History
1949
Trade in building materials
Geeraard Olivier and Maria Decruy established a building materials trade in Rumbeke. Previously, Geeraard worked as a general contractor together with his brother and brother-in-law.
Jaren 50
Independent Workshop
The building materials trade was expanded to include earthworks, as well as numerous machines and trucks. This led to the establishment of an independent workshop to handle maintenance and repairs, not only for the company’s own equipment but also for external businesses.
The children of Geeraard and Maria
Geeraard and Maria had three children: Odetta, Eric, and Willy.
1959
Frans Vankeirsbilck and Odetta Olivier
In 1959, Frans Vankeirsbilck married Odetta Olivier and joined the business. Together, they expanded the building materials trade and added various earthworks for residential construction.
Jaren 60
Frans and Odetta had three sons: Gerdi, Tonny, and Filip.
New land was purchased for the storage of building materials. As a result, the offices were relocated at the end of the 1960s to the new site at Izegemsestraat 84.
Jaren 70
Olivier Construct and Olivier Stortbeton
In 1970, Eric started Olivier stortbeton, while Willy took charge of the earthworks and road construction activities, which later became Olivier Construct.
1979
Olivier Foundation Techniques
The year 1979 marked the beginning of Gerdi Vankeirsbilck’s career. He became responsible for foundation works, including the installation service for rainwater tanks and the maintenance of the machinery fleet.
Jaren 80
Olivier Building materials and WVT
Son Tonny managed building materials trade. In 1980, the company De Bever was acquired. This tile business became the WVT, managed by son Filip. In 1982, Gerdi Vankeirsbilck married Fernande Vandenberghe, and they had two sons, Dimitry and Yoeri.
1987
Acquisition of Leenknecht
In 1987, Gerdi Vankeirsbilck acquired the company Leenknecht, a concrete manufacturer of prefabricated rainwater tanks and septic tanks. This marked the birth of Olivier Betonfabriek and Funderingstechnieken. Due to a lack of space for all activities, this division relocated from Izegemsestraat to a new site in Schaapbruggestraat. This new location provided opportunities for further expansion and growth.
Jaren 90
The concrete factory expanded its range to include prefabricated basements, inspection pits, treatment tanks, fuel oil tanks, and rainwater tanks. Patents were obtained for several types of tanks, and the workshop took charge of constructing the required casting molds.
Mechanical Engineering
Due to the demand for increasingly larger and heavier concrete elements, equipment had to be adapted. The workshop focused on modifying existing excavators to efficiently handle these tasks. Excavators were upgraded with telescopic undercarriages and extendable counterweights.
Olivier Pile
In 1996, a first patent was obtained for the Olivier pile, a cast-in-place full displacement pile, which marked a major breakthrough in foundation techniques.
Machine 84
A first machine was entirely built in-house, along with the necessary accessories such as drilling pipes and auger heads. The construction workshop had grown alongside the business, focusing on developing, modifying, and adapting machines for various specialized applications in the foundation industry.
Jaren 2000
Strong Growth
Due to strong growth, it became necessary to separate the various activities into distinct companies. Son Dimitry Vankeirsbilck developed a passion for all this technology at an early age, inspired by the family business. Within the company, he focused on operating and training others in the use of specialized machines.
2004
Three New Companies
Olivier Betonfabriek NV
Production and installation service of prefabricated tanks
Olivier Funderingstechnieken NV
Foundation piles and retaining techniques
Olivier NV
Mechanical engineering, maintenance and repairs
