Etex Building Performance named Technical Team of the Year 2025, Lantmännen Unibake wins Public Choice Award

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of Etex Building Performance as Technical Team of the Year. The jury praised the team from Tisselt for the impressive transformation of their maintenance organisation – evolving from a reactive approach to a proactive and structured strategy. Thanks to a clear vision, strong cross-departmental collaboration, and focus on both technical fundamentals (like lubrication and reliability) and soft skills (team spirit and culture change), Etex achieved measurable results: increased uptime, reduced costs, and a sustainable improvement trajectory now being rolled out to other sites. The jury emphasised that this project goes beyond technology – it builds bridges throughout the company and lays a solid foundation for long-term success.

The maintenance team of Lantmännen Unibake Londerzeel made a remarkable turnaround in a short period of time. Within just one year, the backlog in preventive maintenance was reduced from 600 hours to only 21 hours – a feat that impressed both the jury and the audience, earning the team the Public Choice Award.

Despite limited staffing increases, the team achieved this progress through clear role definitions, improved communication, and smarter processes. The results speak for themselves: greater production stability, better performance, and less waste. The jury highlighted the importance of management’s trust, which gave the team just enough space to start improving. Their approach reflects self-aware leadership and a clear understanding that this is only the beginning of a broader evolution toward sustainable maintenance.

The remaining finalists each demonstrated in their own way how technical maintenance is essential for safety, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. At Aquafin, it became clear that digital sensors also require maintenance: their project focused on preventive upkeep of data infrastructure, reducing the number of inspections to a quarter. The jury appreciated this approach, which will have a major positive impact on water quality over time by limiting overflow incidents.

De Vlaamse Waterweg impressed with their maintenance of a lock, which is crucial for both safe navigation and water management during droughts. At Center Parcs, the technical team executed a major renovation of the waterpark so seamlessly that guests didn’t even notice – a true display of technical mastery behind the scenes.

The jury applauded the diversity and relevance of these projects, which clearly illustrate how technical teams make a real difference across a wide range of sectors.