Perhaps Geha Laverman's most invisible man: Paul de Grijs, operations director. Although he finds it hard to agree with this job description, "I am a 'Spider in the Geha Laverman web!
In 1995, Paul - not hindered by any knowledge of wear products, as he was a nurse - applied by phone for a vacancy at Laverman and was... hired. A two-year long, steel-hard apprenticeship awaited him, after which he was 'let loose' in the field service with the region: the far north of the Netherlands.
Practice also proved to be a merciless and disciplinary teacher. Long days, talking to - but above all patiently listening to customers, measuring ...and measuring again, lots and lots of measuring! Realising that no two machines are the same and that customers differ even more. Realising that something like delivery time in wear technology is extremely expensive! Paul didn't give up and perhaps lost more than he loved and formed a team with colleague Erik Bloot at the turn of the century.
In 2005, the owner-manager of the then Laverman Henk Wille indicated that, in the absence of succession, he was open to taking over his company.
Eventually, after much weighing, weighing and especially banking, this led to both of them participating in the company. Since 2008, Erik and Paul have formed an absolutely equal twofold unit in Alphen, the perfect balance between internal and external business operations within today's Geha Laverman.
Ten tonnes per square metre
'A director? I don't feel like that at all, you'll never see me in a suit', Paul chuckles, 'I'm good at delegating these days. I was doing too many things at once. I used to commute between the warehouse and the office all day, now I arrange everything from behind my desk. I also see myself as a bit of a treasurer'.
The Alphen site is a bit like a Fort Knox when it comes to cast steel wear products. 800,000 kilos of prall plates, monoblocks, sheaths, cones and sieves stacked five stories high are ready for immediate delivery. If an order comes in, the need is usually high. 'For many customers, we keep stock because we are familiar with their machine configurations and then we can often deliver within 48 hours in the Benelux.
Deciphering and puzzling
'Communication is everything within our industry. Size, quality, knowing what's going on...
Our people are constantly on the move. More than ten men outside maintain daily contact with the inside sales departments in Alphen and Zaandam. Incidentally, this separation still exists only in a geographical sense. Not infrequently, a dimensional sketch appears in my e-mail - sometimes accompanied by a photo of a part - asking whether we have it in stock or... can deliver it tomorrow. I then immediately go into fierce "puzzle-mode". Recognising worn-out wear parts, I think I know my way around that by now," says Paul "and if not, Erik will know a solution. After all, you always assume that we're always going to make the applicant completely happy again.'
'...we have an unimaginable amount on the shelves in Alphen and in Zaandam there is even more. It is beyond our honour to sell something like "no". Sometimes, we have picked up a spare part from a customer to be able to deliver anyway'. 'Our logistics start within our company walls. You don't just pull an order weighing 3,000 kilos off the rack, preparing it for shipment takes time; packaging, adding paperwork, etc. To also have it picked up the same day by a carrier, that means teamwork. I am always relieved when I see the transporter drive out of the gate'.
But if you ask me what Geha Laverman's best product is, my answer is: "It's really the people who work there!
