Clear Goals

Last year Van den Ban group turned-over roughly 250 million euros through the sale of around 4.7 million tyres. Now the company is aiming to increase the range of products and improve its service through the construction of a new “24,000 square-metre logistic tyre centre and a 20,000 square metre container terminal.” Tyres & Accessories met with managing director Frans van Lenten during the recent Essen show and found out more.

The new warehousing space will have the capacity to store between 1.3 and 1.5 million tyres. Construction is expected to get underway this summer with the site becoming operational at the end of 2007 or beginning of 2008. And not a moment too soon. At the moment hundreds of containers full of tyres are sitting by the current warehouse waiting for the new warehousing facility to be built nearby in the Dutch town of Hellevoetsluis.

With all this expansion underway, the logical question is: Where next? “All markets where we are not currently selling have out attention,” van Lenten replies. At the moment Van den Ban supplies tyre businesses right across Europe including some Eastern European countries. Delivery times vary according to market, but the company can supply on a weekly basis or with 24 hour notice in certain circumstances (namely in The Netherlands and large parts of Belgium and Germany).

In addition, the company has sales teams who are responsible for supporting the customer service experience. In France and Germany for example, five-person teams act as representatives of the company. While Van den Ban’s approach in this respect varies according to the size of the market, there is a clear strategy of supporting customers in their own language or with local sales advisors.

Looking to the east of the continent, and to the long-term future, Frans van Lenten singles out Russia and Romania as very interesting emerging markets. Russian because of its size and Romania because it is due to enter the EU soon. The aim is to introduce the company’s private and exclusive brands into these markets whenever possible.

On that note, van Lenten reports that sales of Van den Ban’s Chinese-produced Clear exclusive brand are generally “going well, above expectations.” The news from Essen was that the Clear range is to be extended and 10 – 15 sizes will soon be added to the passenger car range. A Clear 4×4 and truck tyre line will also be added soon. Van den Ban also announced that there will be a new Novex winter tyre available in time for the 2007 winter season.

Apart from this, Van den Ban also presented three new Federal patterns: 595 EVO, 595 Racing Sport and Formoza FD2. Van den Ban also announced that there will be a new Novex winter tyre available in time for the 2007 winter season. This new winter pattern will then be offered alongside the successful Flamingo Alaska and the Federal Himalaya winter tyres.
The goal for Van den Ban is to offer a wide range of private and exclusive brands in combination with premium brands to be a “Total Tyre Supplier” for all of its customers.