Tosoh: “For our complex shipments, we choose Van Duuren, because then we know it will be alright”

“In our industry, it’s not a matter of the earlier, the better. Shipments just need to be on time: not earlier, not later. At Van Duuren, they understand how that works,” says Lien Vandenwauver, senior supply chain manager at the chemical company Tosoh. “We have many clients in the automotive industry, and for these customers, just-in-time deliveries are crucial.” 

Tosoh manufactures chemical raw materials for various industries. For network shipments, Lien Vandenwauver and her colleagues rely on Van Duuren daily. “The drivers pick up the chemical substances we produce in Moerdijk for distribution throughout Europe.” 

Time Slots
Vandenwauver knows from experience that a high quality of service is not a given in logistics. “We need to be able to rely on the delivery time. In the automotive industry, where many of our clients are, they work with tight production schedules and limited storage space. This means that our chemical raw materials are used shortly after delivery. If transport companies deliver at unagreed times, it disrupts our customers’ inventory management. That’s why there are strict time slots. Previous carriers we worked with struggled with this. Van Duuren does not.” 

Calling
Jay Termaat, account manager for Tosoh at Van Duuren, nods in understanding. “Before delivery, we always call the recipient in their native language. Just to quickly confirm if the time slot is correct and to give them the name of the driver and the license plate number. Sometimes people will then say they prefer the driver to come at 5 PM instead of the agreed 3 PM. For us, it’s a quick adjustment, but we solve it.” 

Proactive
“Proactively responding and being distinguished in service: that’s exactly how Jasper and I wanted the company to operate when we decided to make a fresh start twenty years ago,” adds Jeroen van Duuren. Lien Vandenwauver sees this reflected in their collaboration. “That personal attention is really necessary because we have high standards. We want to closely monitor every shipment, and it’s also important that we are informed as soon as possible if something goes wrong, so we can inform our customers before they hear it from someone else.” 

Fire
Jay recalls an incident just before his holiday. “My colleague Jesper Brussee called me: one of our trailers was on fire after an accident on the highway, with goods from Tosoh. Fortunately, the driver was unharmed. I immediately called Lien and worked with the operations team to see what we could do. By the next morning, a replacement was arranged.”
Vandenwauver: “Thanks to Jay’s call, we were able to inform our customers the same evening. These things happen, but it’s all about how you handle them afterward. For our complex shipments, we always choose Van Duuren, because then we know it will be alright.” 

EDI Connection
And Tosoh will continue to do so in the future, Vandenwauver assures. “Recently, we established an EDI connection, allowing our system and Van Duuren’s system to communicate in real-time. It’s an expensive investment that you don’t make without a long-term commitment. I consider Van Duuren one of our key partners.”