International Network
Riri van Namen-Sutyoko,
Project Manager, Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands
Riri van Namen-Sutyoko devotes her time at Van Leeuwen to preparing proposals and procuring materials for large international Energy projects for engineering firms such as Amec Foster Wheeler, Jacobs and Bechtel. Recent projects include the Shah Deniz Project in Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion, and the Khazzan Gas Project in Oman. All three are gas extraction projects under the BP global framework contract. She also worked several years for Van Leeuwen in Houston, USA.
‘From our international network of quality key suppliers, we provide bulk material to the Capex projects of our international customers. We do this at the right combination of price and quality, tailored to the needs of the customer. The materials are often transported over long distances to their destination. Our advanced tools enable us to deliver the materials we purchased worldwide, at the right time and the right place, with all relevant documentation. Knowledge and experience about the market and the specific requirements of our customers and end-customers are continuously exchanged between Van Leeuwen’s branches throughout the world. No matter where in the world Van Leeuwen is engaged, an international EPC can depend on the same expertise, service and price levels. For large EPCs this provides security and confidence.
Aside from major construction projects, the MRO contracts in the Energy segment are an important market for Van Leeuwen. We deliver the required products for daily maintenance and turnarounds at (petro)chemical installations from stock. In recent years I was stationed in Houston in the United States as Procurement Manager for the global ExxonMobil contract. There I focused on creating a network of local suppliers for the supply of products destined for MRO projects at ExxonMobil sites. A local network is essential to achieve 24-hour service and respond to urgent orders and the demand for specific products.
At Van Leeuwen we realize that developing quality relationships of trust with local suppliers is not something you do by email. Personal contact is and remains important. By combining our global network with committed local partners close to the customer, we realize the best of both worlds for our customers.’
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‘Van Leeuwen is able to respond to any demand and has a solution for any problem.’ |
| Manny Zammit, Managing Director, Van Leeuwen Australia |
‘When I joined Van Leeuwen ten years ago it was a ‘pipe and tube dealer’ that knew its business. Nowadays it is no longer possible to group all of our services under this single header. We do much more than just dealing in pipes and tubes. Our international network of stock-keeping branches, suppliers and partners has grown tremendously. We now guarantee fast and complete deliveries of effectively everything the customer asks for, and that includes the products we do not stock ourselves.
There not only is a continuously upward trend in the quality of our service, our specialized knowledge also continues to grow. Customers are assured of a quality that meets all specific product specifications. We continuously monitor this through means of audits of new and existing suppliers. Our customers regularly involve us in the preliminary phase of a proposal in order to contribute ideas about specialized products, applications and quality criteria. Often we are able to recommend good, cost-saving alternatives to our customers. Today, Van Leeuwen is able to respond to any demand and has a solution for any problem, and that pays off. In the first quarter of 2017, Van Leeuwen Australia was engaged in a record number of distribution activities, in spite of the decline in large projects in the oil and gas segment. Last year, we acquired about twenty new customers, primarily in the construction and mechanical engineering sectors. They opt for Van Leeuwen Australia, because we maintain the largest stocks in the region. But also because they know that aside from our own stocks, we can actually supply everything they need thanks to our international network.’
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‘We are staying a step ahead of the competition due to our international network, worldwide stock management, and logistics services.' |
| Ruud Langeveld, General Manager, Van Leeuwen Malaysia |
‘Five years ago I started working for Van Leeuwen Indonesia as General Manager. For the past two years I have occupied that position in Malaysia. The importance of the pay-off ‘more than tubes’ was perfectly clear to me from the very beginning. Due to the solid international network, the excellent worldwide stock management, and the logistics and other supplementary services, Van Leeuwen is staying a step ahead of the competition. And this is bearing fruit. In 2014, for example, Van Leeuwen opened a new warehousing site in Malaysia. In part because of this I was recently able to close a deal with a new customer, Kanon Loading Equipment, originally a Dutch company. “Up until the time you contacted us, we did not know that you were also located in Malaysia,” they told us. They liked the fact that we were located there and found it very efficient. They were already aware of our reputation as a reliable and solution-oriented partner. And so the deal went through.
Furthermore, an added value for customers is the growing cooperation among the various Van Leeuwen locations in Southeast Asia. We increasingly share our knowledge. Recently I was engaged by one of our colleagues in Thailand for a Thai customer with a project in Malaysia. They had already placed an order with Van Leeuwen Thailand, but ran into problems importing steel into Malaysia due to changed regulations. So I proposed the customer to organize all import and logistics in Malaysia. his way we kept the customer, and the customer in turn did not have to look for a new supplier. The customer was happy and so were we.’