Bunnik Group firmly believes that working electric can be profitable. By facilitating and investing in it, they managed to extend their maintenance contract with the municipality of Woerden. The tender was based on one requirement: 100 percent electric.
Managing Director Frank Mollenhof explains:
“After an initial pre-selection, the municipality of Woerden issued a request that scored 100 percent on quality within a fixed budget. The focus lay on two EMAT components: sustainability and ownership of local knowledge. We had already worked there for six years, so that was covered. An interview about our approach was also part of the award procedure. In our plan we specified the extras we could offer beyond the calculated contract price, among other things, having employees travel to work in an electric vehicle. Our policy line is clear: everything that can be electric, will be electric. We will not do it all at once, but in 2024 and 2025 we will link it to market availability.”
Creating a safe, healthy living environment for employees, residents and future generations is paramount at Bunnik Group. Mollenhof adds: “That also means making our equipment more sustainable. We aim to reduce fossil-fuel use, and electrification is a solid answer. We already work with sustainable hot-water units and almost all hand tools are electric. Battery weight is an important point if you have to work a whole day with it. We are therefore testing electric cranes and (mini) loaders and are investing in them.”
Other sustainability concepts—such as bokashi, bio-based joints and alternating mowing management—are also applied. “We often run pilots with clients and monitor results for optimisation. We’re no ‘Gyro Gearloose’. When it comes to electric machines we actively scan the market, request references and conduct trials. Checking whether the batteries suit the intended use, bearing in mind actual daily operating hours, seldom a full eight, is crucial in the final choice.”
Mollenhof confirms that the 100 percent electric tool carriers from AllTrec meet the firm’s power and deployment needs: “But happy residents remain our most important KPI,” he says. “A major advantage of the AllTrec is zero exhaust gases for the operator. And regarding noise, ear protection is unnecessary. The cab offers full comfort, so the operator can work very ergonomically.”
He notes a difference between use on integrated maintenance projects and frequency-based tasks: “The mower deck, for instance, is narrower than on comparable fossil-fuel machines. On large areas this can be a disadvantage in a tender. Yet once an assignment is scored on sustainability criteria, that drawback often vanishes. Put differently: the machines suit both, but production capacity, dictated by working width, remains a key consideration.”
Workshop chief Anjo Nap has significant influence on vehicle choice. “We focus on sustainability to win contracts,” he says. “Our fleet counts about eighty vehicles, of which eight are electric, soon to be thirteen. That includes pick-ups for green-waste transport. For carrying staff to Leiderdorp we use an electric double-cab bus.”
Bunnik Group began its journey with the very first AllTrec tool carrier, fitted with a gas-powered WeedControl unit for weed control. “We couple similar equipment to electric quads,” Nap continues. “The second and third AllTrecs followed rapidly, each equipped with brushes, and we use them in Zoetermeer. Technically, the AllTrec tool carriers are solid. When the Woerden contract renewal included lawn mowing, we looked at that brand’s mowing machine: the 4WD AllTrec 8015F with a 75 kW battery and a 270 cm rotary mower deck.”
Sales adviser Eduard van der Zwam from supplier Kraakman has worked with Bunnik Group for 25 years: “They were one of my first clients,” he recalls. “Initially they ran on diesel, but their new approach is certainly paying off. We now have three 8015F machines and one 4810T three-wheeler AllTrec running at Bunnik Group. The latter is often paired with the WeedControl E-Variator, but other tools fit as well, such as a brush arm, roller broom, leaf blower, hedge trimmer and flail deck.”
“Last season we delivered two machines with weed brushes,” Van der Zwam continues. “And now one with that wide mower deck, which lets you mow at least eight hours on a battery charge and even handles slopes well. All the tool carriers share simple operation, light weight, manageable length and a comfortable cab. At handover we always ask whether the machine is insured, train users and highlight workshop and safety points. That was less extensive at Bunnik Group, because they already have field experience with three AllTrecs.”
For more than 35 years Bunnik Group has been active in the construction and maintenance of green spaces for a wide client base—public greenery for municipalities as well as large gardens for companies and institutions. In recent years they added surveying, consultancy and design of outdoor areas. The firm is now even involved in neighbourhood and road reconstructions due to soil subsidence in its working area.
They have extensive experience with multi-year green-maintenance contracts, both frequency-based and image-quality based. Fixed crews ensure that the area looks well-kept all year and meets quality standards. Bunnik Group provides permanent jobs for 100 employees and seasonal work for 150.
The AllTrec debuted in 2018 as a brand-new, fully electric tool carrier developed by Weed Control and FPS-Machines, resulting in the spin-off FPS-Electric. Both the machine and the 270 cm electric mower deck were designed from scratch. The deck features seven blades and seven individually driven mowing motors; left and right sections fold up independently. A mulch kit for the rear-discharging deck is optionally available.
Original article in Dutch By Broer de Boer, Stad + Groen, “Bunnik Groep: blije bewoners is onze belangrijkste KPI,” 18 October 2024, translated to English.
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