Saint-Gobain Cultilene is celebrating its 45th anniversary. To mark this milestone, we’re travelling back in time with various current and former employees. They’ll share their memories and wisdom, as well as their visions for the future. In this edition we feature Ruud van Gils, who has been with Cultilene since 1996.
Ruud grew up among his parents’ greenhouses. After studying Business Administration at HAS, he landed his first job with Wibro. At this relatively small company, he was tasked with bringing a new type of substrate to market. When Wibro was acquired by Saint-Gobain Cultilene in 1999, Ruud moved into sales and went on to hold various other positions while simultaneously completing a degree at Tilburg University. Since 2020, Ruud has served as Cultilene’s Commercial Manager. Thanks to his many years of experience here, he remains a trusted advisor to many colleagues.
Much has changed for Ruud since he joined the company in 1996. He explains: “Wibro was a production company with a small office. Today, we’re part of Saint-Gobain, a global organisation with more than 160,000 employees.” And Cultilene is not standing still: under the theme ‘Fit for the Future’, we are focusing on sustainable growth and innovation. Ruud adds: “We’re always looking for new applications and products that make food production more efficient and future-proof. This is a theme that’s only becoming more important.”
Looking beyond our industry
Cultilene’s commitment to innovation is evident from the projects Ruud has worked on here over the years. “We’re naturally focused on horticulture, but as Project Manager Business Development between 2006 and 2010, I also spent some time looking outside the industry. For example, we developed a green wall system called the Cultiwall. We eventually sold the concept, but it was fun to be involved at the very beginning.”
Another innovative project Ruud worked on was the use of of stone wool in playgrounds. He says: “At the time, many local councils were installing artificial grass because of its shock-absorbing properties. We looked into whether it was possible to mimic those properties with real grass by using stone wool as a base layer. This took us into a completely different market from the one I was used to, with trade shows full of play equipment. This is another great example of how we at Cultilene are always open to innovation and new markets for our products.” Ruud also played a part in the market launch of the RootmaXX cube, which has become the standard in the propagation market across many countries, particularly for tomatoes.
New perspective
After serving as Product Market Manager from 2010 to 2013, during which time he was tasked with creating a new brand identity for Cultilene, it was time for Ruud to move into a leadership role. He found that in the Customer Service department. He says: “Up until then, customer service had been more of a business support office. Our aim was to make it more commercial, and I laid the foundation for that. After two years I was able to recruit someone to succeed me, and I became Regional Manager for Western Europe.”
While Ruud enjoyed that role, it soon became clear that a strategic change was needed. Cultilene took the decision to stop working regionally and switch to a centralised approach for global sales. Ruud led this transition in the new role of Commercial Manager. He says: “In this role, I oversee the sales, application and customer service teams. Managing a large team is demanding, but I enjoy it. It has also taught me to see myself differently. If you’d asked me before whether I’d be suited to a role like this, I’d probably have said no. Now I can’t imagine it any other way.” He is now reaping the benefits of the international network he has built up over all these years.
Always innovative
Nearly 30 years at Cultilene has naturally given Ruud plenty of stories. Like the time he went to Canada for a trade show, where he and his colleague Alessandro had to build the exhibition stand. He recalls: “The stand was delivered by truck in a big wooden crate from a dealer. In the Netherlands we’d been assured that it was very easy to assemble. But even opening the crate proved a headache: it was completely nailed shut and we didn’t have any tools with us. Luckily we found some screwdrivers in our hire car.”
But opening the crate wasn’t the end of it. “The two of us stared at all the parts for hours, but we couldn’t figure out how to put it together. When they announced over the tannoy that the exhibition hall would close in an hour and we still had nothing set up, we dashed to the nearest stationery store and picked up some paper clips. We managed to assemble the stand with those. We had a good laugh about it – and despite the improvised start, the trade show was a great success.”
Fit for the future
Looking ahead, Ruud sees several changes on the horizon – some of which are already underway. He says: “The Netherlands has traditionally had a strong reputation in the horticultural industry. But the world is developing rapidly, and more and more knowledge is available. In the past it was difficult to grow crops in countries with a tropical climate, for example, but with modern technologies it’s getting easier all the time. Sustainability is also climbing ever higher on the agenda.”
For Cultilene, stamping our own mark on these developments is a fascinating challenge – one we’re fully embracing. Ruud concludes: “Most of our substrate slabs are now intended for tomato cultivation. By innovating with new materials and responding to trends like greater automation and upscaling, we’re making sure we’re even better placed in our existing markets. Alongside this, we’re developing new solutions for lettuce cultivation and in areas such as roof gardens. Healthy, safe food will only become more important in the coming years, and at Cultilene we want to play our part in providing a sustainable food supply worldwide. That’s how we stay fit for the future.”