It is 1923. On what is now Vestdijk in Eindhoven, a man works in his workshop. He produces assembly aids, switchboards and installation cabinets. His name is Coen Nolte senior. His three sons are also involved in electrical installation company Nolte EMI. They take over the management at a later stage. 

After the Second World War, activities also included producing lighting columns, metal products for Philips and PTT, and bolts and nuts for the aircraft industry and blast furnaces. In the 1950s, production of emergency lighting systems began. This proved so successful that Nolte remained the market leader in the Netherlands for many years. 

In the early 1980s, Nolte increasingly developed into a supplier to industry. It became an important customer of copier manufacturer Océ by producing sheet-metal parts and assembled circuit boards. A few years later, in 1984, Nolte decided to stop manufacturing its own products. It gradually phased out these activities and responded to the growing demand for module assembly.    

In 1989, Stork acquired Nolte. The company continued under the name Stork Nolte EMT. Ten years later, it placed its print assembly activities in a separate operating company. The assembly and sheet metal company was renamed Stork Industrial Modules. 

In 2004, VDL Groep acquired the company and renamed it VDL Industrial Modules. It now has 240 employees.