1905: the first steps
The history of SVK dates back to 1905. That is when Léon Scheerders and his wife Camilla van Kerchove started a coal business in Sint-Niklaas. While these activities peaked in the winter, the summer was predominantly a very slow period. In order to get through the slow summer months, the couple quickly added building materials to their business. Shortly after, the very first bricks were produced. A success story was born...
100 years of growth and innovation
SVK grew at an amazing pace in the first half of the 20th century. During this period, the product range was continuously expanded. In 1907 they began manufacturing cement bricks, in 1922 fibre cement products and in 1939 facing bricks. Even after World War II, the company continued to develop pioneering services and products. Milestones in this continuous search for innovation include:
On 8 August 1905 Léon Scheerders and his wife Camilla van Kerchove set up their company “Pannen en Steenbakkerijen van Sint-Nicolaas” (Tiles and Brickyards), manufacturing and trading bricks, tiles, paving stones and pipes.
The company started off with just 4 hectares, but soon expanded onto nearby land and fields, over an area of 140 hectares. It was not until 1923 that the company began producing its range of fibre cement products.
In 1928 the company name changed to “naamloze vennootschap Scheerders van Kerchove’s Verenigde Fabrieken” (United Factories of Scheerders van Kerchove), or SVK nv for short.
Barely a year after its foundation in 1905, work began on excavating the first clay pit. The stone factory was one of the first to use a Hoffman round brick kiln. Production of bricks started in 1939.
Since the founding of their fibre cement facade panel division, SVK has created a wave of innovative and unprecedented new varieties for use in facade cladding. This sustainable material is also clearly a blessing for architects, among others.
In 1979, the architectonic decorative concrete division was set up. With its evolution over the years, the focus was now on larger projects. Leading architecture was combined with a careful eye for finishing, without losing sight of technical functionality.
During the 1990's, SVK launched a new production line for fibre cement materials. This material was already demonstrated to be very fire retardant and easy to maintain. As such, SVK chose to develop this particular line.
Time for innovation. The new and hi-tech finishing line for fibre cement slates was set up at this time. These slates were treated to prevent moss formation and were easy to work with. They also complemented SVK's range of fibre cement facade panels.
After several decades, SVK expanded its fibre cement facade panel division with a state-of-the-art sawing machine. SVK also installed a new lab, in order to continue its innovation, and immediately develop and test out the latest technologies.
In 2016, a major investment was made in a new finishing line for facade panels. In partnership with Heliatek in Munich, SVK also won the prize for the best product development with its integration of supple solar panels.
In 2019, SVK launched a new type of facade panel: "Decoboard Pure".
SVK is 115 years old.
We have come a long was as a manufacturer of building materials. Today, fibre cement is the basic material for all SVK products i.e. slates, cladding slabs and corrugated sheets. The properties of fibre cement make it a future-proof building material.
We are constantly evolving to keep innovating and optimising our products.
Svk worldwide
With the evolution of the Belgian construction sector, SVK also started to work more and more internationally. We are now already represented in the following countries.
We are proud that
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