At PPG we are of the belief that diversity makes for a stronger and more progressive team and we are more than appreciative of the unique opportunity we have to learn more about the fascinating and eclectic cultures that make up PPG EMEA.

With that, we’d like to introduce ‘s-Hertogenbosch, literally translated into English as The Duke’s Forest and known more colloquially as Den Bosch, as a Spotlight City.

To give us the low down on the city, we have three members of staff who have been working and living in the south of The Netherlands for a long time!

Meet  John van Eyndhoven, who has been with PPG for 34 years, Ariëtte Vos who’s worked with us for 30 years and Liesbeth Cadee who’s been here for 19.

The Den Bosch site is primarily a plaster factory. Opening in 1967, the plant produces around 10 million litres of plaster per year. The main production is for Brander, currently the Dutch market leader for spray plaster.

The team at Den Bosch is very small and an almost family-like culture has been adopted; the average employment time is a massive 26 years so they’ve really been through a lot together! The team reflect on the working life of such an agile workforce:

We produce a lot of products with a very small number of people. This gives us a lot of challenges which we take on with pleasure every day.

The city of Den Bosch is famous for its main church, St. John’s Cathedral. Its build began in 1220 and it was completed over three centuries later in 1530. The cathedral is stunning and draws in tourists from miles around.

In the area next to the cathedral there’s a shopping and restaurant district where you can eat, drink and relax in Den Bosch’s laid back and friendly atmosphere. You can also get to know Den Bosch from the water by taking a boat trip through the beautiful canals.

Den Bosch is also the birthplace of one of the greatest painters of the northern Renaissance, Hieronymus Bosch.

Once a year, there’s a Carnival in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and to commemorate the festivities, the city does something very strange, it changes its name to Oeteldonk! “Donk” is a reference to a dry place in the marsh. The frog, a symbol of the Oeteldonk Marsh is often used during Carnival.

Traditional outfits are worn throughout the three-day festival, examples include: ‘boerenkiel’  a traditional farmer’s costume. Patches are also designed and stitched onto clothing every year according to the annual theme. The boerenkiel is often combined with a traditional farmer’s bandana and a long scarf in the colours of Oeteldonk: red, white and yellow.

If you’re looking to sample the local cuisine in Den Bosch, you can’t miss out on the Bossche Bol! It’s a pastry filled with whipped cream and covered in a special kind of local chocolate!