Cold calling in North Brabant: high-tech, machinery, logistics and food

B2B calling in North Brabant means calling one of the largest and most industrial provinces of the Netherlands. CBS counts 375,535 business locations on 1 January 2026 for 2,676,955 residents. According to Eurostat, 184,486 people worked in manufacturing in 2024, in 18,245 local units. Most of your calls will reach small service firms, but the larger deals sit with manufacturers, their suppliers and the logistics firms that move their goods.

The economy of North Brabant

High-tech and machinery. The Eindhoven region, known as Brainport, is the centre of Dutch high-tech. ASML has more than 44,000 employees worldwide and its global headquarters in Veldhoven, its biggest research and manufacturing site. Around it sits a supply chain of machine builders, precision engineering and electronics firms. Eurostat counts 44,136 people in 867 local units of machinery manufacturing and 10,642 people in 374 local units of electronics in the province in 2024. That makes the average machinery site large enough to have its own purchasing and engineering teams.

Logistics and wholesale. Wholesale employs 98,613 people in 17,053 local units, and warehousing and transport support 21,550 people in 2,469 local units (Eurostat, 2024). The Port of Moerdijk hosts more than 400 companies. Distribution centres line the motorways around Tilburg, Waalwijk, Oosterhout and Veghel.

Food and agriculture. Food processing employs 23,716 people in 1,526 local units (Eurostat, 2024), and CBS counts 12,780 agricultural businesses on 1 January 2026, mostly in the east and centre of the province.

Staffing. Staffing agencies employ 123,554 people, including the temporary workers they place, in 3,546 local units (Eurostat, 2024). Manufacturing and logistics run on flexible labour, which makes HR and staffing a buying topic at almost every larger site.

By number of establishments, professional services lead with 82,360 local units, followed by trade with 60,766 and construction with 48,952. Agriculture and public administration are not in the Eurostat dataset, so the chart above covers the business economy only.

Where the companies are

• Eindhoven (249,783 residents, CBS 2026), with Veldhoven and Helmond (96,860): high-tech, machine building, automotive suppliers, design and tech services.
• Tilburg (230,746): logistics, distribution and business services, with a large student population.
• Breda (190,204): logistics, food, services and head offices, close to the Belgian border and Moerdijk.
• 's-Hertogenbosch (162,295): the provincial capital, with government, finance, insurance, advisers and the food and agri cluster around it.
• West Brabant and Moerdijk: port industry, chemicals and logistics.
• Northeast Brabant and De Peel: agriculture, food processing and many family-owned manufacturers.

Who to call and what to ask

• Owner or managing director at family firms, which are common in Brabant manufacturing and construction.
• Operations or plant manager: capacity, maintenance and shift planning.
• Purchasing manager: suppliers, framework contracts and price.
• Engineering or R&D manager at high-tech suppliers: components, tooling and software.
• HR manager: staffing, training and workwear.
• Logistics or warehouse manager at distribution centres.

Discovery questions that fit North Brabant:

1. How much of your work depends on one or two large customers, and how stable is that demand?
2. Is finding staff the main limit on your growth this year?
3. Do you plan to expand on this site, and does grid capacity or space hold you back?
4. Who decides on this: the site, the family or a group head office?
5. When do you plan next year's budget, and when should we talk again?

Industrial buyers rarely say yes on the first call. Our article on how many calls it takes to win a customer helps you set a realistic target.

Calling in North Brabant: language, networks and rules

Language. Business is done in Dutch. At high-tech firms around Eindhoven, many engineers and managers work in English, so have an English version of your script ready. The tone in Brabant is usually friendly and informal; a personal opening works better than a hard pitch. Prepare for objections about price and timing with our guide to handling sales objections.

Where owners meet. VNO-NCW Brabant Zeeland is the regional employers' organisation. BOM, the Brabant development agency, supports innovation, investment and international companies. Brainport Eindhoven connects the high-tech ecosystem. The KVK runs events for entrepreneurs, and ZLTO represents farmers and growers. Go there to listen and learn the local issues.

Rules. You may call Dutch companies with legal personality, such as a BV or NV, without prior consent. Since 1 July 2026 you need prior consent for sole traders and partnerships, even when they are existing customers. This is general information, not legal advice. Read our guide to cold calling rules in Belgium and the Netherlands.

A first week of calling in North Brabant

1. Day 1: one area, one segment, for example machine builders with 20 to 200 people around Eindhoven and Helmond.
2. Day 2: script with questions about staff, capacity and the next budget round.
3. Days 3 and 4: call in blocks and ask every gatekeeper for the right function, not a name.
4. Day 5: follow up and plan each call back on the date the prospect named.

See how such a week runs in one screen in the demo.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. CBS StatLine: Bevolking op 1 januari en gemiddeld; geslacht, leeftijd en regio (03759ned)
2. CBS StatLine: Vestigingen van bedrijven; bedrijfstak, regio (81578NED)
3. Eurostat: Local units and employment by NUTS 2 region and NACE Rev. 2 (sbs_r_nuts2021)
4. ASML: ASML at a glance (2025 figures)
5. Port of Moerdijk: homepage
6. BOM: Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij
7. VNO-NCW Brabant Zeeland: employers' organisation
8. Brainport Eindhoven

• How many cold calls does it take to get one customer?
• Sales objection handling: how to answer cold call objections