Logistics processes were also optimized

Door and furniture hardware wholesaler quintuples warehouse capacity to serve customers even better

A wide range of high-quality products from stock and rock-solid customer service - that's what HDD Design stands for. The Meise-based wholesaler in door and furniture fittings recently moved into new premises, increasing its warehouse capacity fivefold from 2,000 to 10,000 m². At the same time, logistics processes were optimized. Result: customers can now be served even faster and better.

Rich history

The history of what is today called HDD Design goes back to 1960. That's when Henri De Donder and Paula De Saert established a dealer network for door and furniture hardware in the Benelux. The range then included 50 products. The next generation, namely Huguette De Donder and John Descurieux, expanded their life's work with a focus on DIY, industry and hardware stores. 

“In the meantime, we have grown into a renowned wholesaler with a broad but balanced range of nearly 10,000 products: door handles, encapsulation shells, pulls, toppers, hinges, locks and security hardware, door stops, cabinet pulls, window handles, house numbers, mailboxes, ..., and a lot of accessories,” states current manager Olivier Descurieux. “These are always in stock and are delivered anywhere in Benelux within 24 hours with our own transport service.”

Mix of Italian brands and in-house production

So the focus at HDD Design is on high-quality finishes - the finishing touches - in homes and other buildings, initially with a range consisting only of products from Italian A-brands. “When price began to play an increasingly important role, -we decided to broaden our horizons to the Far East. Therefore, in 2002 we opened our own production facility in China,” the business manager continues. “Meanwhile, we further strengthened our organization with an additional factory in India. Today, this mix is one of our greatest strengths: Italy stands for design, China for size and India is linked to craftsmanship.”

Warehouse capacity increased fivefold

Another key link to success is the fact that the HDD Design team closely follows trends and developments in the market. To refine and expand their range, Descurieux and his team actively visit international design fairs, among other things. Eventually, those trends are translated into new products, some two hundred annually. 

“A wide range of products, which is continuously updated, is one thing, but we also deliver these products to a large customer base in thirty-six countries. For us, it goes without saying that growth cannot under any circumstances come at the expense of service, because it is just as important as the quality of the products,” Descurieux emphasizes. “There was therefore an urgent need for a substantial expansion of our facilities. That's why we built a new building, simply increasing the warehouse capacity fivefold to 10,000 m². It is our hub, where the products from Italy, China and India come together, as well as of course the headquarters for the Benelux and the rest of Europe. This new building also opens up opportunities to invite customers in an attractive way. The investment in this new facility, combined with optimized logistics processes, ensures that we can guarantee our customers an even better service.”