31 Mai 2010
Specialisation delivers results – the webshop puts the customer first
For Heuver Tyrewholesale, which is based in Hardenberg (Netherlands), the past year was a year of investments. Although the market was under considerable pressure because of the economic climate, Heuver still decided to optimise its services. The distribution centre was doubled in size to 24,000 m2, the webshop was renewed and optimised and the sales centre was expanded. New brands and segments, like the American brand Carlisle lawn and garden tyres, were added to the range and have helped to expand the overall range available to the customer.
Extra manpower
“Our main aim is to optimise our services. But if you also want to demonstrate effectiveness, you must be able to supply quickly and faultlessly”, states Bertus Heuver, director Heuver Tyrewholesale. “And what you don’t possess yourself, you must find very quickly. That is why our sales team was expanded last year, allowing us to operate better at international level. We want to speak the same language as the customer, both in terms of professional expectations and physical requirements. We currently span the whole of Europe, with every country having its specific habits and opportunities. It is important to be successful, but this must be achieved with a human ‘touch’, and never in a cold and impersonal manner.”
Warehouse management linked to webshop
Bertus Heuver: “However, fast and faultless supply is critical. One needs to carefully discuss everything with the customer. Thereafter, one needs to know what is in stock. Irrespective of brand, size and profile, the required tyre must be found in the gigantic 24,000 m2 warehouse and loaded on to the right trucks. Thanks to a modern warehouse management system (WMS) featuring bar codes, we have a 100%-accurate overview of our stock position – and we never get things wrong. Customers also view up-to-date stock levels when searching and ordering via the webshop. The webshop has become ever more important over the past couple of years. And thanks to the WMS, we have a perfect link to stock levels. Thus it was time to renew our webshop, which we have done by maximising accessibility and improving ordering procedures.”
New product lines
Last year, thanks to much greater storage capacity, Heuver Tyrewholesale was able to expand various product ranges – not only in terms of product numbers, but also in terms of range variety. “On average, we have a fixed monthly stock of around 80,000 to 100,000 tyres. We specialise is truck and trailer tyres, as well as agricultural and earthmover tyres – and our customers realise this. This specialisation delivers results and customers really feel at home because they are the centre of attention. This also applies to orders placed via the webshop. Since 2009, the range also includes Agricultural tyres by Alliance, as well as an extensive range of Aeolus earthmover tyres and top quality alloys by Jantsa and Xingmin. As of this year, we also import a wide range of Carlisle lawn, garden and horticultural tyres from America. Plus, we have made a promising start to 2010. Naturally, we have to invest a lot of time and effort, but we are full of confidence.”
About Heuver Tyrewholesale
Heuver Tyrewholesale was established in 1966 and consists of two business units: Heuver Tyrewholesale for professional customers looking for truck and trailer tyres, EM and industrial tyres and agricultural tyres, as well as the Profile Tyrecenter outlets for commercial customers and consumers. Heuver employs 214 people, including teams in countries including Germany and Romania.
