‘Working together is our motto’

He has been working with the firm Kruba in Baarn for more than 20 years, so he knows them inside and out. As a result, you could call it a trusted partnership. We’re speaking with Luc Nederlof, director and owner of WN Kozijnen in Dinxperlo. “I consider my relationship with Cees and Niels van Essen to be a good business friendship. I value their knowledge and expertise. They know the market well, and they know our company very well. This allows us to bounce ideas off each other, with the major advantage that we can anticipate the future much better.”

That future means, above all, a lot of potential growth, Luc explains. “Over the next 15 years, the Netherlands faces an enormous housing construction challenge. But there’s also going to be a tremendous amount of renovation work. So, in principle, the window frame industry is heading for good times. This won’t be news to anyone in the industry. But as a supplier of PVC window frames, you do need to be well prepared for it. After all, there’s a lot of turnover—just think of employees who are retiring. At the same time, unfortunately, the influx of young employees at the entry level isn’t high. If you want to maintain the same level of production and serve the market well, you simply must automate. That’s exactly where I see Kruba as a valuable partner. Yes, they’re helping us achieve our growth ambitions.”

Right at home

In recent years, Kruba has not only supplied all the machinery needed for the production of plastic window frames. A new cutting center has also been installed, specially developed for Dutch window frame profiles. Previously, an Urban welding machine for seamless welding had been delivered, and more recently, an automatic hardware installation machine for tilt-and-turn windows. The latter, in particular, helps WN Kozijnen produce more with fewer people.

Luc laughs. “Cees and Niels are practically part of the family here. Their advice is extremely valuable. I’ve noticed that they always have a good answer to the questions I ask. So, to us, they’re more than just a supplier of production machinery. It goes beyond a typical supplier-customer relationship.”

AI

When Luc is asked how he views the development of Artificial Intelligence and what impact it might have on the market, he’s clear. “I think we’re all going to embrace it. We shouldn’t be afraid of it. But at the same time, I think that within two years from now, the market won’t have changed all that much. The fact is, though, that we can no longer ignore it. So this is exactly the kind of topic I sometimes discuss with the guys at Kruba. If you want to get a good sense of the future and know what to do as a supplier of plastic window frames, you need the knowledge and expertise of your partners in the supply chain. Working together is my motto.”