Both UK-based Extraction Solutions (ESL) and Dutch family business Modesta are experts on dust extraction with several generations of experience. They found each other in their shared mission of finding the right solution for every customer. Now, they work together on UK-based projects to ensure clean, safe and efficient factories.
Wyboud Kloppenburg and James Parkes are both in the business of dust extraction. Being the third and second generation in their family businesses, respectively, they make sure woodworking businesses can keep their factories clean and safe. Their close-knit collaboration has been going on for almost seven years, but it started out with a single phone call in 2018.
“With many projects in the UK and Ireland, I found myself travelling back and forth regularly,” recalls Wyboud, from Modesta.
In order to enable a faster service to clients on the other side of the sea, he was looking for a local partner.
“I had seen Extraction Solutions’ work on a couple of occasions at jobs throughout the country and I’d noticed the quality of their work: from all the different projects I’d seen, they were the best.”
The feeling was mutual: “We’d seen Modesta’s filters at work on-site and liked their cascading system and built-in fans, and were particularly impressed by how much energy they saved, so when Wyboud called us up to arrange for a meeting, we were very happy,” recalls James from Extraction Solutions.
Turn-key solutions
Extraction Solutions is a Yorkshire-based business that started out in 2012. Founders Neil Parkes and Nick Wright had worked on over 100 installations together in their previous jobs, Nick with a focus on installation and Neil as an extraction specialist.
They realised that together, they could design and implement the best extraction and handling solutions available. With their business, they deliver everything from small-scale projects to turn-key extraction systems for big factories, mostly within the woodworking industry.
Both of their sons are currently active in the company as well. James Parkes started on-site but gradually moved into contracting and designing. Now, he oversees the larger projects.
“I’ve had a lot of freedom to discover the different jobs and departments within the company,” James says. “That helps me do my job well: having worked on-site in various roles has given me a better understanding of the whole process.”
Empowering clean air
Like James, Wyboud Kloppenburg has had several roles within his family’s company before taking over the baton from his father, Diederick, in 2018. His grandfather founded the business in 1949, amid the post-war reconstruction period in the Netherlands.
Starting out as a company specialised in the drying and conditioning of grains and grasses by applying heat and air, Modesta slowly shifted towards ventilation technology for the agri, woodworking and recycling industry under the reign of Diederick Kloppenburg, son of the founder.
When Wyboud took over his father’s role, he had been involved in the family business for many years already. He currently oversees general operations, sales and client contact, travelling all over the world regularly.
Efficiency and transparency
Both family businesses value a customer-first approach. “Being family-owned, we’re not trying to please any shareholders,” says James. “For both me and Wyboud, it’s not just about selling: it’s about doing a good job. We want to provide a great solution for a reasonable price.” That translates to an efficient, transparent way of working.
“We don’t just go in and provide what a customer asks for: we also challenge their ideas and offer advice based on our past experience,” explains James. “They appreciate that a lot. We work together with the customer to ensure they get the best system possible.”
Joining forces
Both companies have their own expertise: while Modesta has three generations worth of experience in extraction, ESL brings its extensive knowledge about ducting.
Their first mutual project took place in 2016, when they delivered a filter installation at the Images Kitchens and Bedrooms factory in Chester.
Recently, they delivered their largest project to date, at Wren Kitchens, with an extraction capacity of 1,700,000m3/h. But smaller projects, like the one at Select Interiors, are part of their mutual portfolio, too.
“For us, it’s an added value that we have a local partner on the ground, someone that has a network in the area and can take care of the operational and practical aspects of installing a project,” says Wyboud, “they can also take care of service and stocking spare parts.”
James elaborates: “We can do most of the servicing ourselves, but if we need any modifications on the software, we simply call Modesta and they fix things remotely.”
By combining the two companies’ knowledge and capacity, they’re able to take on any dust extraction project, whether big or small.
