Richard Daamen is the new chairman of the Building Automation sector: “We must join forces”

During the General Members' Meeting in October last year, Richard Daamen took over from Peter Dijkstra as chairman of the Building Automation sector. He likes to introduce himself and share his vision on current challenges and developments in the industry.

 “There are many challenges,” says Richard. “Making existing buildings more sustainable is high on the agenda of national politicians, municipalities and banks. Consider, for example, the tightening of the EPC, the mandatory minimum energy label C for offices (> 100 m2) in 2023 and even label A in 2030. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have drawn up a series of standards, the so-called 'Energy Performance of Buildings Directive' (EPBD). These standards provide an overview of the measures needed to reduce energy consumption and must be included in national legislation by 2025. The EPBD stipulates, among other things, that non-residential buildings with a rated capacity for a heating system or a combined space heating/air conditioning and ventilation system of more than 290 kW must be equipped with a BMS system by 2025. With the current state of affairs, a hands-on approach is really necessary, otherwise we will not achieve this. As a trade association, we must take the lead in this.”

According to Richard, sharing knowledge is essential to achieving these goals. “The Building Automation sector has approximately fifty members and all companies have a wealth of knowledge. But only by sharing this knowledge with each other can we benefit from this together.”

Knowledge and experience

Richard has been general manager at Belimo Servomotors for 11 years. The Swiss company mainly produces actuators, valves and sensors for heating, cooling and ventilation in non-residential buildings, but also supplies to agriculture and horticulture, for example. Richard says that Belimo focuses on the shortcomings in the market: “It is essential that we have sufficient knowledge and skills to install products. The market is innovative and developments are happening quickly, so you can imagine that knowledge and skills are lagging behind in the market. This already starts at technical schools, where outdated teaching materials are used or too little practical training is provided. That is why we supply products to a number of ROCs in the Netherlands and we train teachers using the train the trainer principle. We do this for free and we are fully committed to this.”  

“The market is innovative and developments are happening quickly, so you can imagine that knowledge and skills are lagging behind in the market.”

“We are also aware of the tightness on the labor market. There is not only a shortage of knowledge, but also of workers. That is why we started eight years ago with pre-mounted products, both hydraulic and electric. This saves the installer a significant amount of time on the construction site and reduces failure costs by pre-testing in the factory for leak tightness and functionality.”

To collaborate

Only by working together can we tackle the shortcomings in the market. Richard is convinced that we must join forces: “FHI Building Automation is the platform in the market where we can solve shared issues. I hope that we will create more involvement with our members in the coming year. I look forward to making 2024 a great FHI Building Automation year, where we can learn a lot from each other.”

We wish Richard a warm welcome and hope that with his enthusiasm he will take the industry to the next level. We are not saying goodbye to Peter Dijkstra; he takes on the role of treasurer again. Do you always want to be informed of activities and news from the industry? Then register for the newsletter.