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Professionalisation of procurement process at Nooteboom Trailers

Nooteboom Trailers B.V. is a family-owned leading internationalcompany providing innovative and integrated solutions for exceptionaltransport. They design and build high-quality trailers with a load capacity of20 to 200 tons. The product portfolio includes semi-trailers, low loaders,trailers, and semi-low loaders. Founded in 1881, Nooteboom Trailers currentlyhas over 500 employees. The head office is located in Wijchen, the Netherlands.Through their own international service concept, Nooteboom Trailers alsoprovides reliable maintenance, service and overhaul, supply of spare parts, andhandles the purchase and sales of used trailers.

Transition to a higher level

In 2019, Operations Director Raymond Belderink contacted Kloepfel Benelux. “We noticed that we were not carrying out the procurement processin the most efficient way. And we were looking for ways to professionalise itin order to be on a higher level” he says. “Of course, you’d look at the costsof such project and what it can bring in terms of savings. Kloepfel Benelux wasvery entrepreneurial during the project. Kloepfel did not send us a bill forevery hour but only charged a fee based on actual savings. This arrangementreduced our risk, and therefore we had started the project.”

Participation from employees

“Within Nooteboom Trailers, the employees have different perspectives on the optimisation project. According to Belderink, the opinions ranged from interesting and beneficial to slightly dismissive. That was logical as Kloepfel Benelux had also made us aware of the possible reactions when you bring in someone from outside the company who wants to do things differently. Employees can quickly think that they are not doing their job properly. Therefore, youalso have to involve them in the process. You need to share knowledge and show them what they can learn,” says Belderink, who is always in favour to involve external parties. “You simply cannot have all the knowledge in-house, so cooperation is very important.”

Setting priorities

Another challenge was finding time for the implementation of the project, as this came on top of the other tasks of the employees. “That means to set priorities and to motivate the employees to participate in the project. The fact that there are potentially big savings, makes it somehow easier,”Belderink laughs. “Nevertheless, it was a lot of deliberation since innovation is also an important priority within Nooteboom. Innovation also takes time from employees, so you will always have to consider where they can spend their time on.” The support from Kloepfel hereby provided relief in the workload. “They put a lot of energy into the project, including requesting quotes from suppliers, bringing specifications to the desired level, and preparing the Supplier Convention.”

Better relationships with suppliers‍

The first phase of the project is used to realise cost savings together with the supplier. Nooteboom Trailers and Kloepfel organized a Supplier Convention of two days for the top 40 suppliers. Additionally, Kloepfel spoke one-on-one with about 15 other suppliers. “By optimizing the commercial conditions, we were able to achieve considerable savings. And even amore important thing; we have improved the relationship with our suppliers. In fact, we discovered that until then, we had not treated them as important stakeholders,” says Belderink. “Practically, all suppliers rated these conversations as positive and appreciated the gestures. It has strengthened mutual relationships which now benefits us. That is also why we have fewer challenges in obtaining materials. That is also an important result!”

Live up to expectations

Looking back on the cooperation with Kloepfel Benelux, Belderink is satisfied. “Gradually, both organisations grew into the project and professionalisation was achieved. If we were to only depend on ourselves, we would not have come this far and would not have achieved where we are now. From our management, the strategic buyer, a large number of suppliers and through their own high commitment, Kloepfel Benelux has lived up to the expectations regarding the savings.” The second phase, aimed at finding and attracting new suppliers, has been delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis, geopolitical developments and recent price increases. “However, we want to take follow-up steps. At this moment, we are exploring cooperation with a hydraulic supplier and how we can jointly realise savings in the long term.”

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