The existence of the Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij can be attributed to the Noordzeekanaal. Its original operations back in 1877 were simplicity itself: empty merchant ships going to sea obtained dune sand as ballast. In later years, the company also applied itself to dredging. In the first decade of the 20th century, the company began to grow under the direction of Charles de Vilder, a paver and roadworker based in Amsterdam. Ballast evolved from a sand supplier to a construction firm, and from 1928 onwards, also operated as a concrete manufacturer. The introduction of the first labour-saving excavator in 1927 marked the automation of sand extraction. After the Second World War, Ballast focused increasingly on dredging operations – and later, on civil engineering works too – abroad. The firm established its reputation within Dutch borders with the construction of the Afsluitdijk in 1932 and the Velser tunnels in 1957.