In the In the first part of this blog series, we talked about the origins of the idea for the i-did Factory and the search for suitable machinery in China. In this second part, we'll take you through the next step: building the factory itself. How do you ensure the machinery is installed, the factory is open, and everything meets the requirements? Of course, that went smoothly. 😉

From plans to location

Back in the Netherlands, the real work began. The location, the planning, and—yes,—additional funding beyond IKEA: Stichting Doen and the Rabobank Foundation, were all in place. The search for a suitable location in Utrecht stalled after almost nine months. Building after building was rejected: too small, with too restrictive zoning regulations, or too far from the city, which didn't fit our social model. We hoped to combine it with the relocation of the Utrecht studio at the end of 2019, but that proved too ambitious. Time to look beyond the city limits. The Hague and Rotterdam came into the picture. And then, at The New Farm in The Hague, everything suddenly fell into place, partly because we already had a studio there on the fifth floor. Within three weeks, the red carpet was rolled out. The Hague it was!

At the end of 2019, the entire Utrecht studio (including everything we had collected since 2013) quickly moved from Kanaalweg to Overvecht. Meanwhile, plans for the Factory were being further developed: the studio moved from the fifth to the first floor, and the Factory was moved to the ground floor. Floor and ceiling plans formed the basis for the renovation, while the final quotes were being prepared in China.

The space on the ground floor before the arrival of the factory

And then…

In early 2020, everything seemed finally finalized. The renovations had been discussed with The New Farm's new director, the permits were ready, and the municipality of The Hague was also behind the plans. Suppliers in China were ready to go.

And then... You guessed it: COVID. Face masks, uncertainty, and everything on hold.

When i-did temporarily switched to producing face masks, things calmed down a bit. In June 2020 (yes, it took that long), the time had finally come: all the signatures from IKEA, the funding agencies, the landlord, and the municipality were in place. The order for China could officially be sent out after the summer. By the time we had to start installing, COVID would surely be under control… right?

Containers, chaos and coffee

We agreed that the lines in China would be operational in Q4 2020, so we could see them running there. However, traveling proved impossible, and we had to make do with vague phone recordings via WeChat. Fortunately, we received the test material—fibers and felt—via DHL Express and were able to approve it remotely: the lines seemed suitable.

All that remained was to arrange containers. That turned out to be six times more expensive than budgeted, and then there was the Ever Given , which was stuck in the Suez Canal. The containers finally arrived in the second quarter of 2021.

Renovation of the ground floor for the arrival of the machines

The ground floor in The Hague was ready: new flooring, exhaust ventilation, humidification, lighting, acoustics, and of course, our own felt blinds for the windows. At 7:00 AM, we were ready with Peters Transport to unload, but due to a strike at the port, the first container didn't arrive until late morning, followed by the rest. Chaos reigned.

To our surprise, we discovered that some of the machines had been perfectly placed inside the 40-foot containers. There was only one way to get them out: pull out a section, support it sideways with a second forklift, and fine-tune everything so the driver could drive away. Then, lower it simultaneously, in a coordinated manner—a kind of precision ballet, but one that required steel and sweat.

It also turned out that some machines had completely different dimensions than expected, forcing a revision of the installation plan. In the days that followed, everything was realigned with the help of Bob from Peters Transport – what a hero.

The puzzle of cables, pipes and air

Once everything was set up, there were still countless pallets of loose engines, connectors, and spare parts. Michiel called in backup:

• Anton Luiken - for the inventory and installation of the control cabinets.
• Wouter de Bruin - our electrician, for the installation plan.

Together they came up with creative solutions, such as cable ladders that could also serve as a base for the production line's pipes. The complex puzzle began to take shape.

And then it turned out that many machines needed compressed air. No one had reported this. So: source a decent-sized compressor, call SAJAL (another top-notch company!), set up the infrastructure, and the problem was solved. The Chinese engineers still couldn't come, so Michiel and his team tackled the problem themselves. Manuals were half-translated ("50% was about right"), and communication via WeChat was booming.

When Michiel was on his way home in the evening, he always called his partner Mireille, who always knew how to cheer him up when things weren't going well with her always positive words.

Safety first

The months flew by during the height of Covid. In October 2021, everything was finally in place. Time to pivot, but is that even allowed yet? Robbert van Onkelen joined us and handed us a thick ring binder:

Michiel blanched, but Robbert pulled the cart. New lists of items to be addressed emerged , and in May 2022, the certification process was successfully completed: 180 pages per line (by SICK ), safe machines, clean lines (by Parma ), and official CE approval.

And then it (almost) started working

The small Factory team led by Michiel could finally begin testing. First one machine at a time, then entire lines. Until, opening the fabric failed again and again. After four weeks of testing, it turned out the main fan of the dust filter was rotating the wrong way. Oops.

The felting line was a complete mystery. Two experienced Heineken operators employed by i-did couldn't figure it out. Neither the manual nor the WeChat helplines offered a solution. Sylvester, a workshop employee and former participant, came by every coffee break to check if they'd succeeded and asked if he could take a look at the manual. "Go ahead, we've been tested," was the answer. Two days later, Sylvester had solved the problem, using a hidden menu. The machines were under control!

Slowly but surely, everything started to roll. Just in time, as the opening was scheduled for May 2022. No pressure... 😅

Part 3 of this series will be published soon, in which we will tell you how the factory developed further and how much work it took to produce truly high-quality felt.