25 August 2023
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David van de Runstraat owns Rederij Cascade in Maasbracht with his wife and Bianca. He is the inspiration to answer the "five questions to" this time.
"I am David van de Runstraat and I am the director and owner of Rederij Cascade in Maasbracht, a full-service canal company. I don't run the company by myself, I do so together with my partner Bianca. Together with a team of forty employees, both permanent and flexible, we provide a variety of round trips on the Maas and Maasplassen lakes. Our fleet consists of two day passenger ships with a total capacity of 400 persons. From tourist cruises, organized group outings, parties and events: we do it!"
.How is Rederij Cascade contributing to the transitions?
"We have taken several steps in recent years to further develop our business, including in the areas of digitization, health of our staff and sustainability in general.
For example, last winter we replaced all of our old diesel engines with the most sustainable Stage V engines. These meet the most stringent emission standards of nitrogen and particulate matter, as laid down in the Green Deal. In addition, we invest in sustainable and CO2-reducing projects, offsetting the CO2 emissions of our fleet.
An equally important part of the fleet are our employees. This is why we have been affiliated with the collective bargaining agreement for day recreation since January 2023. The workload is not evenly distributed throughout the year due to seasonal influences. Over 80% of our annual turnover is achieved in six months. With this collective agreement, we offer ourselves and our employees protection against excesses. In addition, we have also relieved the captain of our canal cruises of the secondary task, so that he can fully focus on a good and safe cruise.
In addition, we have also taken a big step in terms of digitalization. We have developed the Maasplassen TimeTravellers app that takes the experience of our passengers to the next level. With this app you take a dive into the past with all kinds of cultural-historical facts, anecdotes, sagas and legends about the waters. Kids can even digitally catch fish in the Maasplassen."
"With the Maasplassen TimeTravellers app, take a dive into the past with all kinds of cultural-historical facts, anecdotes, sagas and legends about the waters."
Why are these transitions so central to your company?
"It makes it possible to work more efficiently and it contributes in a positive way to economic efficiency. In addition, of course, we consider the health of our employees very important."
Are you working with partners for these developments?
"Yes, that is also necessary. Entrepreneurship has become more and more networking. The success of your company no longer depends on working ín your company, but on working án your company. Together with others you get from an early idea to a concrete plan. It takes a lot of time, but you get a lot in return."
How has LIOF helped you?
LIOF helped us with the further development of the Maasplassen TimeTravellers application. We ran into the fact that the content of the app could conflict with the information given by the captain along the way. In addition, not every captain has a knack for languages, but you do want to offer all your passengers the same experience and share information. With the system we developed together, we offer all passengers a unified experience. The digital tool seems simple and therefore a solution should be obvious. Yet it turned out that this functionality was not yet "off-the-shelf" on the market.
So we came to the development of a digital tool that shares information about the sights in three different languages based on a GPS trigger. This all runs in sync with the sound system and video screens. We can add as many coordinates as we want, which also allows us to easily introduce new content or changes."
Where will you be in 5 years?
"The canal cruise is an outing that has been around for decades, and unfortunately it has a dusty image among some audiences. But thanks to developed tools and other investments in our interior and technology, we blow the dust off the canal cruise. It's quite an experience!
All our investments form a nice basis for the further growth of the company. A third ship is then obvious, for example, perhaps it can serve the northern side of Limburg."
Do you have any tips for other entrepreneurs?
"Investing in transitions is seen as costly, complicated or time-consuming. But every entrepreneur has plans for the future, right? Don't look at the barriers, look at the opportunities. You will find that very often there are incentive programs on a national, provincial and even municipal scale. Moreover, see the extra expenses as an investment to keep your business attractive. Not just for your customer, also for your employees."