Simple Technology, Endless Possibilities

Kapp is an unconventional and decisive engineering agency operating in the field of heat transfer. The company was founded by Tjark de Lange in 1997 in Spijkenisse, the Netherlands, and is one of Vahterus’ earliest partners.

Vahterus Editorial Team

After 25 years in business, de Lange is still at the helm of the company, which has grown into a heat-transfer specialist with 14 passionate employees.

Based in Dordrecht, Kapp relies on a worldwide network of specialised manufacturers and is the exclusive representative of Vahterus Plate & Shell Heat Exchangers in the Benelux. Furthermore, de Lange is the man who built the basis for Vahterus’ heat-transfer business in the oil and gas industry. ‘It started 25 years ago, when Tjark established Kapp Nederland. Vahterus was very small at that time, and Tjark was a hungry young sales engineer full of Dutch energy’, says Vahterus CEO Mauri Kontu.

He recalls a special memory from those early days, when Vahterus had received a unique customer order with material requirements and fittings that they couldn’t locate. ‘Tjark found these missing flanges etc. and brought them in his Golf Wagon to Vahterus through Sweden. And then he waited in Kalanti while we were working on the heat exchanger. At the end of the week, he loaded the unit in his car and drove it to his customer. For Tjark, the customer truly comes first’, says Kontu.

Over the years, by using his knowledge and experience every day, de Lange has refined his commitment to finding and delivering the best solution for each specific case into an exceptionally deep understanding of heat transfer. Although Kapp’s services and product scope have expanded considerably since the beginning, it still considers itself a niche company in the industry and takes pride in its in-depth, focused expertise.

The size and structure of the company allows for flexible services and quick action when it’s needed. This applies to specific customer commissions, as well as more generally in the business. Heat transfer happens in many different sectors, but the supply and demand fluctuate constantly. While giving rise to uncertainty, this has also been an opportunity for a creative and agile company like Kapp. If business in one sector is slow, they can use their products and services in another sector. ‘We decided to embrace this challenge and make it our strength’, de Lange says.

And a real strength it has been. During the 25 years of working together, nearly 2,000 Vahterus Plate & Shell Heat Exchangers have been delivered to Kapp. The partnership has been fuelled by the collaborative mindset of the Kapp team, and the abundance of new ideas that they’ve brought to Vahterus.

‘Technologies are constantly changing’, de Lange explains. ‘The technology of a heat exchanger is just as mature and basic as that of a windscreen wiper. However, this has never stopped us from inventing and refining innovative state-of-the-art approaches. The application of the heat exchanger is the crux of the matter.’

For de Lange, the challenge lies in continuing to improve a process that has been in existence for over 100 years. Kapp’s eagerness to develop or construct new solutions for its customers using Vahterus technology has brought success and growth to both companies.

‘Tjark and his team want to challenge us and we always want to rise to that challenge by finding the best solutions for them. This is exactly the feature we respect the most when building a strong partnership’, Kontu concludes.