NSK: ”Our contact with Van Duuren Districenters runs very smoothly. Just like our ball bearings”

Every day, somewhere in Europe, there are sure to be two or three Van Duuren Districenters wagons delivering for NSK. “Two years ago we decided to put our total freight volume out to tender,” says Michel van Nispen, logistics director of NSK. This company specializes in the manufacture and distribution of ball bearings and automotive steering systems, together with products for more than 200,000 other heavy and light duty applications. “Van Duuren Districenters was already taking consignments to Italy for us, but following this tender also appeared to score well for other destinations. Both on price and on their level of service. We then expanded our area of collaboration to include countries such as Spain, France and parts of Eastern Europe.”

Jeroen van Duuren sees NSK’s tender as having been very significant for the operational management at Van Duuren Districenters: “The addition of consignments for NSK to Spain in 2005 gave us the opportunity to build up our services to this country on a sound footing. A solid financial basis is necessary for setting up a new transport line in a qualitatively responsible manner. NSK’s consignments provided that basis. We started with ten pallets, and now there are weeks when we have twenty lorries going to Spain.” Although Van Nispen knew at the time that Van Duuren Districenters’ service to Spain was still in the start-up phase, he did not see that as a problem. “‘Create your own future’ is my motto, and I can recognize this mentality in Jeroen. The critical and professional way of doing things means that Van Duuren Districenters achieve a great deal.”

In the meantime, all processes have been streamlined at NSK, but until a year ago there were a number of occasions when they had to make full use of Van Duuren Districenters’ flexibility. Michel van Nispen: “We were not adequately equipped enough to deal satisfactorily with the peak periods at the end of the month. It was often the case that an extra truck had to be despatched, departure times were later than planned or loading had to be done on a Saturday morning. Van Duuren always solved these problems for us. Indeed, the planners saw it as a challenge. We now have eighteen months of improvements behind us, and we are more able to cope with such problems, although on occasion we still have to rely on their flexibility to help us out. And it is thanks to this flexible attitude that our working relationship runs so smoothly.”