HoSt Group: Young and dynamic

‘Sometimes I walk past one of our plants,’ says Jelle Klein Teeselink. ‘And I suddenly realise: this machine was merely a drawing two years ago and now look at it go. That’s pure magic every single time.’ It also typifies the HoSt Group. Instead of countless pilots and years of research, their main motto is: let’s just get started. ‘And then learn lessons from practice,’ Jelle explains. He studied Industrial Engineering and Management at UT and took over the company from his father four years ago. The latter started a consultancy firm in 1991, under the flag of the companies Holec and Stork. Eight years later he continued on his own, choosing HoSt Group as the new name for the family business.

Major player

‘Fast forward to 2024 and there’s a fast-growing, solid and innovative company that can continue for many years to come,’ father and son say. Europe, the US, New Zealand, Brazil, India, Japan, Morocco: these are just some of the places where HoSt Group operates. With a total of five hundred employees, most of them technicians, the same number of plants, offices in seven countries and its own product location and laboratories, this Twente-based company has every right to call itself a major player in the area of high-tech energy technology. ‘And we’re the only company offering all technologies, including service and maintenance, this way,’ says Jelle.

Even though Herman built the company from the ground up, it was never a sure thing that one of his children would one day take over from him. They were always given the freedom to choose their own paths. ‘Seven years ago, I wanted to sell the whole thing because of health problems,’ says Herman, a Chemical Engineering and Industrial Engineering & Management alumnus. ‘My wife and I invited the kids to dinner to share the news with them, thinking this would be the end of our family business.’ But that’s not what happened. ‘It was at that dinner that I told them I wanted to take over,’ Jelle continues. ‘My parents were a bit shocked; I think they had kind of given up hope already. Afterwards, my mother emailed me like three times to ask if I was really sure.’ But he was. In 2020, Jelle became the CEO.

Two generations

Although Herman is gradually cutting back his activities, he’s still involved in research and development three days per week. Two generations within one company, isn’t that asking for trouble? Both gentlemen agree it isn’t. ‘That’s also thanks to the company’s DNA,’ Jelle explains. ‘We’re in a market that changes every minute of every day. Adapting to new situations comes naturally to us. Also, seventy percent of our people are below forty. The dynamics of constant change are therefore very present.’ Herman agrees. ‘I actually love working with so many young people and seeing what gets them excited. And if you look at how few people leave the company, I think we’re doing a very good job.’

Silicon Valley

‘My father built up the company with values similar to those you see in the startup culture of Silicon Valley in the US,’ Jelle explains. ‘Big companies like Netflix, Amazon and Apple have several things in common: they have an open culture where everyone can give their opinion, contributing ideas is stimulated and it’s a place where you’re quick to see results. These principles are also woven into the fabric of our company.’

Wide range of positions

Herman adds: ‘First of all, we offer a wide range of interesting positions. It’s not a bureaucratic organisation where it takes five years before you can start something. No, you can think of something today and make it happen within two years. Our strength lies in our capacity to implement ideas very quickly. I give our employees lots of responsibility and want them to work independently. This means they’ll also be more versatile going forward.’ Proper supervision is obviously crucial in this respect, Herman thinks. ‘You do need two to three years to train someone, who can then start supervising young people in turn. It’s a kind of cycle that also works well for the company’s continuity.’

So much potential in this market.

Speaking of continuity, how does the duo see the future? ‘In any case, we want to keep up our current growth and expand our operations in America and Asia,’ says Herman. ‘A number of new technologies, relating to capturing CO2 from flue gas and hydrogen, are in their early stages.’ Jelle: ‘One of our plants captures one tonne of CO2 per hour. A car emits about double that each year. In other words, every two hours we take a combustion engine car off the road. That never gets old.’ Herman: ‘I’m an idealist. There’s still a huge amount of potential in this market and there are so many opportunities to work on a sustainable society together. It’s really great to keep making a contribution in this respect.’