BASF China
The partnership of Van Leeuwen with BASF is a nice example of responding to a new market of an international character. BASF is one of the largest chemical companies in the world, with production sites throughout the world. Due to rising energy costs in Europe and geopolitical uncertainties, BASF, in 2021, decided to significantly invest in a chemical plant in Guangdong, South China. This project requires high-quality steel products and a reliable supply chain.
The partnership with BASF entailed various challenges. One of the largest challenges was to transport the pipes from the mill to the project site in the southernmost part of China, which experiences extremely high precipitation in certain seasons.
Van Leeuwen China has profiled itself as a reliable partner for BASF. To optimally support the BASF new development project, a new warehouse adjacent to the producer has been rented. This enabled Van Leeuwen to provide efficient storage and rapid delivery. This is what “More than Tubes” means for Van Leeuwen China. We not only supply pipes and fittings, but we also provide professional service to our customers.
At Heléns in Sweden, part of Royal Van Leeuwen, we are working on a gigantic project for the Stockholm Water Treatment Plant. For that project, Heléns is supplying 1,300 metric tons of stainless steel pipes for a new facility for treating Stockholm’s waste water.
Logistics is the major challenge here. The pipes are huge; some are 12 meters in length with a diameter of 1.2 and 1.4 meters. In total, 130 trucks are required to get them to the project site. The pipes are purchased from a regular Heléns supplier in Italy. From there they are transported by truck, loaded onto trains and on arrival they are transported by truck again to the storage site. In the initial phase, the pipes are stored in the open air. However, at a later stage they must be delivered to the construction site at precisely the right time. Because the project is located right in the heart of a residential area, there is a very narrow time slot to close the roads for transporting the pipes. This requires perfect planning.
Image © Carrier Corporation. Copyright remains with the original owner.
Carrier is a global market leader in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This American company supplies systems for industrial, as well as private climate control systems and has an enormous production site in France that is crucial for production for the EMEA region. Van Leeuwen has been a key supplier of steel components to Carrier for more than ten years.
Recently, an external supplier responsible for a critical component, large steel pipes that function as heat exchangers in Carrier’s cooling systems, stopped its services. Van Leeuwen France decided to set up this part of the production process in its own warehouse in Meyzieu, close to the Carrier plant.
This represented a major investment in in-house production facilities, including an advanced plasma cutting machine and a special blasting machine. Because of this strategic move, Van Leeuwen acquired full control over quality and delivery reliability. The added value for Carrier is clear: a reliable supplier that, within a short distance from the Carrier plant, supplies key components of consistent quality.
The reason why Van Leeuwen was selected was due to multiple factors. First of all, we have the required technical expertise and experience in-house for such projects. Aside from this, we provided the possibility of storing many materials close to the construction site in Antwerp, which was essential given the tight schedule. Finally, Van Leeuwen’s global coverage is a major plus: in Abu Dhabi, as well as in the Netherlands, teams were able to provide on-site support and streamline the logistics.
INEOS, a fast-growing chemical company, is investing four billion euros in a new plant in the port of Antwerp: Project ONE. This is the largest industrial investment in the region in twenty years. Even for Van Leeuwen, used to handling complex project orders, the task is impressive. We supplied 18,000 metric tons of pipes, fittings and flanges of various qualities. The logistics challenge was enormous, with deliveries to Abu Dhabi, where modules are built, and to the Netherlands, where we set up Dedicated Project Storage Areas (DPSAs) to temporarily store materials for the project. Import from China became difficult because of import quotas, while geopolitical factors, such as the attacks on ships in the Suez Canal region, drove up transportation costs. Despite this, we effectively dealt with all challenges.
Thailand is the second largest sugar exporter in the world and a key hub for processing sugar cane. Crucial components in the production process of these plants are boiler tubes, which because of heat, contamination by sand and corrosion must be replaced every year. Van Leeuwen supplies high-quality tubes that are procured from renowned producer Benteler in Germany. Due to its strong reputation and reliable deliveries, Van Leeuwen is able to compete with Japanese mills who are also highly regarded in Thailand.
Van Leeuwen’s strength lies not only in its products, but in its process as well. We visit all 58 sugar plants throughout the year and identify their expectations and requirements. This proactive process prevents delays and provides for an efficient procurement strategy, which enables sugar plants to optimize their production. The sugar market is highly seasonal: the harvest starts in December and ends in April and that is the period when plants have to run at full capacity. This is why most orders for alloyed steel and carbon steel tubes are placed at the beginning of the year so that the old ones can be replaced well in advance.
Ruud Langeveld, Joop Sassen, Michael van Etten, and Sivaphon Thephasdin Na Ayudhya
visiting Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group
Various experts from different countries work together in Market Acceleration Circles at Van Leeuwen. These teams share knowledge and best practices within specific sectors, like Yellow Goods. In this case, the Mechanical Engineering Circle provided valuable insights and strategies to be able to cooperate with Putzmeister.
Putzmeister, a German manufacturer of concrete pumps, renewed the cooperation with Van Leeuwen. The renewed cooperation began in Turkey, where our team at Van Leeuwen Turkey, supplied small orders and developed a strong relationship with Putzmeister’s local procurement team. The revenue grew over a period of four years, especially for the high-quality hydraulic and pneumatic pipes (HPL), later also in Germany. In addition to supplying high-quality pipes and other materials, Van Leeuwen provides customized logistics solutions. Customer dedicated stocks are kept in Germany and Turkey, which enables Putzmeister to work flexibly without high storage costs. Just-in-time deliveries facilitate more efficient production planning. Van Leeuwen differentiates itself by a seamless cooperation between Germany and Turkey. Furthermore, the high quality of the HPL pipes that we purchase from our fixed partner Benteler Steel/Tube is a significant added value.
Please check further information on our website: Tube solutions for heavy duty equipment
Image © Carrier Corporation. Copyright remains with the original owner.
Carrier is a global market leader in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This American company supplies systems for industrial, as well as private climate control systems and has an enormous production site in France that is crucial for production for the EMEA region. Van Leeuwen has been a key supplier of steel components to Carrier for more than ten years.
Recently, an external supplier responsible for a critical component, large steel pipes that function as heat exchangers in Carrier’s cooling systems, stopped its services. Van Leeuwen France decided to set up this part of the production process in its own warehouse in Meyzieu, close to the Carrier plant.
This represented a major investment in in-house production facilities, including an advanced plasma cutting machine and a special blasting machine. Because of this strategic move, Van Leeuwen acquired full control over quality and delivery reliability. The added value for Carrier is clear: a reliable supplier that, within a short distance from the Carrier plant, supplies key components of consistent quality.
At Heléns in Sweden, part of Royal Van Leeuwen, we are working on a gigantic project for the Stockholm Water Treatment Plant. For that project, Heléns is supplying 1,300 metric tons of stainless steel pipes for a new facility for treating Stockholm’s waste water.
Logistics is the major challenge here. The pipes are huge; some are 12 meters in length with a diameter of 1.2 and 1.4 meters. In total, 130 trucks are required to get them to the project site. The pipes are purchased from a regular Heléns supplier in Italy. From there they are transported by truck, loaded onto trains and on arrival they are transported by truck again to the storage site. In the initial phase, the pipes are stored in the open air. However, at a later stage they must be delivered to the construction site at precisely the right time. Because the project is located right in the heart of a residential area, there is a very narrow time slot to close the roads for transporting the pipes. This requires perfect planning.
Thailand is the second largest sugar exporter in the world and a key hub for processing sugar cane. Crucial components in the production process of these plants are boiler tubes, which because of heat, contamination by sand and corrosion must be replaced every year. Van Leeuwen supplies high-quality tubes that are procured from renowned producer Benteler in Germany. Due to its strong reputation and reliable deliveries, Van Leeuwen is able to compete with Japanese mills who are also highly regarded in Thailand.
Van Leeuwen’s strength lies not only in its products, but in its process as well. We visit all 58 sugar plants throughout the year and identify their expectations and requirements. This proactive process prevents delays and provides for an efficient procurement strategy, which enables sugar plants to optimize their production. The sugar market is highly seasonal: the harvest starts in December and ends in April and that is the period when plants have to run at full capacity. This is why most orders for alloyed steel and carbon steel tubes are placed at the beginning of the year so that the old ones can be replaced well in advance.
Ruud Langeveld, Joop Sassen, Michael van Etten, and Sivaphon Thephasdin Na Ayudhya
visiting Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group
Putzmeister, a German manufacturer of concrete pumps, renewed the cooperation with Van Leeuwen. The renewed cooperation began in Turkey, where our team at Van Leeuwen Turkey, supplied small orders and developed a strong relationship with Putzmeister’s local procurement team. The revenue grew over a period of four years, especially for the high-quality hydraulic and pneumatic pipes (HPL), later also in Germany. In addition to supplying high-quality pipes and other materials, Van Leeuwen provides customized logistics solutions. Customer dedicated stocks are kept in Germany and Turkey, which enables Putzmeister to work flexibly without high storage costs. Just-in-time deliveries facilitate more efficient production planning. Van Leeuwen differentiates itself by a seamless cooperation between Germany and Turkey. Furthermore, the high quality of the HPL pipes that we purchase from our fixed partner Benteler Steel/Tube is a significant added value.
Please check further information on our website: Tube solutions for heavy duty equipment
Various experts from different countries work together in Market Acceleration Circles at Van Leeuwen. These teams share knowledge and best practices within specific sectors, like Yellow Goods. In this case, the Mechanical Engineering Circle provided valuable insights and strategies to be able to cooperate with Putzmeister.
The reason why Van Leeuwen was selected was due to multiple factors. First of all, we have the required technical expertise and experience in-house for such projects. Aside from this, we provided the possibility of storing many materials close to the construction site in Antwerp, which was essential given the tight schedule. Finally, Van Leeuwen’s global coverage is a major plus: in Abu Dhabi, as well as in the Netherlands, teams were able to provide on-site support and streamline the logistics.
INEOS, a fast-growing chemical company, is investing four billion euros in a new plant in the port of Antwerp: Project ONE. This is the largest industrial investment in the region in twenty years. Even for Van Leeuwen, used to handling complex project orders, the task is impressive. We supplied 18,000 metric tons of pipes, fittings and flanges of various qualities. The logistics challenge was enormous, with deliveries to Abu Dhabi, where modules are built, and to the Netherlands, where we set up Dedicated Project Storage Areas (DPSAs) to temporarily store materials for the project. Import from China became difficult because of import quotas, while geopolitical factors, such as the attacks on ships in the Suez Canal region, drove up transportation costs. Despite this, we effectively dealt with all challenges.
BASF China
The partnership of Van Leeuwen with BASF is a nice example of responding to a new market of an international character. BASF is one of the largest chemical companies in the world, with production sites throughout the world. Due to rising energy costs in Europe and geopolitical uncertainties, BASF, in 2021, decided to significantly invest in a chemical plant in Guangdong, South China. This project requires high-quality steel products and a reliable supply chain.
The partnership with BASF entailed various challenges. One of the largest challenges was to transport the pipes from the mill to the project site in the southernmost part of China, which experiences extremely high precipitation in certain seasons.
Van Leeuwen China has profiled itself as a reliable partner for BASF. To optimally support the BASF new development project, a new warehouse adjacent to the producer has been rented. This enabled Van Leeuwen to provide efficient storage and rapid delivery. This is what “More than Tubes” means for Van Leeuwen China. We not only supply pipes and fittings, but we also provide professional service to our customers.
