OnderhoudNL, the trade association for painting contractors, glaziers and property maintenance specialists, has been a partner of TrackJack Europe since late 2022. From self-employed professionals and SMEs to companies with over 100 employees, they ensure the maintenance and sustainability of the Netherlands. We spoke to Mark Hulsen, sector manager for the Painting sector at OnderhoudNL.

You don’t need to explain anything about painting to Mark. He represents 2,000 members through OnderhoudNL, but also has the necessary technical painting experience himself.   

After completing what is now known as the Painting Trade Training Programme, a career as a painter with the Ministry of Defence and a role as an advisor to training companies at SBB, he ended up at OnderhoudNL. “That certainly makes talking to our members a lot easier”.

Skilled tradespeople should be proud of their work again

“The most important thing,” says Mark, “is that the painter takes pride in their work again and is a valuable partner for the customer. Anyone can slap paint on a piece of wood, but you need to work with the customer to identify what’s required, be able to offer advice and add real value. We help them with that. The painter or glazier delivers the craftsmanship and we support them with the things they can’t solve on their own, don’t have the time or knowledge for, or where the network is lacking,” says Mark.

“This could include lobbying the government, investing in innovations to work smarter, helping to train skilled workers, or simply saving money by offering collective member benefits for insurance, software or a mileage tracking system. An entrepreneur is always an entrepreneur, isn’t he?”

“But the association also helps entrepreneurs with very practical matters. Think, for example, of an inspection checklist that can be gone through with the client both at the start and after the job is completed. This allows the painting firm to demonstrate quality, which builds trust. Or assistance with everything to do with your staff. Most companies are too small to have their own HR department. It is precisely for this group that we have countless tools to help them. And if there is ever a dispute with an employee or client, we have our own legal advisers ready to assist them.”

“We also ensure that we sort out the other practicalities. We help with standard contracts, but also with handy tools such as digital journey logging. For our members, it often goes far beyond simply avoiding additional tax liability. Being able to see who’s nearby is often even more important. This makes the work faster, more efficient and simply saves you a lot of money. Not to mention insight into CO2 emissions,” says Mark.