In 1976, I took a trip to a metal parts supplier and was given a tour of his factory, whereby I stumbled upon a batch of parts that I didn't recognise.
I asked, "What are those parts for?"
“These are the components of a hobby lamp. The customer, who is now bankrupt, was unable to pay, which is why they are still here” came the reply.
I realised I had to trade and requested if I could take ten sets with me to assemble in a sheltered workshop. This wasn’t a problem and I headed to the Social Workplace at Vlissingen / Middelburg to start painting and assembly.
I was absolutely delighted once I had the fully assembled samples and went to visit some larger potential customers, including Germany's leading mail order company QUELLE (Herr Boegle / Frau Schickendanz). Soon after that, I received a large order for 50 units.
I was able to sell the hobby lamp to mail order and lighting companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, in addition to QUELLE. The Soc. Werkplaats Middelburg/Vlissingen had enough capacity to manufacture this Hobby Lamp for me, and I had already outfitted a room in my house on the Bosdijklaan in Goes as an office.
I subsequently established VRIELAND B.V. in order to sell this Hobby Lamp.
You should be aware that in 1976, house lighting consisted of a metal wall lamp and a fabric shade ceiling lamp, normally with a decorative curved glass shell. However, workplace lighting was typically ceiling-mounted. TL bins.
The Hobby Lamp sales to QUELLE were going well when Herr Boegle (Purchaser of Quelle) got in touch. He said he might have a new product for me if I was interested.
I questioned, "Which product?"
To which he replied, "a mockery."
I didn't quite understand him because I had never heard of "a spot".
He responded by saying, "Come to Nürnberg, and I will show you the product since I have a sample."
He showed me "the mockery" when I later visited him in Nürnberg. Herr Boegle asked me if I could propose a fair price for it, with and without a reflector lamp, and packed in a sales box, based on 25000 pieces. It was a small wall spot (a plastic base that you could revolve around a wall plate with a metal pipe into which a reflector lamp fit). When I got home, I looked into where I could get the necessary parts, including the reflector lamp, for the best price.
After a few weeks, I had everything in order and was able to negotiate a fair price with Herr Boegle. Herr Boegle was pleased with the pricing and placed his first order. The largest issue was the reflector lamp, which was a primarily industrial lamp that was not widely utilised at the time. Philips, where I had ordered the bulb, inquired as to what I intended to accomplish with 25000 reflector lamps. I had just finished delivering the 25000 pieces when I received another order from QUELLE for another 25000 pieces.
Both the Hobby Lamp and the "Spot" lamp were well-received by QUELLE and sold very well, and I was given permission to market these items outside of Germany. I came up with the concept to conceal the lamp with a separate reflector cap that fit on the metal tube because the reflector lamp in the wall spotlight worked more or less like a spotlight (which I didn't like). I discussed this concept with Minner, my German supplier, and he immediately made me some prototypes using an "additional reflector." As a result, Combi-Spot was born, a product that also sold very well.
Considering my German metal supplier (Heine Minner) and I had similar tastes, we agreed to meet every other week to produce new "spot products." We quickly completed the development team by bringing in a specialised supplier of fittings (B.J.B.) and plastic parts (Werner Langer). The Sauerland German suppliers would invest in the appropriate machines, moulds, and materials, allowing me to market these products in VRIELAND.
Working with these suppliers, we (Minner and I) created a full family of spots in a year (including wall spots, clamp spots, 2-light beams, 3-light beams, Trio plates, and so on), and each family was given its own name, such as Top-Spot, Uni-Spot, Paris-Spot, and so on).
Meanwhile, I had hired an employee for the office to handle ordering, production, shipping, and invoicing. I had already outsourced the production of the spots to three Limburg Social Workplaces. I managed the Social Workplaces, sold the spots, and travelled to Germany every other week for product development. I bought a stand space for VRIELAND at the annual Lighting Fair ""SALON DE LUMINIERE"" in Paris in order to be able to offer/sell this full collection internationally.
I set up the stand with the help of a daughter of one of my suppliers and showcased the brand new collection, including the Hobby Lamp and Spot families. When the Fair opened the next morning, numerous competitive exhibitors and buyers were present, as were onlookers who came to marvel at this completely new notion of (Spot) lighting! (No one had ever seen a lighting concept like this before!)
VRIELAND's sales market opened up as a result of the Lighting Fair in Paris.
Almost everyone with a name in lighting was eager to buy / sell this lighting. In other words, I could pick and choose which customers I wanted to collaborate with. At the time, my clients included Massieve Belgium, Bauhaus Germany, Resistex and Aric from France, Firstlight UK, IKEA Sweden, and others.
VRIELAND grew rather quickly in this manner, and we required lots of skilled staff to lead this growth and provide decent jobs. Meanwhile, my twin brother Cees was working as Production Director, my son Quinten Jr. was working as Product Developer, and my other son Wim was in charge of purchasing. Richard, Cees' son, joined the sales team as well.
I stayed in charge of Product Development in Germany, as well as contacting, receiving, and visiting all larger customers in Europe, frequently using a single-engine aircraft from Antwerp Airport or Central Zeeland.
VRIELAND was therefore transformed into a true family enterprise!
From my home office, we moved to a larger office in Goes (above the supermarket "De Bussel", whose office burned down a few years later). Then we moved to a smaller industrial hall in Goes (next to the tennis hall). Finally we bought a large industrial building called "Eindewege" and put it to use, where eventually around 125 mainly young employees found work.
Because the production of spots in Limburg was no longer efficient owing to transportation and organisation, we phased them out and concentrated them in the facility in "Eindewege." What made it unique was that for the construction of the spots (in the new industrial hall "Eindewege"), we had organised a group of roughly 200 "home work families" from all over South Beveland. The pieces were transported there in a number of vehicles, and the entire product was gathered. The installed spotlights were then tested, packed, and shipped to the client at the production hall in "Eindewege." We also had the Vlissingen/Middelburg and Goes workshops, which were both beneficial.
It's difficult to believe that we were still doing everything manually back then, because that was the year the computer first emerged. For example, my twin brother Cees personally corrected and tallied the manufacturing goods every weekend with a crew of permanent employees. The missing stock was reordered the next week based on this audit.
We exceeded the 30 million guilder mark in the early 1990s, and it was at this time that ATAG, one of the first companies to have a working computer, called us and asked if we were interested in a company takeover. The listed ATAG, which was large in the manufacture of extractor hoods and bicycles, among other things, was looking for a lighting company to set up a product range called "Young Living."
ATAG, who unconditionally believed in VRIELAND's range and budget, continued to press for 50 million, and VRIELAND became part of ATAG in 1987. One of the takeover requirements was that the van de Vrie family (my brother Cees, his son Richard, and my sons Quinten Jr. and Wim) leave VRIELAND willingly 3 months after the takeover. (If ATAG took over the company, there would no longer be any participating family members). Quinten Sr van de Vrie was also required to relocate to Hong Kong in order for European lighting (spots and halogen table lamps) to be manufactured in China (at that time, lighting was only available on a limited scale in China. Including 110-Volt table and floor Lamps for the American market, which didn't appear to be particularly attractive).
VRIELAND (under the management of ATAG) would have the right to be the first to buy or sell this lighting.
When I arrived in Hong Kong, I established E-LiTE (European Lighting) and opened an office with a showroom in the STAR-HOUSE, as well as hired a number of employees, including two quality controllers. Under my leadership, we were the first to introduce Spot lighting, including Halogen table and floor lamps to China. As a result, E-LITE was the first company in Europe to market Chinese-made spotlights. Our clients mostly consisted of department store chains in Germany, England, and France, as well as European OEM manufacturers.
Because the ATAG computer still did not work even a year after the takeover of VRIELAND and ATAG had already bid farewell to the van de Vrie family after 3 months, VRIELAND (under ATAG management) was unable to serve the customers or did not supply them on time, thus these customers became very disgruntled and eventually left. After a year under ATAG's administration, all of VRIELAND's employees were laid off, and the company was closed down.
After 7 years and after establishing the production of Spots and Halogen table and floor lamps in Hong Kong, I sold E-LITE. It was a truly "tropical time" for me and my wife (just working, including the weekend). Furthermore, my third son, Alexander, was born, and we did not want him to grow up in Hong Kong. In 1998, we returned to the Netherlands.
Because ATAG was still unable to deliver to clients on time six months after taking over VRIELAND (quality and delivery timeframes were woefully inadequate), VRIELAND consumers frequently called my twin brother Cees, asking him whether he saw a chance to start a new lighting company. This eventually culminated in the formation of a new lighting company known as Lighting Partner.