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trailer world Issue One 2014

Successful in its niche

    Issue One 2014  31 What makes a company successful? This question is something that many com- pany bosses consider, and it is often difficult to answer. Sjang Emons answered it for his com- pany back in the 1980s. And today, about 30 years later, it has turned out that the decisions taken at the time were bang on target. In the meantime, the Emons Group has developed into a company that is known throughout Eu- rope and can hold its own against its competi- tors – also, the prospects look good for further growth. It was only last year that a major ex- pansion of the company took place through its merger with Meierling of Germany. Emons is an SME in the logistics sector based in The Netherlands that was found- ed in 1943, and was managed by the own- ing family until a year ago. In 2013, Sjang Emons handed over control of the every- day business to three managers. About 700 employees in 10 branches contribute to the success of the company. As well as the head- quarters in Milsbeek, there are branches in Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Poland. The logistics company has made a name for itself by specialising in three are- as: transporting flat glass under the auspic- es of its subsidiary, Van Huët; environmen- tally friendly transport of particularly large transport volumes under the “2Win” brand; and a special recycling process for use in ag- riculture which is handled by its Hofmans subsidiary. Taking all three areas together, the fleet currently numbers 800 vehicles. When Sjang Emons set the course for the company’s current orientation, the firm was in a rather tricky situation. Since its estab- lishment, Emons had concentrated above all in the agricultural business, and had ulti- mately ended up operating almost exclusive- ly on contracts for a single major custom- er. The prospects looked grim at first when this customer gave notice within a matter of days that it would no longer be calling on the transport services of the logistics provider. However, the Emons brothers managed to turn the situation around in their favour: “They looked for and found niches in which they could run a successful business inde- pendently of decisions taken by individual clients,” reports Roger Reiniers, Operations Successful in its niche PortraitPhoto:MarcelAerts Any company that wants to make it against the competition in the transport market must focus its efforts – that was the decision taken by the CEO of the Emons Group about 30 years ago. Nowadays, the Dutch company is one of the top suppliers, above all when it comes to transporting flat glass.

Overview