The Vision of Hans Hagedoorn

Although KTR Benelux, based in Hengelo, the east of the Netherlands, is an important supplier for the maritime industry, resulting in 25% of the company’s turnover, the company name might not be ringing a bell immediately. The reason for this might be the modesty and conciseness of Hans Hagedoorn, general manager of KTR Benelux, and his team. “Service is the most important thing to us.”

KTR Benelux mainly supplies couplings, hydraulic power units and brake systems. The company is a subsidiary of KTR Kupplungstechnik, based in the German town of Rheine. Founded in 1959, KTR has a total of 20 subsidiaries worldwide with about 900 employees. In 1999, Hagedoorn was asked by German KTR Kupplungstechnik to establish KTR Benelux: “I didn’t have to think long about this offer. In June 2000, we started with two people and a lot of ideas. Starting point was to show the world that KTR is now also present in the Netherlands. Conducting a business turned out to be quite different from being a sales manager, so I got help from an accountant and had to look for personnel. We started growing and were very proud of our first order worth fl. 50,000. In the beginning we had the illusion that we could do business in Belgium like in the Netherlands, but it turned out to be very different. Therefore, we hired a Belgian colleague, who brought in Belgian business. Nowadays, we have eight employees, six in Hengelo and two in Antwerp and a turnover of seven million euro.”

Independent

KTR has a big product portfolio, which is a strong and unique point of KTR, according to Hagedoorn: “We deliver products to various industries, like the oil and gas industry, maritime industry, agricultural and forestry industry, machinery industry, railway and traffic industry and wind industry. This means we are more resistant to economical dips: if one industry is doing not too well, we can still supply to companies in other industries, that are doing well. For example, nowadays, the inland shipping industry is doing not so well, whereas the offshore industry is still flourishing. 2011 therefore was a good year for us.”

“The appointment as market manager marine industry was more or less a coincidence”, Hagedoorn tells Maritime by Holland Magazine. “We already supplied to maritime companies, but were not very visible in the market. We wanted to focus more on the shipping industry and made an inventory analysis of what was missing in our portfolio for this industry. At the same time, the management in Rheine spoke to me about the market management of the marine industry and was wondering if I could pick this up for the whole of Europe,as the Netherlands is a marine related country. I expanded our Dutch inventory analysis to Europe and we decided to enter the maritime market with our existing portfolio. It is important for KTR to show ourselves, so we frequently attend maritime trade fairs now. Later this year, I will visit our office in the United States to educate the employees there for the maritime market and I want to go to Brazil, as this country is very interesting for the maritime market as well. I also await the new products that we are developing especially for the marine industry, like special and bigger couplings. In the meantime my main task is to get KTR in the sight of the maritime industry, so I network and lobby a lot. After all, most things you hear through the grape vine.”

Expansion and innovation

KTR is continuously innovating. In April last year, KTR successfully launched its KTR-STOP brake system. While giving us a guided tour through the enormous storehouse, distribution centre and assembly and production facilities in Rheine, Hagedoorn explains: “We heavily invested in this system and have delivered 32 brake systems via Brevini to Allseas’ platform installation / decommissioning and pipelay vessel Pieter Schelte. Next to that, we invested in different types of coolers. For this product, we now have a worldwide acquisition stop, as the product attracted so much attention and interest, that our engineers can’t keep up with the production.” Production of KTR’s equipment is done in facilities all over the world. The distribution centre was opened in 2003 and was expanded in 2008. 85% of KTR’s products can be delivered from stock. The production hall will soon be expanded as well, in favour of the cooler and brake system business. KTR is doing well, with a turnover of € 220 million and is looking to grow in all regions. The management has launched a project, called KTR 400. The goal is to invest, expand and innovate and to reach a turnover of € 400 million in 2016. One of the new innovations KTR is currently working on, is the RADEX high performance coupling.

Corporate social responsibly and sustainability are regarded highly at KTR. One example are the individually adjustable work places at the new office building in Rheine. Hagedoorn: “Sustainability and corporate social responsibility are important issues, for sure. You have to guard what you have and we are living in a world that our sons and daughters will inherit.

However, you also have to take a critical look at what you have and decide if you want to keep it or create something better. Environmental protection has our priority: we reuse our water and waste, we reduce our use of oil and have agreements with our subcontractors about environmental compatibility of products and production facilities. We also strive for open dialogues with our colleagues and customers as well as with subcontractors and trade partners. Actively practising sports, for example participating in company runs, is being encouraged.”

Future

The future for KTR looks bright. Hagedoorn sums up some projects for the future: “Weare involved in the normalisation process of the classification bureaus. Every classification bureau has its own rules and regulations. Led by HME, we try to create a handbook to standarise this. The Dutch shipping industry puts pressure on this project and is looking to intensify the contacts with the classification bureaus. I also want to keep on putting KTR on the maritime map and show that KTR is a solution provider. Together with our product portfolio, we are able to stand out from the crowd. What I would love to create, is an image film. We have to put our modesty aside. A film might help to get KTR more in the open and gives us the possibility to show our pride.” Hagedoorn smiles. “KTR is a part of my life, the logo is more or less printed on my forehead and I want to show this. I am an advocate of social media and very active on LinkedIn and Facebook. Social media are the future. Via for example LinkedIn, it is easier to come in contact with potential business partners and to make business appointments with them. And Twitter is even more fun: you can quickly provoke reactions and start discussions.”

Hagedoorn has a clear philosophy about doing business: “Being transparent is the most important thing when doing business. That already starts with payments: we always pay within 14 days. If everyone would do business in an honest way and communicate openly, it would amount to so much more, for example goodwill and the ability to solve problems together. Positivity is another important factor: bring positivity to your business and the climate will change. Always keep in mind that the mentality and culture in different parts of the country vary. Granting is important, but also the personal contact: it should be possible to talk about personal things as well as business during work. Our work starts to pay off: bigger maritime companies start to find us and even tell their suppliers: get the couplings at KTR!”

Gail van den Hanenberg