About the cooperation with software house KLAES: "There should always be the prospect of a solution!

When Arnold Wijnsma - director/owner of the reputable Wijnsma Kozijnen from Drachten - is asked how he experiences the cooperation with supplier software house Klaes from Germany, he is satisfied. "Actually, we came to them because we were not satisfied with a previous software supplier. Because we want to work efficiently and without fuss, it's really that simple, we were looking for a new supplier where the service is especially good. So a software house where you are not told: 'Just send in a ticket'. No, we really want personal contact!"

Arnold explains that about five years ago Wijnsma Kozijnen had purchased new machinery for production. "This involved new sawing and machining machines. But a new welding machine was also installed. Partly because we produce exchangeable profiles - we make a lot of specials - we were also looking for software that was able to draw or design and calculate them. That didn't work with any software. But we do need good profiles. It's the basis of our sales and confidence in the market."

Goal-oriented action

"Although we ourselves have been active in the market for many years, we - oddly enough - did not really know Klaes Softwarehouse very well. I think I met them for the first time at the Fensterbau in Nuremberg, in 2018. Through machine supplier Kruba from Baarn, we had also requested some experiences and they were positive. When we made an inventory - who would we want to work with? - we really took a close look at every potential supplier. Of course we had conversations. And even then I quickly got the feeling that the people at Klaes really understood what we were doing. Every software has its advantages, but we were looking for a supplier who could really deliver the best in the following areas: the quality of the drawings, the calculation, the control of the machines and... not unimportantly, the way in which support is provided. The latter is really very important to me. Look, I do understand that even for a software supplier it is sometimes complicated to 'quickly' solve a problem that we raise. So it is the way of communicating, the focused thinking and the targeted action that matters. Well, at Klaes that all turned out to be just fine."

Trigger

Torsten Schrader, responsible for sales and marketing at Klaes in Germany, also joins the conversation. He explains that "Dutch windows are relatively difficult windows compared to how windows are viewed in Germany. We understood that Wijnsma Kozijnen therefore needed data in order to order better as well. By data you can think of data about the profiles, colors, geometry, size, width, length and connection points. It is important that our customer - in this case Wijnsma Kozijnen - does not have to fill the database with all these data himself. After all, those are already perfectly entered by the suppliers." Immediately Arnold nods. "That this was possible was the trigger for us to choose Klaes."

Collaboration

"So eventually we implemented the software. In this we received excellent guidance from Klaes. What was very nice was that Klaes had a Dutchman in the ranks - Lothar Fritsche - to give us the training. Yes, I do speak some German but when you really need to understand something, it is nice when it is explained in your mother tongue. I must honestly say that I experienced this as a real Unique Selling Point. You can switch just a little bit faster. I also have his 06 number. Meanwhile, Lothar also knows how we are organized and how we work. It's nice when your supplier knows your company well."

Torsten explains that all updates are almost automatic. "On average once every three months something has to happen and once a year there is a major update. But the customer doesn't have to worry about that otherwise. We take care of those updates when production is down. So nobody suffers."

Ongoing development

Still, Arnold and Torsten say the process of collaboration always remains dynamic. "It's not like: it's delivered and it's done," Arnold says. "For example, we now have some questions about the ventilation grids. There is not yet a module for that regarding the price structure. That's a wish we put to Klaes."

Torsten says he likes to hear these kinds of signals from the market. "Communication is the magic word. Even if there are critical notes. We just want to make our software smarter and wiser, and we can only do that if the questions actually come to us. No, we can't solve everything right away - fair is fair - but we absolutely show our customers, including Wijnsma - that we never sit still."

Arnold agrees. "At Klaes, they genuinely listen very carefully to our wishes. Of course I understand that sometimes not everything is possible. But what I find very important in a cooperation: there has to be the prospect of a solution. And there always is!"

Looking at 2025

When asked how Torsten looks ahead to the year 2025, he has to think for a moment. "I think it's very difficult to look far ahead these days," he says. "The housing market in the Netherlands will not recover that quickly, I think. Those are also sounds I hear from several Dutch clients. Maybe in the second half of 2025 it will improve a bit. However, there is a lot of potential in the renovation market in the Netherlands. And, of course, there is the energy transition that will drive it."

Arnold also does not see new construction in the Netherlands accelerating in the coming year. "However, VVEs in the Netherlands are still going to make great strides. Think about the energy transition and the necessary conversion of complexes. There will undoubtedly be subsidies on this. For us as a company, this is obviously a kind of guarantee of continuity. And yes ... it will also affect the development of the software we need. Overall digitization and overall process optimization remain a priority for us. And therefore also for Klaes. That's why it's great that we have started a good cooperation, because one thing is certain: we will desperately need a high-quality software house like Klaes in the coming years in order to maintain and expand our market position!"