Kyocera: ”Van Duuren is our transport manager”

Raymond Eckstein is General Manager SCM at the European head office of Kyocera Mita in Hoofddorp. “Within the organization we are in fact the service supplier for our sales organizations in Europe. We are responsible for the central purchasing and we have also taken over all the logistical activities from the sales organizations.” But Kyocera Mita continued to experience problems with transport to France and the Netherlands. “All too often our printers and copiers were arriving damaged, and regularly the lead times we had set were not being achieved. I had heard from my colleagues at Kyocera Mita Nederland that they had had good experience of working with Van Duuren Districenters. Reason enough to talk to them again, and I certainly don’t regret it.”

A distinguishing feature of Kyocera Mita is that the goods can be delivered on request within certain time windows. “That was a challenge,” recalls Jeroen van Duuren. “These time windows lie between 10 and 12 in the morning and two and four in the afternoon. That called for good co-ordination with our partners. We have also visited Kyocera’s customers in France ourselves. Just to look at practical details: for example, is it possible to unload at the location using a tail lift?” Eckstein: “Van Duuren Districenters is our transport manager. They steer their partners and constantly keep an eye on how things are going. This personal approach goes much further than merely transporting goods.”

The transport for Kyocera has now become so streamlined that deliveries can be made within 24 hours. Jeroen van Duuren: “We load at six in the evening in order to be able to deliver in time for our partner to make the deliveries to the Kyocera dealers in Paris the next day. Our French partner services ninety routes each day from their depot near Paris – including those serving Kyocera’s clients.” “And as a rule that all goes well,” adds Raymond Eckstein, “which is pretty good, because I’m sure that we are not Van Duuren Districenters’ easiest customer. On the other hand, our personnel have a logistics background in warehousing and transport, which means that substantively we are all thinking along the same lines.” It is precisely this that makes the collaboration between Kyocera and Van Duuren Districenters unique, according to Jeroen van Duuren. “Because we speak one another’s language we can lift each other to a higher level. This makes Kyocera a valuable sparring partner.”