On 1 January 1917, the "United Engineering Consultancies for Construction and Hydraulic Engineering of Rotterdam and The Hague" was founded: a merger between an engineering consultancy owned by a Mr Heederik and that of the engineers Dwars, Groothoff and Verhey. In the years that followed, this federation flourished under various titles, but the name DHV - taken from the names of Dwars, Heederik en Verhey (Groothoff stepped down in June 1917) - would endure.
In the beginning...
The DHV engineering consultancy had a modest beginning, in a single room of a house in The Hague, home of founder Verhey. The complete staff consisted of two draughtsmen and a secretary. Their activities in those early years were mostly in connection with the ongoing Dutch battle against water, heavy storms in January and December 1916 having caused severe damage to the dikes of Noord-Holland and West-Friesland.
In 1920, DHV moved to Amersfoort, in the centre of the Netherlands. In 1928 the company moved into a villa on Tesselschadelaan in Amersfoort. DHV continued to grow steadily and by 1933 had no fewer than 25 staff. A major project for an electricity company, involving the construction of a new power station in Nijmegen, played an important part in helping DHV weather the Depression. Half the draughtsmen were assigned to this project and within three years the new power station was completed.
The war years were also difficult for DHV, although the construction of 'central kitchens' provided an importance source of new orders. It was in August 1940 that the Dutch Department of Food Supplies in Wartime asked DHV to draw up plans for its first 'central kitchen' in Rotterdam. By November that same year, the building had been completed. It answered a requirement and, as the war went on and the problem of feeding the population grew worse, led to the construction of more central kitchens with DHV's continued involvement.
From shortage to growth
The post-war reconstruction programme helped DHV grow from 50 staff to 250. They worked on power stations, factories, canals, drainage systems, purification plants: there was work aplenty and DHV continued to grow. Despite the ready availability of orders at this time, management was concerned that once the reconstruction of the Netherlands was complete, the work would 'dry up'. The company therefore started to look further afield. In 1952, DHV undertook its first overseas assignment, in Syria.
Growth continued and by 1970 DHV had a staff of around six hundred. Countless discussions and 'democratization' within DHV reflected the social changes of the era. The spirit of the age was clearly expressed in the company's new headquarters, in which open plan offices symbolized openness and equality.
On 1 December 1970, a new Dutch Act addressing the pollution of surface water came into effect. This heralded yet another successful period of growth for DHV, which was a leading authority in the area of water purification.
The early 1980s were somewhat less propitious and DHV began to concentrate on overseas growth. Its process of internationalization was continued, helped by participation in a number of overseas engineering consultancies and later, in the 1990s, by acquisitions. Between 1990 and 1992, the company payroll almost doubled - from 1200 to 2200.
DHV has seen two periods in which financial losses have led to major reorganization: 1982/83 and 1995. Some acquisitions made in the early 1990s proved to be loss-making and in 1996 the Executive Board decided to discontinue the activities of the offices in England, Spain and Germany. On 15 October that year, they also announced a merger with fellow engineering consultancy Heidemij (now known as Arcadis). However, three months later on 13 January 1997, the proposed deal was called off at DHV's initiative. The process of integration would have been far more complex, difficult and time-consuming than had originally been thought, and the anticipated added value to DHV would not have justified the costs involved.
The year 2000 and beyond...
DHV's new corporate strategy is aimed towards the strengthening of DHV Group as a whole. The company has adopted a specific market approach, geared towards distribution across client groups, countries, regions and core activities.
Project philosophy aims to foster DHV's involvement in the preliminary processes. One consequence of this approach has been the foundation, in late 1997, of DHV Management Consultants in which activities in organizational and policy advice are combined.
The company closed both 1996 and 1997 with a positive financial result, despite having made major investments in Human Resources Management, IT and its market positions. The company's solvency rate rose from 16% in 1995 to 33% in 1997. Staff numbers were again increasing and by the end of 1997, DHV had over 2600 employees. Larger accommodation was required and on 11 March 1998 the first concrete was poured for a new headquarters building on Laan 1914 in Amersfoort. The building was opened with appropriate festivities on 16 February 2000.
In the years ahead, efforts will concentrate on guaranteeing and strengthening DHV's continuity in the Netherlands, Europe and beyond. The Executive Board considers major growth essential. This will be achieved through both autonomous growth and through careful acquisitions.
In 2002, for instance, DHV acquired a 40% interest in the Canadian engineering firm Delcan, followed in 2003 by the takeover (100%) of NACO, Netherlands Airport Consultants. In late 2005, DHV increased its participating interest in its South African partner SSI to 65%. As a result, DHV is the first Dutch consultancy and engineering firm with a majority interest in a South African consultancy company.
2007: 90 years of DHV!
1 January 2007 marks DHV's 90th birthday. The company has grown into an international knowledge‑based organization with over 4000 employees, active all over the world through a network of companies in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.