Unlocking potential Axa Stenman

of Ontime Logistics AS, which has activities in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Ontime Logistics offers transport and logistics services primarily related to road transport. The company has 220 employees and eight offices in Norway, five in Sweden and two in Denmark. This acquisition is expected to add to its already strong position in the Norwegian road market.

Ecological importance

One important aspect of improvement at DSV Road is the company’s enhanced environmental commitment. The DSV ECO Transport policy is continually moving forward; over 60 per cent of DSV Road vehicles and the vehicles used by its network of carefully selected subcontractors are now classified as Euro IV or V (emission standard V is currently the highest classification available for trucks).

The company spokesperson added, “As a business that is reliant on transportation, we believe that the ecological responsibility of our fleet is of paramount importance to our continued success. It’s not just good for the environment, it’s good for business. That is why we introduced the DSV ECO Transport policy, and our size and smart approach enables us to offer economies of scale and constant streamlining of transport and logistics.”

Total service

The full-service aspect of DSV Road provides short delivery times for groupage, part and full loads and all manner of special transports. In cooperation with its partner divisions DSV Air & Sea and DSV Solutions, the company offers comprehensive multi-modal transport and logistics solutions across the world. Its service incorporates all aspects of logistics from forwarding, packing, sorting and labelling to stock management, with all services being developed and honed to ensure the best possible results for the customer.

According to the spokesperson, “It’s all about designing solutions to fit the individual needs of our customers, particularly as so many customers are active globally. For each and every customer we make sure that our forwarding and freight service is perfectly in tune with what they need, whether it’s domestic logistics, across Europe or worldwide. We work with both small businesses with one-off assignments and major multinational businesses that use DSV Road to outsource their entire logistics management. We value all our customers and work hard to deliver a personalised service.”

The DSV Road service portfolio relies on its large network of local offices, all staffed by skilled employees who really know the locality and the logistics industry. For groupage services, a 24-hour domestic and cross-border service is available and delivery within one to five days across Europe. Direct pick-up and

delivery of shipments of more than 1500kg in full loads or part loads is available throughout Europe, with all services supported by the company’s comprehensive online support.

DSV Road’s e-services have been developed to offer all the information that its customers need quickly, with easy-access Track & Trace showing the latest update for every shipment. Customers can also book their shipments online, saving them time and cutting administration demands in the DSV Road office, which allows time and cost savings to be passed on to the customer.

The company’s e-service tools allow it to provide the best possible service to its customers as it helps to speed up bookings with transparent communication that’s available 24/7. It sees its strong market position across Europe and customisable e-services as playing an important part in its future success. Over the past year or so it has been looking at expansion into new markets. n

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL

Manufacturer and supplier of hardware Axa Stenman Industries is proud to be ‘unlocking the future’ for its largely Europe-based customers. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to the product manager, Mark Grefhorst, to find out more.

The roots of the Netherlands-based hardware manufacturer and supplier Axa Stenman Industries reach back to 1902, with the company’s two complementary business areas of bicycle components and window and door components, both utilising its long-held expertise in metals and plastics. The two different business lines primarily operate separately, but they have the shared strength of the panEuropean production sites and the support functions of the Dutch head office.

Product manager for the bicycle components business, Mark Grefhorst, spoke to Industry Europe about how the company consistently delivers on its promise of ‘unlocking the future’. He said, “We are a Europe-based company that uses our European production facilities to produce some of the safest, most

secure locks for bicycles, doors and windows. With our two business areas relatively separate, there is certainly a common thread of high-quality European production and a focus on safety and security in everything we do.”

Cooperation is key

The two separate production lines both sell directly to manufacturers as well as to wholesalers to their respective retail markets. Mr Grefhorst continued, “Our customers are primarily manufacturers who use our products in their production. Axa Stenman is always investing in new and ongoing partnerships with our customers in order to maintain a very high level of cooperation with customers and suppliers. This is so important for our business, and it’s an area that is continually improving too. We are keen to understand how our customers’ businesses are changing and how Axa Stenman can help.”

A large operation, Axa Stenman has production sites in the Netherlands, France and Poland as well as several dedicated sales offices and agents in various countries including Germany, Poland and France. Mr Grefhorst added, “All our production sites enjoy state-ofthe-art equipment and machinery that allows us to develop and manufacture products of the highest quality, using predominately Europeanmade parts and materials. We are currently focused on maximising the efficiency of all our plants so that we can be sure that we are operating in the most effective way for a solid balance of cost and quality.”

The core products offered by Axa Stenman from its bicycle business area are locks, chain guards and dress guards and lights. For the window and door business area, its core products are hinges of various types and handles/openers for both professional and personal applications. The professional applications also include access management products for hospitals and schools, where Axa Stenman works with long-time partner ASSA on systems and solutions that meet the challenges of this sector.

Axa Stenman also works with a number of well-known partners and suppliers across both its product groups, with names including large-scale European manufacturers of cylinders and raw material suppliers of plastic and metals.

Growth and development

In terms of geographical footprint, the proudly European company Axa Stenman is actually growing both in Europe and beyond. Mr Grefhorst explained, “We are increasingly moving beyond European borders, which is exciting for us. We are of course keeping our dedication to production in Europe, as well as using almost all European parts, and we