History

On May 1, 1947 the history of Constructam (Ateliers de Constructions de Tamise) began when Theo van der Herten founded this company. He bought land at the Krijgsbaan in Temse and started with two workers the company to make supplies for shipbuilding and parts for the railroads.

From the beginning of the fifties, in many countries in Europe, workers receive paid leave and wages go up, creating a market for leisure activities, Constructam entered this growing market in 1953 with the design of the Camping Car. At the end of the fifties the models from the Camping Car series were further developed into the Happy (for six people) and the smaller brother Micky (for four people). The Camping Cars were produced until 1965.

The first caravans

At the beginning of the sixties, the Van Herten brothers laid the foundation for a stormy growth of the company. One of the reasons for this was a revolutionary development in the way the caravan was built up. The lower half consists of a metal frame that is covered with aluminium on the outside up to the waist. From the middle line, the top side is made up of a fiberglass reinforced polyester hood. Because of the relatively heavy substructure, the center of gravity of the caravan is low, giving it its characteristic great road holding.

In the sixties, Constructam's designers continued to optimize their designs. At the beginning of 1961 the new Cresta and Comet types appeared on the market. The name Cresta was then replaced by Condor. Around the beginning of the sixties the classic series Constructam models such as the Condor and the Comet 4,5 and 6 came into being. From this moment on almost all names of the models start with the letter C. The Condor and the Comet are designed with different layouts and so the Comet 4,5 and 6 and the Condor 2, 3 and 4 are born. These models have the two characteristic round roof windows or roof fans. Also the somewhat deviating small caravan Corona is designed at this time. This one has many more straight angles and is relatively small. This model was produced between 1963 and 1965.

In a brochure from 1967 the new model Coral is introduced in models 1 and 3T. This is a model that in terms of size lies between the small Condor and the large Comet. Meanwhile big and small changes to the design of the caravans take place. In 1967, for example, the angular wheel arches were changed to round and the round rear end was given a slightly more curved shape. A larger change took place in 1969 when the round roof windows were replaced by larger square ones. In 1968 a second workshop was opened in the village of Houthalen in Belgian Limburg, where there was high unemployment due to the mine closures and enough workers were available. Here furniture and polyester parts were made, which were then assembled in the Temse workshop.

As a result of the combination of the oil crisis and the increase in labour costs, Constructam has to drastically reduce its production costs. In 1972 this led, among other things, to a different construction method in which the upright construction of metal and polyester was mounted on a sandwich floor. First the lower half of the structure was built and then the floor was placed. In 1973 the polyester roof of the Constructam was replaced by a polyester roof and the metal frame of the sides was raised above the windows. The outside is completely covered with an aluminum skin.

The smooth exterior was replaced in 1972 by a slightly profiled aluminium skin. In the interior changes took place and the round cabinets for example were replaced by more angular furniture and the oak veneer was replaced by a lighter wood type. Meanwhile, the entire caravan industry is in dire straits due to the oil crisis. During this period, one after another of the estimated thirty caravan factories active in Belgium is going bankrupt. With some art and flying colours, Constructam withstands this crisis.

From 1977, the caravans are equipped with a characteristic brown or blue band. Convinced that the factory in Houthalen would not be able to manage with only the production of furniture, the head office in Temse decided to start the production of caravans in Houthalen in 1974. The company NV Temka was founded for this new production line. The head office is, just like that of Constructam, located at the Krijgsbaan 247 in Temse.

Under this new company name the new caravan brand International Trailers (IT) is founded. The models of this caravan are much more in line with the traditional caravan construction of the competition, and are therefore a lot cheaper to build.

In 1986, the name Constructram Caravans was taken over by Chateau BV from Budel in Brabant. At the factories of Chateau Caravans in Hamont-Achel (Belgian Limburg) the design and preparations for a completely renewed Constructam, with not for nothing the name The New Generation, are prepared in the development department. For the production of this new caravan they try to connect as closely as possible to the conventional caravan construction.