systems too, such as ISO 14001,
the latest ISO and VCA standards.
PED, ASME, HP-0, WHG, CML,
So we can safely say that the
SPC, KNS and BTR. To give an
Andus companies are operating
idea of the controls in force: in
at such high levels that retaining
2009, 19 audits were conducted in
the certificates is no longer an
the area of ISO and VCA alone.
issue. The challenge is now to
Several changes occurred to the VCA checklist (2008/05 version) in late 2008. Besides the VCA* and VCA** certification, a new certification level has been introduced, namely the ‘VCA Petrochemical’ (VCA-P). This is primarily intended for companies that carry out complex activities for (petro-) chemical installations. The difference between VCA** and VCA-P is mainly in the scoring system. Both checklists comprise 47 questions. A positive score for 39 items is needed for the VCA** and 45 for the VCA-P.
raise the quality and safety levels
Benefitting from the system
even higher to benefit as much as
We made it through each test
possible from the system. Thus,
†
A solid agreement As mentioned previously in this Hotline, AEB Amsterdam has concluded a 5 year framework agreement with Gouda Refractory Services to maintain their waste incineration lines.
im memoriam
This concerns the maintenance of the refractory linings for the four incineration lines of the WEP (Waste Energy Plant) and the two incineration lines of the HEPP (High Efficiency Power Plant) that have been operational for two years now. The contract includes the supply and installation of refractory materials and related services.
A tragic event occurred in Nigeria on Sunday, November 8, 2009. Early in the evening of that day, our highly experienced Nigeria manager, Ton van Loon, was involved in an armed attack on the public highway. The company van in which he and other passengers were travelling was fired upon. Everyone, including
A Happy New Year
Full of good spirits • 1600 B4 overhead wire arms
Our group’s orders amounted
Here are a few of our recent orders:
A year of hard work is behind
to over 60 million euros for the
• A framework agreement with
us, now it’s time to enjoy a
months of September 2009
AEB to maintain all refractory
the Hanze line, on the Lelystad-
relaxing holiday in the circle of
through November 2009.
linings, both in the four existing
Zwolle route.
our family and friends. It’s the
Considering that these are mainly
ovens and in the two High
time of year to remember what
for projects that will be fulfilled
Efficiency Power Plant ovens
we really value in life. And to
in 2010 and the year thereafter, a
that we delivered two years ago.
think about how fortunate we
good foundation has already been
You can read more about this
should consider ourselves after
laid for next year. This - plus other
commission below.
a successful year.
signals from the market - confirms
with attachments on behalf of
• Eight charcoal burners for China. And that is just the beginning...
• Bicycle bridge over the Hartel
our faith in the future.
canal.
We can then return full of the energy necessary to meet the daily challenges. A brand new
The contract, signed by both directors on November 27, is for a period of three years followed by an automatic renewal of a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years. This agreement marks the start of a challenging partnership between AEB and Gouda Refractory Services. The contract provides for a number of interesting performance indicators that will constantly steer us towards optimization of maintenance.
Ton, managed to escape but Ton was hit by a bullet in his thigh. Ton was quickly taken to hospital but he died some hours later of internal bleeding caused by the bullet wound. Our shock and dismay is great. We would like to offer his wife and three children our sincerest sympathy and support in coping with this terrible loss.
year is just ahead of us: once again, it is up to us to seize opportunities and make it a great one! Happy holidays! Andus Group Managing Board
Major changes at Gouda Feuerfest The Gouda subsidiary in Germany has undergone a total
maximum profit from the expertise
transformation over the past year. It is now, in fact, an entirely new
within the group. With a concerted
company headed for a successful future.
effort in the areas of product development and engineering, Gouda
HOTLINE IS A N A NDUS G RO U P P U B L IC AT I O N HotLine appears several times per y e a r. T h e p u b l i c a t i o n i s i n t e n d e d to inform personnel, clients and suppliers about the developments in the Andus Group.
EDITORIAL BOARD K ris R ooi j akkers N iels W ibier
L AY- O U T A N D P R O D U c T I O N BUREAU HOW
EDITORIAL ADDRESS beukenlaan 117 5 61 6 V C E I N D H O V E N
ANDUS GROUP BV EINDHOVEN / TEL . 040 - 211 58 0 0
A SSELBERGS VENTIL ATOREN BV UTRECHT / TEL . 030 - 246 95 01
FIB INDUSTRIËLE BEDRIJVEN BV LEEUWARDEN / TEL . 058 - 294 59 45
GFD SERVICES PARSAU (WOLFSBURG) / TEL. +49(0)5368 97 06 60
GOUDA FEUERFEST WILLICH / TEL . + 49(0)2154 88 87 0 0
GOUDA PROJEC T S BV GOUDA / TEL . 0182 - 59 14 0 0
GOUDA REFR AC TORIES BV GOUDA / TEL . 0182 - 59 14 0 0
GOUDA VUURVA ST BELGIUM SCHOTEN / TEL . +32(0)3 - 326 57 0 0
GOUDA VUURVA ST SERVICES BV GOUDA / TEL . 0182 - 59 14 0 0
HSM OFFSHORE BV SCHIEDAM / TEL . 010 - 427 92 0 0
HSM STEEL STRUC TURES BV SCHIEDAM / TEL . 010 - 427 92 0 0
INTER STEEL NIGERIA LTD L AGOS
INTER STEEL SLOVAKIA SRO KOŠICE / TEL . + 42 155 729 92 27
LENGKEEK IJMOND BV VEL SEN NOORD / TEL . 0251 - 22 35 23
LENGKEEK STA ALBOUW BV HOOGVLIE T RT / TEL . 010 - 416 16 4 4
MEBR A ME TA ALBE WERKING BV BUDEL / TEL . 0495 - 49 93 53
P&K R AIL BV UTRECHT / TEL . 030 - 246 95 92
RIJNDIJK ENGINEERING BV EINDHOVEN / TEL . 040 - 246 72 28
RIJNDIJK STEEL CONTR AC TING BV EINDHOVEN / TEL . 040 - 211 58 0 0
RIJNDIJK TECHNIC AL SERVICES BV BUDEL / TEL . 0495 - 49 92 22
W VL STA ALBOUWER S BV SCHAGEN / TEL . 0224 - 27 31 0 0
Gouda Feuerfest began life in
Quality and flexibility
Feuerfest will be ready to tap its
Klötze, a small town in former East
Since there are strategic reserves
new markets.
Germany, and a drive of some 5
stored at both branches, the
to 6 hours from its most impor-
company’s reaction time and flexi-
tant clients. Now, the company
bility have improved enormously.
has locations in both Parsau, near
Changes to the team include the
Wolfsburg, and Willich: at the heart
appointment of a new director
of the Ruhr region, close to industry
and a new commercial manager.
and with a service area of some 20
Finally, the bonds with the other
million people. This makes main-
Gouda branches in Belgium and
taining a good client relationship a
the Netherlands have been greatly
lot simpler.
strengthened thereby facilitating
W V L S TA A L B O U W E R S •
the re-certifications were based on
RIJNDIJK TECHNICAL SERVICES •
excellent result given that five of
ISO 9001 and VCA, but other
RIJNDIJK STEEL CONTR AC TING •
year. This does not only concern
RIJNDIJK ENGINEERING •
VCA certification extended
P&K RAIL •
lengthy list of checkpoints. An
M E B R A M E TA A L B E W E R K I N G •
an external audit several times per
L E N G K E E K S TA A L B O U W •
only four faults found within a
LENGKEEK IJMOND •
the Andus Group must submit to
I N T E R S T E E L S L O VA K I A •
with flying colours. There were
1 | no. 3 | December 2009
INTERSTEEL NIGERIA •
paper. This also implies that we The operating companies within
ANDUS GROUP SERVING THE INDUSTRY
volume
HSM STEEL STRUCTURES •
its own sake, not for the piece of
HSM OFFSHORE •
as long as certificates are not seen as mere paper tigers.
G O U D A V U U R VA S T S E R V I C E S •
external audits actually add value.
G O U D A V U U R VA S T B E L G I U M •
and accident rates. We do this for
GOUDA REFR AC TORIES •
as safe as possible. The many regulations in existence guarantee this,
about you AND US GOUDA PROJEC TS •
the certification authorities so that
GOUDA FEUERFEST •
retain a critical attitude toward
a drastic reduction in failure costs
GFD SERVICES •
for example, we look to achieving
expectations. An employee should expect that working conditions are
FIB INDUSTRIËLE BEDRIJVEN •
A client should expect that every effort is made to meet his/her
A S S E L B E R G S V E N T I L AT O R E N •
HotLine
Better, safer working environment
Our own transportation from now on!
“I don’t need technology to do my job for me”
Sometimes there can be perfect symmetry in business: an analysis of transport costs for Gouda
Manager Hans Taverne and Jeanet ter Agter from the sales and marketing department were two of the five key users closely involved in both the
Refractories made it clear that it would be more attractive for the company to use its own transport. At
introduction of the IFS software and the deployment of the Baan IV system. Real leaders, who were not too happy at first…
the same time, a minor reorganisation was on the cards. The reappointment of two employees as drivers was thus settled: to their immense satisfaction they received training, which included safety and crane
“Do you find that strange? We had
in making IFS workable and could
While IFS was still running, we
So, it was about improvising. One
operating, and gained their commercial driver’s licenses.
spent years slogging away at that
manage it just fine in the end. For
were entering sales orders into the
thing is certain: I don’t need tech-
system. We had invested heavily
sales and marketing for sure. We
new system by trial and error. The
nology to do my job for me. It was
It takes getting used to
Gouda companies. But if you have
lers and a DAF CF 85 truck with
to customer sites, but will also be
could do a lot with it. Maybe too
sales and purchasing aspect was on
business as usual. We would get
For over forty years ‘the neigh-
major transportation logistics to
Palfinger loading crane. Naturally,
employed for internal transport
much. But the production depart-
track really quickly, production was
the administration part right later.”
bour’ took very satisfactory care
deal with, it can be more econo-
they are provided with navigation
between the Gouda branches at
ment was making remarks and
also going well, but the snag was
of all the transportation for the
mical to undertake it oneself.
equipment, blind spot cameras
home and abroad. The fact that
criticisms, there was still too much
in the planning and dispatch, what
Satisfied
Especially if the drivers come
and will soon have toll hard-
there is already a 100% capacity
that had to be entered manually.
with complex packing lists, combi-
“Finally, we were fully functioning
from one’s own ranks.
ware for Germany and Belgium.
utilization shows what a good
It’s odd how quickly one becomes
nation pallets and so forth. But that
on Baan IV and it was going well.
could be worked on.”
Of course, there were still plenty
Gouda Refractories also took over
decision it was to make this not
accustomed to a system even if it
Only the best
a Mercedes truck from Gouda
inconsiderable investment. Even
doesn’t function, one takes it for
The decision was taken quickly.
Feuerfest.
‘the neighbour’ is helping out
granted. Then it’s time to start the
Clients come first
what was great was that there was
once more.
whole process over again, and with
“Time flew by and we knew that
so much we could do ourselves
The result: beautiful, gleaming
of things we could wish for. But
white trucks on the Gouda
A full house
an impossible deadline: 9 weeks!
we would have to go live at a given
to optimize the package. Staff are
premises. Not any old trucks: a
The trucks will, of course, be used
You would have wondered too. But
moment. Obviously, this caused
just happy with it, right across the
heavy DAF XF 105 with two trai-
to transport all materials and tools
we said immediately that we would
a certain amount of adrenalin.
board. We did the job. Incredible,
make the best of the situation.”
Especially as it was decided not to
really.”
migrate data from the old system.
What a party! Friday, November 20, was the great day: in the presence of guests, friends, family, some colleagues and
Just begin
So when an order came in, we
“Within two weeks, a blueprint
had to enter all the information
of our organisation had been
manually. Raw materials, finished
produced and we received a day’s
product, customer details, you
basic training. It was decided what
name it. It was stressful, but we
the simplest interpretation for us
were always clear that we would
would be and we got down to work.
not let our clients suffer as a result.
relations, the new Andus Group company headquarters was ceremoniously opened. It was also a great occasion on which to celebrate Tom van Rijn’s 25 years as an entrepreneur. Directly across from the Evoluon
was apparent during the first tour,
and René Froger ensured a great
guests were invited to make dona-
in Eindhoven, an amazing piece
following on a spectacular light
atmosphere and a lively dance
tions to Mappa Mondo in Waalre:
of architecture has sprung up:
show that marked the official
floor.
a home for children from 0 to
the new home base for RijnDijk
opening of the building. The event
Engineering and the head offices
was characterised by interesting
of the Andus Group. There is still plenty of space left over too! This
Never seen before
18 years old with serious chronic
Senior Director Sijmon van den Berg from Infor still smiles when the implementation of Baan IV by Gouda
To add an extra element to the
illnesses. The generous contribu-
Refractories is mentioned. “A project like that just gives one so much energy”. Naturally, Infor played a crucial
talks and shared memories, a tasty
special occasion of the opening
tions will be very well spent there.
role in this implementation, but Van den Berg credits the drive and motivation he saw at Gouda Refractories
snack and drinks. Karin Bloemen
of the Andus Group’s new home,
A warm thank you!
for its success.
Doing what has to be done
“This project killed all the sacred
model. It functions well. Our
it in 9 weeks for a fixed price?’ I
cows. And I’m happy to admit
product delivers added value fast
have to say, I’ve been in this busi-
that the Andus Group approach
in comparison with other systems
ness a long time but this was the
has made me look at our service
partly because it is based on this
first client to make such explicit
differently. If you don’t think in a
model. Not too complex and no
demands. Odd, really. Because
preconditioned way, dare to step
long introduction pathways. After
that’s what this is all about. So we
out of your comfort zone, break
all, you want to gain your driving
were glad to accept the challenge.
The construction of the Stopera, the Betuwe line, and the North-South line in Amsterdam: these are just a
its hands entering lists manually,
boundaries, think in terms of
licence within the foreseeable
A near impossible task, but we
few examples of past and present projects that have run out of control regarding time and budget. There is a
then there is no choice but to pull
solutions and express complete
future.”
took the attitude that we could do
smaller example to add: the introduction of the Atos Origin IFS system at Gouda Refractories. In May of that
the plug. Infor was approached to
confidence in each other then you
year, after nearly 3 years, the Andus Group decided to put an end to this money and energy wasting project
implement the Baan IV system
can really move mountains.”
How to solve it?
and to start again. Lead time: 9 weeks instead of 3 years. Purchase cost and annual maintenance: 10 % of the
under strict price, time and
“We computer experts have
“And then you come across the
Just do it
IFS solution. Baan IV was introduced.
deployment conditions. In this
learned to be afraid of taking
Andus Group. You make an
“Again, if you express mutual
it. And we did it.”
Hotline, it is with pleasure that we
risks. We put a lot of the respon-
initial implementation plan and
faith and commitment, have
Three years ago, IFS seemed like
so many consultants on the floor
and maintenance/license costs per
let two key users and Infor say a
sibility on the client and have
enter into discussions. ‘What do
a great steering team and key
that now. Yes, it was a good
the best option. Until it became
that temporary housing had to
annum soared. This would all be
word about the successful conver-
good reasons for this. Build your
you mean 34 weeks lead time?
user behind you, manpower is
project. Instructive. I would like
apparent that the ‘standard
be built for them. The total cost
acceptable, but when it turns out
sion.
own system, it is your project, we
What do you mean optimization
not an issue, you are given the
to do it that way more often. Isn’t
package’ had to be supplemented
ran to nearly 3 times the original
that the system is not functioning
will support you intensively and
costs? What do you mean respon-
freedom to push yourself and
it wonderful that one can be so
with a mass of customization
price. Deployment took one and
as required and the production
then gradually pull out, etc. You
sibility on us as the client? This is
bear the responsibility for the
inspired? Andus, thanks!”
work. At one point, there were
a half years longer than planned
department has constant work on
could call it the driving instructor
the situation and can you correct
outcome, then it works. We see