AC Materials

The office fit-out that brought AC Materials back together in one place. From warehouse to ‘fun to work’
 
When an SME grows, its office environment does not always grow with it. Teams become dispersed, communication becomes less spontaneous, and spaces no longer support the way people work.

That was exactly the challenge facing AC Materials in Heist-op-den-Berg. The company wanted to create a single central workplace once again where employees could collaborate efficiently while staying connected to the day-to-day operations of the business.

Together with office design specialist Pami, part of the existing warehouse was transformed into a future-oriented working environment that is already prepared for tomorrow’s needs.

Today, when you walk into AC Materials in Heist-op-den-Berg, the office overlooks the site itself. Employees can see the constant movement, the loading and unloading, and the operations that drive the company’s success.

From storage area to a workplace with a view
Until recently, things looked very different.

The office had become too small, meaning that not all office employees could work together in the same location. Convenient? Not at all.

Today, everyone works together in a fully-fledged new office spread across three levels, built within a section of warehouse space that had previously been used solely for storage. Filled with light and space, the office design is based on one simple principle: fun to work.

The challenge: too little space, too much distance
AC Materials is part of Square Group, which operates five locations across Flanders and employs 85 people. In Heist-op-den-Berg, the site consists of 13 operational staff and 7 office employees.

“The old office was simply too small,” says Diederik Raeman, Facility Coordinator at Square Group and project manager for this development. “As a result, some of our office staff were based at another location. That just does not work. You miss the informal contact, you lose the direct connection with the site, and you constantly find yourself travelling for things that could otherwise be resolved in two minutes.”

What the new workplace needed to become
The ambition was never simply to build additional office space. The goal was to create a workplace where people genuinely enjoy working and can collaborate efficiently.

“Fun to work was literally our starting point,” says Raeman. “That meant large windows, plenty of natural daylight, and a strong connection to what is happening on site. Of our five locations, this is the only one where you can watch the operational activities directly from the office. That is not a small detail. It is exactly what gives the place its energy.”

There was also a second requirement, one that only becomes obvious when you know the industry: dust had to stay outside. The offices were therefore equipped with climate control and ventilation systems, ensuring a clean and comfortable environment throughout the year.

To translate these ambitions into a practical workplace concept, AC Materials partnered with Pami. The focus extended beyond furniture alone to include ergonomics, spatial efficiency, flexibility and future growth. Because a successful office fit-out begins long before the first office chair is delivered.

The office fit-out: the choices that make the difference

• High-quality furniture and ergonomic seating. Not an area where you cut costs if people are expected to work comfortably for eight hours a day.
• Electrically adjustable sit-stand desks at selected workstations.
• A combination of dedicated and flexible workspaces. Employees and managers who work across several locations do not need a permanent desk. They need a workspace that is available whenever they arrive.
• An acoustic focus pod for phone calls and Teams meetings, allowing employees to make calls without disturbing colleagues and enabling others to work without distractions.
• A second floor that has deliberately been left vacant for the time being, ready to accommodate future growth.

“That last point may be the most important of all,” says Raeman. “You do not build something like this for next year. You build it for the ten years that follow.”

Why choose a Belgian office designer and manufacturer?
Partnering with Pami was far from a spontaneous decision. There were several compelling reasons behind the choice.

First of all, proximity mattered. Pelt is only a short distance from Heist-op-den-Berg, and working with a Belgian manufacturer means less transport and therefore lower emissions. For a company focused on improving its position on the CO₂ Performance Ladder, that is important. Not as a marketing message, but as a measurable performance indicator.

There was also the advantage of bespoke solutions and the assurance that future expansions or modifications, whether in three or five years’ time, would integrate seamlessly with the existing interior.

Anyone who has ever tried to order an additional cabinet from a supplier who no longer manufactures the original model understands how valuable that can be.

Equally important was the guidance throughout the entire project.

“We visited the Experience Centre in Pelt and had the opportunity to see and test everything,” says Raeman. “From the first contact through to delivery and installation, everything ran extremely smoothly. Let’s be honest, this was not a major project for Pami. But we never felt that for a moment. We received the same level of care and attention as a customer fitting out three hundred workstations.”

Why this is also about your office
The reason behind the project at AC Materials was almost ordinary: not enough space and employees spread across different locations.

Situations like that can easily drag on for years. There is always a temporary solution, and it usually works just well enough to prevent anyone from addressing the root cause.

But “just good enough” is not the same as optimal.

The real value of this project lies not in the additional square metres, but in improved collaboration, shorter communication lines and a workplace that once again supports the way the company operates today.

These are not exclusive luxuries reserved for organisations with hundreds of desks. They are choices that can also be made within a converted warehouse space, provided there is a willingness to think strategically about how employees work, collaborate and grow, before a single desk is ordered.

If your office feels too cramped, or if the layout no longer reflects the reality of your organisation, it may be worth taking a step back and reconsidering it.

At Pami, we help SMEs optimise existing spaces, future-proof their workplaces and create office environments where people genuinely enjoy coming to work. From workplace strategy and workspace design through to production, delivery and installation.

Sometimes, a simple conversation is all it takes to discover new possibilities.