Getting to know Peter Laros, CEO at BUVA in Barendrecht

Peter Laros (53) has been working for a year as CEO at BUVA in Barendrecht and Holonite in Tholen. He was appointed in March 2023 and the task before him was and is clear: to give direction to the future. "In particular, there was a challenge in BUVA's proposition. I think we've taken some good steps in that direction with the team and with the help of an external agency. The ambitions for growth have now been translated nicely into a concrete plan. The goal? Building Smart Together!"

In any case, what quickly became clear to Peter - after he took office - was that the company needed a new plan. "I describe it myself as 'back to basics,'" he tells himself. "So, what is the organization actually good at? So I think the focus needed to be redefined. Or in other words, I think the market expected more clarity from us."

Product groups

Peter explains that in the coming years, the construction sector will therefore be more central than ever to the marketing efforts BUVA has in mind. "Think of the development and supply of hardware, sills, profiles, glass and ventilation grilles for contractors, frame and door manufacturers. These are the application areas and client groups we want to excel in. BUVA has traditionally been a trading company and we want to take on more of the role of a self-developing supplier. How are we going to do this? Well, on the one hand we are going to focus on creating even more new distinctive - i.e.: innovative - solutions for the market. But on the other hand, this also means making work processes more efficient, both internally and externally together with customers. In short, giving our services a boost that ultimately brings more convenience to our customers."

Innovation: License to Deliver 

"We have had a professional Research & Development department here at BUVA for many years," Peter continues. "From the plans there, a clear sustainable innovation roadmap will be developed that is going to become a better guide for the future. So we are going to boost our own innovation power where we can only develop and innovate successfully if we respond effectively to the things we hear from the market. Everything that customers tell us, or perhaps even what they don't tell us at all, must become the basis of that innovative strength that we are striving for. For example, themes such as sustainability and digitalization will obviously play a major role. That sum determines our 'License To Deliver': we must - perhaps more than ever - understand what we are good at and what needs we are meeting in the market." 

Sustainability

BUVA also likes to respond to the market's "demands" for sustainability. "This month, therefore, a QHSE (Quality Health Safety Environment) Manager will start within our organization," says Peter. "This person will develop a plan to make the organization even more sustainable. We want to make things concrete and measurable. Yes, we already do a lot, for example, with regard to the choices in packaging materials, we buy more products locally, but there is always room for improvement or optimization. For example, we recently purchased a machine that will produce more sustainable sills at Holonite in Tholen. We also want to introduce this story wider in the chain: for years, BUVA has had a team that focuses on the prescribing bodies, such as housing corporations. We are going to expand this team further."

Labor Market

Peter acknowledges that a lot is going well at BUVA but that it needs to be more client-focused. "You can draw up a beautiful plan but it's the people who have to make the difference. We therefore spend a lot of time on internal communication about the plans and progress, obviously also to generate ideas from the employees. At the same time, we are dealing with a rapidly changing labor market: for example, applicants nowadays (rightly!) want to know whether and how they can also develop with us. Therefore, we try to connect well with the wishes of employees. In this way you get into a mode that allows the company and the people to grow."

When Peter is asked what we may "judge" him on a year from now, he is clear. "I hope that customers will say that they really notice that there is more attention for them and that everything we do is even more in line with what people expect. In short, that we have taken a hit with our service as well as our customer focus. Of course I hope that in a year's time we will also see the first results of our innovation plans. And last but not least: I hope that in 12 months the market will experience us even more as that self-developing supplier instead of that 'ordinary' trading house. And that we can all say: yes, together we started building smarter!"