The Pen | Ing. Karin van Kuffeler, Product Manager at Mavotrans

Why make it difficult when it can be done together

For this issue of Concrete & Steel Construction, I have been asked to take pen in hand. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of collaboration within the chain. In an environment that is changing ever faster and more radically, and that certainly applies to the construction industry as well, innovation is necessary. Within the industry, we are constantly faced with new opportunities and challenges for which we must seek solutions together.

The industry benefits from developing and successfully implementing new ideas, products, processes and services. Fortunately, there is no shortage of these within the construction industry, which is bursting with new ideas, initiatives and developments and is working hard in all sorts of areas. As far as I am concerned, collaboration within the chain plays a crucial role in this; it delivers many benefits and a better end result. A chain that works well together ensures higher quality end products, wastes less, encourages innovation, works more safely and adapts more easily to market developments.

I am convinced that you get further by seeking cooperation with partners. Sharing knowledge, expertise and experience makes a positive contribution to your ultimate goals. Here it is important that companies no longer focus on personal financial gain and advantage, but go for optimizing the bigger picture and pursuing a goal together. In chain cooperation, the participating parties must put the project interest or the interest of the client or end user first. This must be placed above their own interests.

Even in my position as product manager at Mavotrans, a specialized supplier of building products, I strive for intensive and close cooperation with partners. In my case, this is especially in the area of our suppliers. We were able to realize a nice practical example earlier this year, by entering into a partnership with Molenaar Betonindustrie. From 2020, Mavotrans will handle the full distribution of Molenaar Betonindustrie's complete product range for Dutch civil and utility construction. This will allow Molenaar to focus on the production of concrete products for 100%. In this way we make optimum use of each other's qualities and capabilities, so that ultimately the end user benefits the most. The collaboration results in an improvement in quality and service levels for both our customers.

Building a bright future together is what I want to advocate and strive for. The more we can and want to give each other insight into the benefits of cooperation within the chain and the more we stimulate and enthuse each other, the further we will get in the sector. Someone who certainly shares my opinion in this is Corné Molenaar, director of Molenaar Betonindustrie and therefore I am happy to pass the pen to him.