Corporate Social Responsibility, that is what Holland Oto stands for! We take into account the effects of business operations on people and society. In this way we do justice to our motto: "Small in size, big in impact".
More than miniature
Bram Sevens
General manager
Made in Holland
From design to delivery, our production takes place in our own workshop in Weert. Here we produce miniatures under the name Holland Oto Products (HOP) and also on request.
Our brands
Late 60's
Closure of the mines
The mines in Limburg were closed at the end of the 1960s. DSM (De Staatsmijnen) owned workshops where disabled miners could perform work in order to have a sensible daytime activity. After the mine closure, these 'WIM workshops' (Workplace for Invalid Miners) were converted into social workshops and placed with the Fund for Social Institutions (FSI).
1971
The start of Efsi
In 1971 the name was changed to Efsi. One of the activities of the FSI was to continue the model car production of Best box. Initially still under the name Best box, in the 1970s they switched to Efsi, a phonetic pronunciation of FSI.
Mid 70's
Production in-house
Efsi was moved to the De Beitel industrial estate in Heerlen. An alloy of zinc and aluminum (Zamak) was used to cast the passenger cars, trucks and buses. There were separate molds for the plastic parts, from which the wheels, interiors, windows and mirrors were cast. The plastic came from DSM in the form of granules. Passenger cars were phased out in the late 1970s. The maintenance of the molds and the machinery was carried out by the EFSI technicians themselves.
1996
Holland Oto
In 1996, Efsi was taken over by entrepreneur Vincent Nies from Weert. The name Efsi disappeared and the company continued under the name Holland Oto. Initially, Holland Oto mainly produced 1:87 scale models, but later a complete line of 1:50 models was also released under the name CSE (Compact Special Europe).
2010
From producer to distributor
Over the years, the company has acquired great fame both nationally and internationally in the broadest sense of the word. The almost unique situation, on one hand producer and on the other hand distributor of very leading manufacturers of miniatures and toys, makes Holland Oto so special.
2019
New management, new look
A changing of the guard took place in 2019 and Bram Sevens was appointed as the new general manager of Holland Oto. In addition to the changes on paper, the entire look and feel of the company has also been given a major overhaul. Through the latest techniques, a motivated team and an extensive range of brands and models, we are optimally prepared to serve you as a customer with beautiful and high-quality models in the coming years!
