'We are often the forgotten product'

Anchors, screws, nuts and bolts in more than 30,000 varieties from M2 to M80

"The above is of course somewhat exaggerated, but there is a grain of truth in it." Speaking is Matthias Leenheer of Kobout, supplier of joining materials. "Our products such as bolts, nuts or anchors are so obvious that not much attention is given to them. And that while there is a whole world behind them."

Kobout's warehouse in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht holds an average of 30,000 connection products in stock. The ambition is to further expand this wide range to 50,000 within the foreseeable future. The company's growth will be realized, among other things, in the infrastructure and construction building sectors. There, according to Leendert Vermeulen, Account Manager at Kobout, there is still a world to be won. "What we experience daily is that every contractor, large or small, has their own purchasing work planners and project managers who all keep reinventing the wheel. That can be done smarter, better and, of course, cheaper."

Connection means security

Product quality stands or falls with Kobout's suppliers. The company has been around since 1979. Some suppliers have also been on board since that time. As a result, Kobout and the suppliers know exactly what they have in common and what the expectations are on both sides. About seventy percent of all products are imported directly from the Far East. All deliveries are constantly checked by our own quality staff, in a modern in-house laboratory. In addition, the company is certified in accordance with ISO 9001 and 14001. The strict quality standards are important because, by definition, a connection is also about safety. 

About half of all products that leave Kobout's gate go directly to the end user. These are very diverse and range from greenhouse builders to trailer manufacturers and from offshore to concrete and steel construction companies. The remainder is sold to the trade. Besides supplying individual products, Kobout also sees an increasing demand for additional activities such as pre-packaging, labeling or pre-assembling its own products. Sometimes also in combination with products outside its own range. To this end, Kobout in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht has a complete processing and assembly department. This is partly staffed by people with a distance to the labor market. For example, concrete anchors are assembled there, but there are also twelve band saws to cut products to size or provide them with roof points to easily pierce the capsules of chemical anchors. 

Continuity as an ambition

Kobout is a true family business, including the familiar culture and atmosphere that comes with it. The 130 staff members know each other and are there for each other. Due to the low turnover, there is a lot of knowledge in the company. Knowledge that benefits Kobout's customers in particular. They are flatly organized with minimal overhead. Because they also work with trusted suppliers and purchase competitively, Kobout is a stable company. In that solid foundation and continuity also lies the company's ambition. Leenheer puts it as follows. "The Netherlands has a number of major challenges. We are still at the beginning of the energy transition, which must continue in order to meet our climate goals. We are heavily behind in housing construction, but the number of permits is not increasing significantly. The Dutch infrastructure is rattling and large-scale renovation and maintenance are urgently needed. In short, there is a lot of uncertainty in the market. Combine that with the dwindling number of professionals with the right knowledge and the shortage of craftsmen. Then it's nice for companies to be able to fall back on a solid and reliable party that thinks with them, to deliver as efficiently and effectively as possible. We have the knowledge, the short lines, the personal contact and the hands. In short: the continuity that provides the necessary confidence that things will come together, on time and to the right specifications, machined and assembled if required."

Honest and sincere

The ambition is to pass the company on healthily to the next generation. According to Vermeulen, this is also possible because clear choices are made. "A good example is that we don't make any distinctions. Every customer is equally important. We have customers who turn over several tons a year with us, but there is also a company around the corner that buys five thousand euros worth of material once a year. They receive the same attention, without distinction. And the same goes for new customers or potential customers when we participate in tenders. They too experience the same drive, warmth and contact. As we like to say ourselves: we are people who connect sincerely and honestly."