Since the summer of 2024, Eenzet (1Z) from Scherpenzeel has been part of Spectro. The brand has long been a household name in the automotive, transport and industrial sectors with its cleaning and maintenance products. It’s time for a conversation with former owner Brigitte Nihot.
Brigitte’s father Bob started Eenzet in the Netherlands eighty years ago. “He imported cleaning products from the German company Einszett, such as the revolutionary cockpit spray, and brought them here to the people,” according to Brigitte. “That didn’t happen automatically; after the Second World War, products from Germany weren’t really popular, of course. But he kept going.”
Three companies
And the persistent ones won. After Bob had presented it once or twice, companies ‘finally’ tried it out. “It often worked so well that they also bought other products,” says Brigitte. “Eventually, the company grew so much that my father became the sole importer for the Netherlands. But serving the entire country? That was impossible. So he looked for two partners and three companies were born: Enzo, Eenzet Holland and Eenzet Doorwerth. The last one was run by my parents, with the areas of work being Gelderland, Noord-Brabant, Zeeland and Limburg.”
Second generation
Eenzet has become a household name. Not only in the Netherlands, but all over the world. “Werner Sauer junior, the son of the founder, later found importers in no less than 42 countries,” said Brigitte. “The funny thing is that not only at Eenzet was there family succession, but also at the three Dutch companies. Everywhere, the second generation took over. In the end, I merged the companies into Eenzet Handelsonderneming.”
Important developments
In 2008, a separate division was spun off: Eenzet Carwash. Today, this is Istobal Nederland, a supplier of carwash installations. Brigitte: “Another important moment in the current century is the destruction of the German Einszett factory by a fire. After that, we went on as a completely independent company.”
“The very first license plate issued in Cologne had the letter ”1Z’ on it”
“Many people ask me where the name comes from,” continues the former director. “Here’s the story: the very first license plate issued in Cologne had the letter ”1Z.” It was for one of the first Ford models. Later, all the cars from the company at Einszett had license plates with this combination of numbers and letters.”
Best feeling with Spectro
In 1984, Brigitte took over the company from her father after 39 years. She herself continued to run it for another year. “My children had no interest, so I started looking for a takeover partner,” she says. “To my surprise, there were thirteen candidates, but I had the best feeling with Spectro. They immediately indicated that they wanted to keep the name and logo, because of the strong brand. That was very important to me after 79 years.”
Rose-colored future
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason for Brigitte to join us. “Laurens, Quintus and Alissa still have plenty of ideas and energy as thirty-something entrepreneurs to innovate. Moreover, they have all the necessary facilities in-house and are also a family business. Thanks to this acquisition, Eenzet is on the road to a rosy future. I’m convinced of that!”