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This year, family business Cotap celebrated its eighty-fifth anniversary as a wholesaler of flooring products for Dutch retailers and project furnishers. An impressive milestone for a dynamic company that has always, quite literally, kept moving. This year, it scaled up its own distribution operations by taking on transport for Intergamma. This called for a rapid, high-quality expansion of its operations and vehicle fleet, with Pacton Trailors from Ommen playing a major role in the latter.
Originally, Cotap’s roots lie in ‘carpet city’ Genemuiden. This year, however, the big decision was made to relocate to Zwolle, where its transport activities had already been based for several years. The new warehouse and offices are now located on the Hessenpoort industrial estate. For the past five years, flooring wholesaler Cotap has managed its own product deliveries. Cotap coordinator Karel Timmerman explains: “We started out with four trucks. Since 1 April this year (2025), however, we have also been handling transport for Intergamma, the organisation behind DYI chains Gamma and Karwei. We transport products from the warehouse in Zwolle to the 389 stores across the Netherlands and Belgium. That meant we had to scale up the fleet very quickly, which we did by purchasing new MAN trucks, as well as twenty new curtain-sider trailers from Pacton in Ommen. During the phased delivery of these trailers, we also rented trailers through Pacton on a flexible basis.”
Eighty-five years of history
Cotap was founded in IJsselmuiden in 1940 by brothers Jacob and Klaas Bakker. From weaving reed mats, chair seats and carpets, the company has evolved over the decades into the modern flooring business it is today, offering a broad range of contemporary and sustainable floors made of PVC, laminate, parquet, vinyl and carpeting. Sustainability in equipment and operations has always been a key concern, as illustrated by the launch of Vloerretour, its own recycling initiative.
Cotap now coordinates transport to its two thousand flooring dealers, as well as the weekly deliveries from Intergamma’s warehouse to each of the 389 stores across the Netherlands and Belgium “We currently have thirty-five trucks and forty-four trailers, including the twenty brand-new trailers from Pacton. The trailer manufacturer we previously relied on has since ceased operations, and that is how we came to Pacton, a dependable, regional partner offering high-quality custom-built trailers,” says Timmerman.
Loading dock
The twenty new trailers for Cotap are 13.6 m long and have a tongue weight of 15,000 kg and a rated gross vehicle weight of 27,000 kg. The chassis has been specially modified at the rear to accommodate an underslung tail lift from D’Hollandia (DH-SM-20) with a lifting capacity of 2,000 kg.
The SAF air suspension system includes three rigid, low-maintenance axles with disc brakes, and the rear axle is equipped with Wabco OptiTurn including Smartboard. LED lighting is fitted all round, including side marker lights, stalk lights and flash lights. The rear 50 cm of the 28 millimetre thick hardwood floor with steel omega profiles is fitted with chequer plate to protect against forklift damage at the loading dock.
High-quality curtain sides
Three Loadlok rails have been embedded in the floor, aligned with rails in the fixed roof, with storage at the rear for Loadlok poles. There are three free-moving sliding posts on either side. The curtain sides are made of high-quality double-woven PVC fabric and run on nylon rollers in aluminium roof rails. They can be tensioned horizontally at the rear using a ratchet mechanism and at the front using a quick-release fastener. Timmerman concludes: “We unload everything from the side, so it was essential that the curtains open and close smoothly. That’s also why we opted for good LED lighting in the trailers.”
After the welding was completed, Pacton grit blasted, spray-galvanised and painted the entire chassis in two-component primer with a finish in two-component body paint. The custom specifications include curtain plank racks on both sides, a stainless-steel toolbox on the left, an Orlaco reversing camera, six stanchions in the side beam to allow for a second loading floor, a retractable rear step, axle system side guards in line with EU regulations, and two rows of nineteen lashing eyes in the edge profile’s V-groove, each with a load capacity of 2,500 kilograms (TÜV-certified).
Uniform expansion
This summer Cotap also introduced a new visual identity. During the InCotap Dealer Days in November, its own dealers will therefore have plenty to see at the new head office in Zwolle, including the impressive fleet of custom made Pacton trailers. It promises to be an unmissable event. Timmerman concludes: "After an intense scale-up, our logistics operations are now running smoothly. The next step is some fine-tuning to improve efficiency and drive further optimisation. One thing's for sure: our matching fleet of Pacton trailers will remain a reliable mainstay for years to come.”