At Peter Dekker Installaties (PDI) in Naaldwijk, in the Dutch greenhouse district of Westland, Bas de Goede had accumulated enough leave to effectively retire as of October 2025. Yet he chose to keep coming in, two days a week, at the company's request. "I just closed a sale," he says with a grin. In recent years, alongside his work as a project supervisor, Bas had taken on a sales role as well. "PDI always gave me a lot of freedom in what I did. I could put a lot of myself into my work."
© PDI
Carpenter ends up in greenhouse construction
His career at PDI began on 1 March 1984, the very day the company was founded. Bas knows the rich history of PDI well, part of which is captured in photographs on the wall of the meeting room. He looks back fondly on the many parties and trips he shared with colleagues over the years, watching Formula 1 racing in Barcelona, or sea fishing off Scheveningen.
Bas grew up in Vlaardingen and trained as a carpenter, but found his way into greenhouse construction during the early 1980s, a period marked by high unemployment in the Netherlands. "Word got around that there was good work to be found in the Westland," he recalls. He joined a greenhouse construction company, and when that business went into receivership, he and a colleague moved to PDI. His hands-on experience with screening systems proved immediately useful.
Years on the road as a service engineer
In its early years, PDI was a small, close-knit team led by founder Peter Dekker senior. As a service engineer, Bas travelled extensively across Europe, completing projects in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Finland, among other countries. "Peter would sell a project, and we'd load up the van and head out." On one occasion, a photo from his desk drawer tells the story: Bas and a group of subcontractors stand in the foreground, with a towering wall of snow visible behind the greenhouse.
As greenhouses grew larger and more complex, so did PDI, with an increasing focus on screening systems. Bas notes that the concept still requires some explanation outside the industry. "Tomato growers didn't used to use screen cloths. Now, with energy costs what they are, we install multiple screens even in tomato greenhouses."
His years as a field engineer included a wide range of projects, not only screening installations, but also automatic doors and mobile lighting systems.
© PDIInternational job with a thick blanket of snow outside the greenhouse
Bassies
Bas progressed from service engineer to team leader, and eventually to project supervisor, a role he took on willingly. He delivered numerous projects for orchid growers on behalf of PDI, and in later years combined his supervisory work with sales, an area where his long experience gave him a natural advantage. Many of his client relationships span more than forty years.
His specialism as a project supervisor became renovation work, complex jobs that he found particularly satisfying. "I often sell the more complicated projects: screens, doors, facades. That kind of work has come to be called Bassies around the office."
Technical innovations
With his extensive hands-on knowledge, Bas contributed to several technical developments at PDI. When increasing faults were detected in complex screening installations, his background helped lay the groundwork for the introduction of shaft protection technology in screening systems. "Other companies use it now too, but it started here, at PDI," he says. He was also involved in the development of the delayed magnetic block. Innovation, he notes, remains a priority at the company today.
© PDI
Hard worker
As PDI grew, its team of project supervisors expanded to five — a reflection of the company's growth over the decades. For a period, Bas was one of just two; when his colleague moved into a different role, he carried the position alone. It was a demanding stretch for someone who worked hard and was rarely ill. He learned to draw boundaries. "Growers would call in the evenings. I'd take calls up to a certain point, then put the phone down. And the next morning I'd be back at my desk at six."
Bas's final official working day falls in mid-May, shortly before he turns 67 and reaches the statutory retirement age. He is not apprehensive about stepping back. He has plenty of hobbies, including making art, and he is a proud father and grandfather. Fridays, he says, are already reserved for looking after his grandchildren.
He plans to keep his familiar mobile number after retirement, while clients with business enquiries will deal directly with PDI going forward. He also expects to remain a regular presence in the Westland area. "I'll come by for lunch, pick up plants, or have a coffee. The Westland always pulls you back."
PDI's management thanked Bas for more than forty years of commitment, craftsmanship and loyalty. "PDI is where it is today in part because of your work, and for that we are grateful."
© PDIPlaying football with the PDI team
For more information:
Peter Dekker Installaties
Industriestraat 40
2671 CT Naaldwijk
Tel.: 0174 629 444
[email protected]
www.pdi.nl
