History

The ergonomics specialist in the Netherlands for more than 25 years. How we started and have grown to where we are today, we would like to tell you!
History
Establishment of BakkerElkhuizen (1994)
Movement scientists Wim Bakker and Jan-Willem Elkhuizen establish ergonomic consulting firm BakkerElkhuizen to provide companies with ergonomic advice. They soon notice a need for aids to improve the interaction between man and computer.

Invention of document holder (1994)
BakkerElkhuizen devises the innovative concept of an in-line document holder to prevent excessive neck bending and movements when working with documents: the Q-Doc document holder is born. The in-line document holder is received with great enthusiasm and soon finds a ready market.

Screen height (1998)
The next challenge presents itself: monitors that are too low lead to unnecessary neck and shoulder complaints. Again BakkerElkhuizen sets to work and in 1998 the monitor stand sees the light of day.
Break software (1999)
As movement scientists, both founders establish that not only working posture, but also working behaviour has a major influence on healthy, comfortable and efficient monitor work. For this reason, they acquired the non-exclusive dealership of WorkPace break software in 1999. Software and ergonomic solutions are sold to companies and organisations in the Netherlands.

In that same year, a new challenge presents itself: laptops are becoming more and more popular and BakkerElkhuizen foresees ergonomic challenges with the concept of a monitor linked to the keyboard. Using the keyboard at the correct distance requires excessive bending of the neck in order to 'dive into the monitor' and positioning the monitor at the correct height makes it impossible to use the keyboard...
 
Establishment of ErgoDirect (2000)
In 2000, WorkPace dealers BakkerElkhuizen and Harley Systems (John van Hooft) found each other and set up the company ErgoDirect to boost the sales of break software.
Soon after its establishment, the shareholders see great opportunities for the BakkerElkhuizen portfolio of ergonomic accessories through ErgoDirect. It is decided to let the sales of break software and ergonomic accessories to companies and organisations go through ErgoDirect. From now on, BakkerElkhuizen will focus on building a national and international network of BakkerElkhuizen partners. Introduction of new products such as the Ergo-Q laptop holders takes place via partners such as ErgoDirect.

Establishment of ErgoBrain (2003)
John van Hooft decides to found ErgoBrain to market his ideas for different products. Supplemented by high-quality products of third parties, including the Evoluent mouse, ErgoBrain creates a broad portfolio of ergonomic accessories.
Invention of FlexDesk and FlexTop (2003)
ErgoBrain introduces FlexDesk, an innovative document holder with a moving work surface for data input, reading and writing.  ErgoBrain also introduces the innovative FlexTop, a laptop stand that can be attached to your laptop.
Sale of ErgoDirect to Harley Systems (2004)
BakkerElkhuizen decides to sell its interest in ErgoDirect to its partner Harley Systems (John van Hooft) in order to focus more on the growth of its network of partners.
Sale of BakkerElkhuizen to Harley Systems (2006)
Founders Wim Bakker and Jan-Willem Elkhuizen decide to sell their company BakkerElkhuizen to Harley Systems (John van Hooft, former partner ErgoDirect).
Integration BakkerElkhuizen - ErgoBrain (2007)
This year was characterised by the integration of ErgoBrain into BakkerElkhuizen and the consolidation of the relationships with many national and international resellers. The merger of ErgoBrain and BakkerElkhuizen creates an even larger and more complete range of own products complemented with quality products of third parties, such as the Evoluent mouse.
The New Way of Working takes off

Around 2006, 10 years after the first Smart Working (NWW) office at Interpolis became operational, the NWW concept took off. Offices without fixed workplaces are becoming commonplace, which means that mobile office workers cannot be ignored. BakkerElkhuizen constantly responds to this by providing its mobile solutions to tens of thousands of users in HNW projects.
Financial crisis (2008)
The bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers bank caused a chain reaction that led to a worldwide financial crisis on an unprecedented scale. At the beginning of 2009, BakkerElkhuizen was also hit by a sharp drop in turnover. This event forces us to take various measures, such as staff and cost reductions, optimisation and automation of processes and reassessment and upgrading of our proposition as supplier of ergonomic accessories to a more conceptual positioning for fixed, mobile, flexible and home workplaces. The initiated changes protect BakkerElkhuizen from red figures and result in 2010 in a stable organisation that once again shows a healthy solid annual growth.

Ergonomics is becoming more and more commonplace and the market is slowly reaching maturity where the supply of ergonomic solutions is rapidly increasing. This inspires BakkerElkhuizen to strengthen its leading role as ergonomic innovator in the long term by broadening its portfolio.
CtrlWORK: replacement of break software (2009)
Break software is also undergoing its evolution, thanks in part to its initial rigid approach of blocking keyboards and black screens to enforce breaks. The 'pill' that worked for people with serious RSI complaints becomes a bitter pill for the 'healthy' employee in the form of new complaints; irritation and frustration. At the request of our biggest customers, BakkerElkhuizen brings CtrlWORK to the market as a replacement for break software. With CtrlWORK, we give users control over their own notifications and we shift the focus to awareness as the basis for the desired behavioural change. And with success: more than 75% of the users of break software switched to CtrlWORK within two years!
 
WORK & MOVE Coach (2018)

Thanks to our drive to keep innovating, since 2018 we have been providing hundreds of thousands of users with the next evolution: WORK & MOVE. Work, movement and awareness; key areas for making display screen work sufficiently varied and guiding display screen workers towards a healthy, comfortable and efficient way of working.
Stand-sit table and concentration areas (2018)
In 2018, with the introduction of the Innodesk sit-stand table, with personal WORK & MOVE coach, BakkerElkhuizen set its first steps in the field of more facility-oriented products. This was soon followed by concepts such as the HoneyComb sit-stand conference table and the pop-up concentration workstations BellBooth, MindPod and ScrumRoom. In addition to our strong position in the field of ergonomic accessories, this expands our portfolio to include facility ergonomic accessories in the field of light and acoustics.

BakkerElkhuizen 25 Years

Corona pandemic, BE Safety Screens (2020)
At the time of the introduction of our 100% circular line of ergonomic accessories, the world is startled by the corona pandemic and our daily (working) life is determined by measures and lockdowns. BakkerElkhuizen anticipates this by introducing BE Safety Screens (made of recycled PET bottles) in just a few weeks' time, with which safe and healthy working in office environments can be facilitated.

Repositioning, sustainable business, Made in Holland (2020)
Besides corona pandemics, the world and BakkerElkhuizen are confronted with shortages of raw materials, price increases and a sharp rise in transport costs. This stimulates us to reassess our proposition and to work on a new hybrid strategy in which we, together with our partners, will bring the customer experience to a higher level. Part of this new strategy is to bring the production of all our products to Europe/Netherlands in the long run, and to spearhead sustainable and circular production techniques and materials in every new product design. From now on, our focus is on the 8 m3 workplace in which BakkerElkhuizen, based on research and knowledge, develops innovative solutions for your optimal (work) place at home and at the office: Work Smart - Feel Good
 
Introduction EnergyByLight (2022) and UltraStand Unjversal (2022)
BakkerElkhuizen introduces the EnergyByLight, a sustainable bio-dynamic desk lamp, which brings the daylight or circadian rhythm to your (home) workplace to give you more energy, better performance and a better night's sleep (people-oriented sustainability). Based on our almost 30-year tradition, of course, just like virtually all BakkerElkhuizen products, designed and produced in the Netherlands.

Besides a number of new laptop and tablet stands, BakkerElkhuizen introduces the UltraStand Universal, an ultra-thin super-light laptop stand that, like a second skin, can be attached semi-permanently to laptops of any brand from 13 to 16".
ErgoDirect becomes BakkerElkhuizen (2022)
As of June 2022, ErgoDirect will implement a name change that will allow us to act more transparently and clearly towards the market in this hybrid era. From now on, ErgoDirect will merge into BakkerElkhuizen.
 
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