After my service in the Royal Dutch Navy, I went into a total different direction and joined catering companies in The Netherlands as well as the U-K.
I switched to sales and went into insurance with some very reputable firms in The U-K as well as The Netherlands, before I set up my own agency.
Another switch to the chemical sector brought me in touch with the aviation industry.
On one of my visits to Rotterdam Airport(The Netherlands) I witnessed an engineer performing such a bad job, that I immediately understood that there was a niche in the aviation services industry market.
I set up a " specialist aircraft cleaning company" and had my first client within days.
Working with the highest standards possible encompassing safety to men and material, using environmental approved chemical agents, creating a cleaning method that could be described as the most efficient one in the industry, we became rather successful, leaving " competitors" far behind us.
We developed and adopted an administrative process that was coupled to the cleaning procedure, adding to the safety of the aircraft, improving working conditions for engineers and distinctively cutting ground-time.
In 2002, the International Who's Who Historical Society found it opportune to award me with their "Manager of the year" plaque.
After more than 25 years, we still have found no company yet using the high standards we developed, and we now are planning to set up a similar operation in South East Asia..

The aircraft exterior cleaning company, Aircraft Executive Valeting International, a 100% family owned company, is planning to revive the company by starting operations on two Shanghai Aiports (Hangqioa and Pudong) as soon as it receives permission from the Governments of the PRC after it has complied with rules and regulations to set up such an operation.
Its long term goals include operations in the USA and Europe, next to setting up a franchise/licencee operation worldwide.

A.E.V. International with Shanghai, China as a spearpoint, will offer the aircraft operator an aray of aircratt exterior programs, of which the " Techno - Clean System" which runs in conjunction with the aircraft's maintenance cycle, is by far the best program around, encompassing safety standards benefitting man, material and the environment., turning a costings program into a money making one for the client.

The company is looking to build a state of the art environmentl friendly de-icing facility in combination with its cleaning operations on each of the forementioned airports and in order to do so. it is looking for an amount of $ 30 M. Apart from approaching the aircraft freighter market, for which it has some really intersting cost safety programs, it intends to service both passenger- as well as military aircraft hen the latter would entertain the idea.