The factory that made Drachten the fastest-growing municipality in the Netherlands, and which still develops shavers, toothbrushes and baby products for the whole world today.
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NV Philips from Eindhoven opens a shaver factory in the former VVV building on the Oliemolenstraat — Philips' first plant in the northern Netherlands.
What starts with a handful of female employees quickly grows into a factory with hundreds of workers, drawing people to the region from far and wide.
Alongside shavers, Philips in Drachten also begins producing vacuum cleaners.
The freight train that for years transported Philips components between Groningen and Drachten runs for the last time.
When part of Philips' domestic appliances division (later Versuni) is sold, the Drachten site, with around 200 employees at the time, remains part of the new organisation.
Philips Drachten celebrates its 75th anniversary as one of Philips' largest development and production centres in Europe.
From football pitch to factory complex
On 13 November 1950, Philips from Eindhoven opened its first factory in the northern Netherlands: shaver production began in the former VVV building on the Oliemolenstraat in Drachten. The site started modestly — with just a handful of female employees at the time — but rapidly grew into one of the company's most important production locations.
Where the complex's main building now stands, a football pitch still occupied the land in 1951; Philips' first factory hall rose shortly afterwards in the immediate vicinity. In 1961, Philips in Drachten expanded into vacuum cleaner production, alongside the existing shaver production.
A world-famous product from Drachten
The Drachten site soon became inseparably linked to one of Philips' best-known products: the Philishave, the electric shaver that has sold more than 400 million units worldwide. To this day, most Philishave production still takes place in Drachten, although part of production has been moved to China in recent years.
The factory also left its mark logistically: for years a freight train ran between Groningen and Drachten specifically to transport Philips components, known as the "Philips train". In the 1980s, Philips was the sole user of this connection; in June 1985 the train ran for the last time, and the rails were removed in 1987.
One of Philips' largest centres in Europe
Philips Drachten has grown into one of Philips' largest development and production centres in Europe, with more than 1,500 to 2,000 employees from all over the world. The site works on a broad range of "Personal Health" products: besides shavers (shavers and OneBlades), also Ladyshaves, beard trimmers, Wake-Up Lights, Sonicare toothbrushes and Philips Avent baby care products.
In 2025 the site celebrated its 75th anniversary, with the shaver still the common thread and symbol of Philips Drachten — despite all the innovation and product diversification the complex has undergone since.
The driving force behind explosive growth
Philips' arrival in 1950 changed Drachten forever. The huge demand for workers quickly attracted thousands of new residents: in the 1960s, Smallingerland was briefly even the fastest-growing municipality in the whole of the Netherlands. Special "Philips houses" were built to accommodate all the staff, and the population growth was a direct reason for the construction of De Lawei theatre. Philips is therefore not just a factory, but one of the key building blocks of modern Drachten.
The Philips complex in pictures
Part of the extensive Philips complex in Drachten.
A look inside one of Philips' largest development and production sites.
Sources: Wikipedia (Philishave), Philips.nl and Friesch Dagblad / Dagblad van het Noorden. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).
