Business News
Official street sign for Océ
Monday 12. January 2009 - Océ is one of the eight Dutch companies that invest most heavily in Research & Development. In the course of time, six streets in the Netherlands have been named after the founders of almost all these companies.
The time has come to imprint the seventh founding father in this honor list of Dutch industrialists. His name? Lodewijk van der Grinten, founder of the Van der Grinten pharmacy (1857-1889), inventor of butter coloring (1877) and the man who established the Chemical Factory L. van der Grinten, nowadays Océ. As a token of appreciation for the substantial contribution that Océ has made over the years to Venlo – still Océs hometown – the Venlo City Council has decided to present an appropriate gift to the founding fathers and their family – an official street nameplate. As of Friday 9 January 2009, the Van der Grintenstraat will become part of the Venlo street plan, replacing the western part of the current Hakkesstraat where the Océ Research & Development facilities are located.
Unique and innovative street sign
Océ has taken the opportunity to make an innovative design of its new street nameplate, hereby distinguishing itself from the typical signpost used for decades throughout the Netherlands. A conscious decision was taken to locate the street nameplate at a strategic intersection marking the hub of two important Océ facilities.
Local cooperation
Thanks to the cooperation among local companies such as Scheuten Glas Venlo, Lagotronics en AGMI BV/Signs Direct BV, Océ sets the tone within the Venlo Partners Program and the benchmark for technological innovation. The Océ design comprises a street nameplate and an integrated map providing three-dimensional information about the immediate vicinity. This is not only a unique concept for Océ and the municipality of Venlo, but also for the country. The map is printed on a wide format printer, the Océ Arizona 350 GT, on high quality laminated glass and illuminated from below with professional, energy-saving LED lighting that safeguards the safety of road users. The three-dimensional structure is variable and can also be tailor-made for other locations within the Venlo City Council and surrounding municipalities. By using Diamond Grade reflecting foil as the basis for the text of the street nameplate, annual emissions of some two million pounds are averted. Even on this kind of scale, Océ makes its contribution to the cradle-to-cradle principle. At the same time, Océ reciprocates Venlos unique gift of a street nameplate by giving something back to the City Council, making a substantial contribution to their image campaign to position Venlo more prominently on the Dutch map as a city embracing the future. As the centerpiece of the Venlo Trade Port, Océ connects an extensive, modern industrial estate with an ideal infrastructure of road, rail and water.