Customized Services
Nicolas Vancaeyseele,
Sales Manager Industry,
Van Leeuwen France
‘Whereas in the past we sold a product, today we come up with a solution.’ This is how Nicolas Vancaeyseele, Sales Manager Industry at Van Leeuwen France (Lyon) sums up Van Leeuwen’s added value for the customer. From laser or plasma cutting to bending work, special packaging or just-in-time delivery within 24 or 48 hours: wherever possible Van Leeuwen makes every effort to as much as possible unburden the customer.
‘Our services go beyond the simple distribution of pipes. We customize components depending on the customer’s request,’ Nicolas Vancaeyseele explains. ‘With its specialized product and service offering, something that a mill or general supplier cannot provide, Van Leeuwen distinguishes itself from the competition. That saves the customer ti me and money!
The customer manufactures a component and not only requires just a pipe for this purpose. The customer wants ready-made solutions, so that it can concentrate on its core business. But the customer does not always have the right machines and facilities, and to acquire these facilities represents a huge investment. This is where Van Leeuwen comes into the picture. Our activities vary from the most basic services, such as cutting, up to the most complex treatments, such as mechanical welding.
In our market you will see that many customers start off by assembling components that they purchased left , right and centre themselves. But these customers too expect Van Leeuwen to provide custom solutions. To be able to off er these solutions, Van Leeuwen has entered into a partnership with a former customer, Société Revol Conception sur Acier (SRCA). Thanks to this partnership that dates back to 2006, it is possible to produce highly specific components in small batches. We have also stationed Van Leeuwen France employees at the SRCA site in the French village of Saint-Clair to be able to respond even faster and more effectively to customer needs.
This formula is a big success. An example is Sahgev, a French specialist in the design and manufacture of hydraulic jacks, which is currently experiencing an increase in its operations. Instead of purchasing pipes from us and letting a subcontractor finish them, Sahgev has entrusted us with the complete operati on. This way the company is assured that it will receive the pipes correctly cut according to specifications, ready for assembly. In additi on, there are regular customers, such as Manitowoc, a leading European manufacturer of telescoping and tower cranes, for whom we manufacture various components that require laser cutting or bending treatments.
All of these treatments add a different dimension to the relationship with the customer. We move from being a supplier to being a partner. A unique relationship of trust is created between Van Leeuwen and the customer and that gives us an edge over competing suppliers.’
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‘Due to our knowledge and |
| Milan Malek, Commercial Manager Van Leeuwen Czech Republic |
'Our customized services vary from treatments, such as sandblasting, laser cutting and bending pipes up to and including labeling, barcoding and special packaging. We make every effort to be of service to our customers. An example is a customer who asked for a special hollow section made of special high strength steel with a thermally galvanized surface, for one of its customers in the automotive sector. However, the request was for a trial series and there was no guarantee that there would be any follow-up orders. Not a single mill was able to meet this request, because they did not have the required raw materials. We started searching for a solution. We found suitable steel plate coils, and asked a producer to expand its treatment facilities to provide tooling to accommodate special dimensions and tolerances. We supplied this raw material to a mill capable of rolling the special strength steel into a hollow section with the right radius, in accordance with the drawing. Next, at a different location, the pipes were laser cut to size within an extremely precise tolerance. After this the product was returned to Van Leeuwen and after inspection was included in our product portfolio as a semi-finished product. The product, which among others is used for the new Skoda Kodiaq, can now be purchased on a unit basis.
Together with the mills, we spent a year developing this specific product for the customer. This would have been impossible without our extensive knowledge of raw materials, surface treatments and pricing. The process required energy and persistence from our team and our partners. The result gave us a great deal of satisfaction.’
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'We analyze the customer’s |
| Steve Vandermeulen, Commercial Manager, Van Leeuwen Belgium |
‘When you offer customized services, you put yourself in your customer’s shoes and together you look for solutions,’ says Commercial Manager Steve Vandermeulen. ‘This is happening increasingly more often at Van Leeuwen. Generally, the customer contacts us, and together we produce an excellent piece of co-engineering. For example, together with Case New Holland we searched for an environmentally friendly alternative to pipes treated with Chromium 6. These pipes are used in various applications, including in the brake lines of agricultural vehicles. Together we found an alternative that is less harmful to the environment and just a fraction more expensive.
Often our customers have configured their internal production processes efficiently, but spend a lot of time on special pipe treatments. We like to take on these treatments in such instances. One time we may drill holes at the right place in a pipe, and another time adjust the radius of an angle so that the customer only needs to perform minimal welding work, or we conduct Type 3.2 Certifications. We contribute ideas and visit customers to analyze their processes. This way we come to understand each other better and we work together to arrive at the best and cheapest possible solution. This is how we make the difference at Van Leeuwen.’