English - Nooteboom Giants on the Road Magazine English - Nr. 3 - 2016 | Page 35
INTERVIEW
values, but family-run companies focus more on the long term.
Moreover, the entire production process is quite similar, I definitely see
similarities there. Of course there are differences too,” Rekers continues. “What the customer wants is really the only thing that counts at
Liebherr. Left turn or right turn: it happens no matter what. To be clear:
at Nooteboom the customer comes first too. But for everyone to have
that same focus: that’s where great strides have been made during the last
five years. For quite a while the production at Nooteboom ruled; if there
was a hitch there it meant the lead time might be adjusted. That changed
from 2010 onwards when Henk Nooteboom kept insisting internally:
‘customer first, quality first, no concessions’. Under the leadership of
Marinka Nooteboom, daughter of Henk and General Manager since
2012, customer satisfaction and quality continue to be the objectives the
organisation aims for and Nooteboom has made great progress in this
area.” Furthermore, at Liebherr product development and product preparation are two completely separate circuits, which according to Rekers
means that operational issues will never hinder innovation. “Fortunately
here too Nooteboom has made great strides with the development and
production of new models. The MANOOVR is a perfect example of this.
Its success proves that Nooteboom is definitely on the right track.”
ONE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT
Rekers’ departure coincided last autumn with the introduction of the
MANOOVR. “It was one of my babies, something I am really proud
of. Another highpoint was the introduction of the Super Wing Carrier,
when we were the first party to offer a real solution for the transport of
the ultra-long rotor blades of wind turbines. But looking back I am most
proud of the simple fact that I was allowed to work there for 25 years.
During such a long period you are bound to be confronted with things
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that go wrong. I have always tried to discuss this openly and honestly
with the customers. After hearing about my move many of them let me
know that they were happy for me. That’s another thing I am proud of:
apparently I can look everyone in the eye. ” What lessons does Rekers
take from Nooteboom to Liebherr? In other words: what can the crane
manufacturer learn from the trailer producer? “At Nooteboom the
customer always has one dedicated point of contact. This is different in
our own divisions where a customer – depending on the product groups
he comes under – sometimes deals with several people. Perhaps this is
something we could address at Liebherr.”
BENCHMARK
About the ambitions he has, Rekers can be brief. “Liebherr really must
become the benchmark when it comes to customer satisfaction. We are
already doing extremely well but there is always room for improvement
and you have to keep earning it. Even a customer who only buys one
bolt from us is a customer who deserves our full attention.” Rekers
points out that since he has left he has actually become even more proud
of Nooteboom. “From a distance you can see even better how highly
regarded the company is in the market. It makes me really proud to
hear people making positive comments about the company I was part
of for such a long time. In this respect I will always be an ambassador of
Nooteboom.”
Liebherr is a global player in the development and production of mobile
cranes and crawler cranes.
Liebherr Nederland (based in Amersfoort) is among the top 5 most
important sales markets of parent company Liebherr-Werk Ehingen
GmbH. ■
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and Dick Nooteboom are welcomed by Han Rekers on their visit to Liebherr in Germany
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