– Gert Vermeer, owner of De Montage Centrale
“Flexibility is the power of our company”
Gert Vermeer, owner of De Montage Centrale: “We install almost anything in terms of glass, facades, windows, and flat roofs. It literally varies from a single bathroom window up to curtain wall systems of a few thousand square meters. Flexibility is the power of our company. We own our own crane and glass lifter. That makes us mobile and deployable in many fields. And if I need additional staff, I hire them. In this way, you always have the right people on the job. One is good in renovation, the other in new build. That is how we can conduct every installation ourselves, from A to Z.
“The thickness of the extension piece was decisive”
I have been working with glass lifters for 25 years and handled most models. Some are really heavy and very unpractical because of the hoses that come with them. But that’s quite different for the GBL2 of VIAVAC. It’s compact and easy to store. Everything fits neatly into one cart. But the machine’s extension piece was the deciding factor when choosing VIAVAC. The extension is made of a thick 40/40 tube. Because I started as a steel builder once, this immediately gave me confidence in the lifter.
Of course, there are always extras that would be useful. For example, I would love to see an adjustable short lifting lug similar to the long lug. Then you would be able to use the short lifting lug to rotate a glass panel.
I also made an adjustment myself. By removing the small bolt from the extension arm, I can make the GBL more compact and still lift heavy weights.
“Very friendly and helpful”
I have good contacts and positive experiences with VIAVAC. If there is a problem, they are always quick to act. It happened to me once that a vacuum lifter was out of order. Before the sun had set, a courier had delivered a new lifter on behalf of VIAVAC, and the old one was exchanged. I could continue to work on the job the very next day. It is important for me that I have such a company behind me. I only own one vacuum lifter, and I have to rely on an immediate solution.”