Henry Schein: Thanks to the swift action by Van Duuren we were able to keep deliveries going out during the pandemic

Van Duuren were able to help Henry Schein on two notable occasions during the Covid pandemic by acting swiftly and flexibly. The weekly consignments always have also been going according to the planning. In the interim Hennie Nijlant, warehouse manager of the wholesale business, has absolutely no reason to consider entrusting the transport to another. ‘Choosing a reliable partner such as Van Duuren is not complicated,’ sounds convincing.

Henry Schein is a worldwide wholesaler of medical and dental products. Warehouse manager Hennie Nijlant is responsible for the company’s logistics in the Benelux countries. ‘We supply GPs, but also residential care homes and maternity wards. In addition we have everything in house for the dental practice: from dental chairs to fillings and drills.’

Tuesdays and Fridays Van Duuren’s drivers collect pallet consignments for Henry Schein at the warehouse in Almere. The destination is the depot of the medical wholesaler in Germany. Berry Veldhuis, Supervisor Sales & Account Management at Van Duuren, explains the delivery schedule: ‘After we have collected the goods, we scan and process the pallets in Vianen. We then deliver them to the Henry Schein depot in Heppenheim within 72 hours.’ 

Surgical masks
In addition to the correct handling of the normal consignments by Van Duuren, Hennie Nijlant found that he could also count on them in an emergency. ‘Last year the German government instituted an export ban for medical masks and hand gels, among other things,’ he recalls. ‘As a result, we were no longer able to supply our customers. We then had two container ships sent from Malaysia to Rotterdam instead of to Hamburg. Thanks to the swift reaction action by the people at Vianen, there were two trailers at the harbour in no time to pick up the goods.’

Courier
And a couple of months ago the planners again helped Henry Schein out with a corona issue. A large consignment of Covid test had to be delivered urgently to the company’s German warehouse. The request arrived at the Planning Department at 10 a.m. The following morning the tests were at their destination. Berry Veldhuis can remember this request. ‘We immediately called in a courier who drove directly to Germany. Through years of experience we know that it is important to act swiftly at a moment such as that.’

Drive
Hennie Nijlant already knew Van Duuren before the new start in 2004, as joint owner of the Nederlandse Pakket Dienst and GLS. It was this magazine, Drive, that convinced him to renew the contact. It always pleases Jeroen van Duuren when an old client comes back to us. ‘The best part of this work is the relationships you build up and every thing that you then go through together. We do our best to offer the product that the client needs, and I’m very happy that we have been able to do this for Henry Schein.’

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