, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The reliable company from Neer in Limburg, the Netherlands, creates with great expertise, durable and unique anodized aluminum parts for clients from various industries. The editors of Profile spoke with director Frank Veelenturf about the added value of anodizing and the strengths of Alucol.

Color anodized aluminum is all the rage

The demand for color anodized aluminum is increasing tremendously. This is because it not only protects the aluminum from corrosion and weathering, but transforms the facade into a true eye-catcher with fantastic natural effects. Controlling color is definitely one of Alucol's strengths.

"This used to be purely visual, but nowadays, measuring is knowing. Because we measure an awful lot, we can still reproduce a color five years from now," explains Frank Veelenturf. "The color range consists of beautiful Colinal bronze shades, from titanium to black. Gold we color from champagne to dark gold. We keep innovating and soon these colors will be complemented by a number of new Colinal gray shades, from stainless steel to anthracite. All colors are colorfast."

Anodizing is a craft

Anodizing does not mean just applying a protective layer. Anodizing comes from within the aluminum so corrosion has no chance. This makes it enormously durable. So durable, in fact, that Alucol provides a warranty of up to twenty years. 

"In normal outdoor applications with sufficient layer thickness of 20 or 25 µm and provided the layer is properly maintained, a twenty-year warranty is absolutely no problem. In addition, anodized aluminum is excellent for recycling and the application contributes to the transition to the circular economy," the director continues. "We serve various customer groups. For example, we are a 'preferred supplier' to several extrusion companies. We also work closely with facade builders and system houses and focus on both interior and exterior architecture. In addition, there is a great focus on niche products, for example when it comes to welded structures, internally anodized cylinders, heavy machine plates, curved lampposts or long sail masts." 

A good example is a completely welded chassis that was recently fully anodized in one go. With a capacity of two soccer fields per day, Alucol is a major player in the European market with customers from Lithuania to southern Europe.

Quality is key

The history of Alucol goes back 50 years. What once began as an artisan company has grown into a modern factory where process control and logistics play an increasingly important role. "For years we have stood for quality and delivered in accordance with Qualanod guidelines. In addition, the environment plays an increasingly important role in our lives. Hence, in addition to ISO9001, we have also had ourselves certified for ISO14001. A must and a matter of course for every self-respecting surface treatment company," states Frank Veelenturf. "For several years we have been an independent company within the BWB Group, a Swiss family business. This gives us access to a large and broad knowledge network with a lot of experience and expertise when it comes to the surface treatment of aluminum."

Still a family business

Although Alucol now belongs to the Swiss BWB Group, the company still characterizes itself as a true family business. The hard-working, motivated and committed employees are its greatest asset. The customer service employee who answers the phones or the production worker who packs the products: everyone makes an effort every day to fulfill the agreements made with the customers. 

"With about 130 employees, we are an important employer in the municipality of Leudal. We have also provided peace and stability for a group of about 15 employees with a disadvantage on the labor market for many years. By further investing in the development of new technologies, we also want to remain an interesting employer in the future in the increasingly tightening labor market," concluded director Frank Veelenturf. "Now that the weather is permitted, we at Alucol want to celebrate our anniversary together with our staff in the near future. After all, 50 years is an important milestone and surely you can't let that go by unnoticed."