Mourik takes a solid step towards sustainable business operations with sale of shares in BlueAlp and CR Asia - Press Release

CEO Kees Jan Mourik: “The development of the hydrogen-powered excavator and the establishment of Mourik Technics are tangible results we achieved in 2021.”

Annual figures for 2021: Turnover of over €469 million, virtually the same as in 2020.

Joh. Mourik & Co. Holding B.V. looks back on 2021 with satisfaction. The annual figures show turnover of more than €469 million, virtually the same as in 2020. The results were boosted significantly by the sale of shares in BlueAlp and CR Asia. Mourik is using the income from these sales to make its activities more sustainable. For example, with the launch of Mourik Technics in Belgium, the holding company is expanding its field of activity to include sustainable HVAC systems for buildings. Additionally, the commissioning of the company's zeroemission Liebherr crawler excavator, developed in collaboration with Accenda, has put Mourik even more firmly on the map as a partner and innovator in sustainability. Mourik, one of the larger family businesses in the Netherlands, heads a group of companies that focus on infrastructure activities, industrial services, environmental activities, gas and liquid purification, and the conversion of waste into usable feedstock.

Though the figures for 2021 are healthy, for Mourik this was also a year in which the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on daily operations. Kees Jan Mourik, CEO of Mourik: “Dealing with the ever-changing situation continued to require a lot of flexibility, resilience, creativity and good collaboration so that we could continue to work responsibly and safely. This placed great demands on our people again in 2021, and we are again very proud of their efforts and the results achieved.”

Clearing the way for investments in sustainable business activities

The distribution of turnover over the divisions remained largely in line with that of previous years. The operating result was slightly positive; however, thanks to the sale of various participations Mourik still managed to make a profit of €28 million in 2021. This was made possible in part thanks to the sale of the company’s minority interest in CR Asia, which specializes in industrial cleaning in India, Thailand and Malaysia. Kees Jan Mourik: “It has proved difficult to force a change of course towards a sustainable future in these countries, especially from our minority position. Selling so that we can invest is the best option.”

The partial sale of the shares of BlueAlp to Shell also made a positive contribution to the company’s results. Shell has taken a 21.25% equity stake in BlueAlp. With BlueAlp’s technology, plastic waste that is difficult to recycle can be transformed into a recycled feedstock, pyrolysis oil, that can then be used to make sustainable plastics. “By involving Shell in BlueAlp, we can more quickly make this technology available worldwide. This is an acceleration that contributes significantly to making the oil and gas industry more sustainable,” says Kees Jan Mourik. These stable turnover figures and the funds released from the sale of various participations both ensure a solid foundation for Mourik in 2022 and pave the way for further investments in sustainable business activities.

Sustainability as a strategic choice

Over the next few years Mourik will be concentrating entirely on the three focus areas Energy, Transportation & Mobility, and Water Management. This choice is further elaborated in Route ’25, Mourik’s strategic compass. “Creating smart solutions for customers is the guiding principle in this. The means are structural innovation and we want to realize this with the help of the innovation accelerators data, digital, sustainability and circularity,” explains Kees Jan Mourik. “The development of the hydrogen-powered excavator and the launch of Mourik Technics were first tangible results of Route ’25 in 2021.”

The zero-emission Liebherr crawler excavator developed by Mourik in collaboration with Accenda in 2021.

A long tradition of sustainability

Route ’25 and the associated focus on sustainability used to go by the name “environmentally friendly business practices”, something Mourik has always carried through on. “We are really just continuing our long tradition of sustainable business practices,” explains Kees Jan Mourik. Many people in the Netherlands will still remember the first soil contamination affair in the country. This occurred in 1980 in the town of Lekkerkerk where 300 homes were found to have been built on heavily contaminated land. Thanks to Mourik’s soil remediation efforts, this site was made fit for human habitation once more. Mourik was also responsible for decontaminating the site of the decommissioned phosphorus plant Thermphos in Vlissingen, a project completed in 2019. And then there is Mourik EGP. Founded in 2017, this business unit specializes in diesel emission after-treatment systems (EAS). An EGP EAS can, for example, remove 95% of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter from the diesel engines of inland vessels, industrial machines and construction equipment so that these can meet even the most stringent legal emission reduction requirements. Kees Jan Mourik: “The examples are numerous and the experience gained is invaluable when it comes to moving towards a sustainable future.”

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