Another honour for Royal Smit & Zoon
Leather chemicals manufacturing group Smit & Zoon has been granted permission by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands to add the term ‘Royal’ to its company name.
This honour, called the granting of the Royal Predicate, marks Smit & Zoon’s 200th anniversary and comes less than two months after royal visit to the company’s headquarters in Weesp by Queen Máxima.
Reacting to the news, seventh-generation owner of the company, Marc Smit, said being able to use the Royal Predicate was “a visible reward for the efforts of seven generations of entrepreneurship, innovation, and care for our customers”.
He said receiving the honour and being able to call the company Royal Smit & Zoon from now on would provide an extra incentive “to continue on our road to sustainable innovation”.
The monarch can award any company, association or institution the right to use ‘Royal’ in their name, but to be eligible the organisation must hold “a highly prominent position within its field, be of national importance and have been in existence for at least 100 years”. Only the monarch can confer the designation.
The Royal Predicate was introduced to the Netherlands in 1807 by King Louis Napoleon. Royal Smit & Zoon’s launch in May 1821 coincided with the death of King Louis’s brother, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Image: Marc Smit hosting the visit to the company from Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in May.
Credit: Twycer.
