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History
'Centrop Houtimport' was founded in Amsterdam in 1933 under the name 'Centraal Europese Houtindustrie'. It primarily traded in softwood, and in the 1950s and 1960s, the company became a specialist in the import and distribution of Central European timber. At that time, the main suppliers of timber for construction were located in Austria and East and West Germany. 'Centrop', as the company was known in the industry at the time, was the most important customer in the Netherlands for LIGNA, the largest producer of scaffolding planks and concrete beams from Czechoslovakia.
History
In addition to Central European timber, growing quantities of Scandinavian softwood and, later, tropical hardwood were traded. To meet the increasing market demand for fast deliveries, the timber storage facility in centrally located Lienden was built in the 1970s. As a result, Centrop became the leading Dutch specialist for Central European spruce for many years.
Acquisitions and mergers
Meanwhile, the company had built up such a good reputation that the English company Montague Meyer showed interest and acquired the company, later followed by the acquisition of Houthandel Van Riesen in Goes.
Montague Meyer subsequently merged with International Timber, which owned, among others, Houthandel Rote Westzaan. This resulted in a new company named Meyer International. The Dutch import activities were consolidated, with 'Centrop' acting as the softwood wholesaler in the new combination following Meyer International's acquisition of Koninklijke Houthandel v/h William Pont in 1990. After 1996, this combination returned to Dutch ownership.
The import company traded under the name 'PontCentrop' and continued to grow rapidly, primarily thanks to the trade in Russian spruce and pine, making it the largest player in the Dutch timber market. The hardwood activities were phased out and 'PontCentrop' became a pure softwood specialist, which it remains to this day. With the relocation of the parent company from Ponteiland to the current Zuiderhout location in Zaandam, PontCentrop moved along, and rapidly growing volumes of softwood were transported and distributed there by ship and road.
Softwood wholesaler
The consumption of freshly sawn Central European timber declined and was replaced by dried Scandinavian or Russian timber. As a result, activities in Lienden decreased and were transferred to Zuiderhout. From 2010, the activities of the planing mill “De Twee Gebroeders”, which is also located on the Zaandam site, were merged with those of 'PontCentrop'. This combination was named “Centrop Houtimport”. The company has now grown into a broadly oriented softwood wholesaler focused on the daily delivery of processed and unprocessed timber to trade and industry in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. We are your softwood expert.
