Dear members, cooperation partners and suppliers,

Here we are, at the end of a turbulent year that has brought its own challenges. The economic circumstances have undoubtedly been demanding, but despite the storms, we have written success stories together – even in these difficult times.

It has been a pleasure to go through these times with you and we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your trust. Your loyalty and co-operation have helped us to give our best even in difficult moments.

In the midst of challenges, we have learnt to be more resilient, to think more flexibly and to adapt to changing circumstances, especially as to digitation and other important issues. These lessons will help us develop and grow in the future together with you.

As we look to the year ahead, let’s ignite the positive energies together in Europe and beyond! We are convinced that 2024 is a year full of opportunities and possibilities. With our collective determination and commitment, we will reach new heights and celebrate small and big successes together.

With this in mind, we wish you, your families and your beloved ones a happy and peaceful end to the year. May the coming year 2024 be filled with joy, happiness, success and, above all, good health.

Thank you for a continued successful partnership in the new year!

Yours sincerely,

Annegret Franzen with the whole Team from EDE Intenational

Giving joy and making children smile – that’s the aim of Christmas, but it’s especially an annual heartfelt wish of the EDE “Wunschsternaktion” (Wishing Star campaign).

This year marked the 14th anniversary of the Christmas Wishing Star campaign at the EDE Group in Wuppertal, where many of the 225 wishes from children from regional children’s and youth homes were presented in a festive setting in the beautifully decorated EDE foyer.

Father Christmas himself visited EDE Group’s headquarter to hand over the lovingly wrapped presents to the excited children and give them a little happiness in the festive season. The gifts were collected thanks to the great commitment of many EDE employees and with the support of the EDE Group.

“Whether it’s a fulfilled wish or a monetary donation – every gift reaches the little ones and helps! This is the twelfth time I’ve organised the campaign myself and I’m still really happy every time that we can make the children so happy on behalf of our EDE colleagues,” says Jennifer Träptau, Sustainability responsible.

In addition to the presents, the “Christmas helpers” aka employees also treated the children with sweet snacks, while a professional make-up artist transformed the foyer into a winter wonderland with a make-up station, enchanting the children’s faces as winter fairies or reindeer.

A wonderful activity that put a smile on the faces of the children and the organisers. As always, a highlight at the end of the year. We are already looking forward to next year!

Ho Ho Ho!

#MerryChristmas

On 10 and 11 October 2023, the EXPOCECOFERSA trade fair of our partner CECOFERSA took place at the IFEMA exhibition centre in Madrid.

A total of 70 CECOFERSA members and more than 95 CECOFERSA supplier companies from Spain and Portugal gathered in the halls of the Madrid trade fair for EXPOCECOFERSA, which turned the traditional trade fair concept “upside down”. Instead of the usual dynamic of suppliers exhibiting and customers visiting, these roles were reversed. The advantage for both sides is obvious. CECOFERSA’s contract suppliers appreciate the highly efficient organisation of the event and are enthusiastic about the opportunity to arrange fixed appointments directly with a large number of their potential customers in advance and to establish contact with them in one place. Members have the opportunity to hold as many meetings as possible with suppliers in an atmosphere of direct dialogue at their own stand.

Javier Herrera, Managing Director of CECOFERSA, expressed his satisfaction: “We have been organising the EXPOCECOFERSA concept in this “upside-down” way since 2003. At that time, we were inspired by other European purchasing groups and cooperation partners who were already practising this concept with great success. This year, once again, we have succeeded in creating an important communication platform where contract suppliers and members can meet in an efficient and focused atmosphere”.

Another difference to the traditional trade fair: The focus is not on the products, but on the direct dialogue between CECOFERSA suppliers and their members in Spain and Portugal. Participating dealers have exclusive access to special conditions from selected suppliers and benefit from special financing from DELCREDIT Spain. “A competitive advantage – with the aim of continuing to grow together,” says Herrera. An evening with more than 300 guests on the first evening of the trade fair – this year in the form of a magician – rounded off the trade fair experience.

EXPOCECOFERSA in this on-site format is held every two years and alternates with a virtual fair. The next (virtual) edition is scheduled for March 2024.

For  more info: https://www.cecofersa.com

The Executive Board and management of the Haberkorn Group, E/D/E GmbH and EDE International AG met in Wolfurt, Austria, for this year’s management meeting in the summer of this year. They discussed the economic developments and strategic priorities of the partners to date and, in particular, the expansion of the long-term strategic partnership.

There was agreement on all sides to continue to utilise the potential of the cooperation in the future and to further expand the joint business. Annegret Franzen (Managing Director of EDE International AG) expressed her enthusiasm: “The cooperation with Haberkorn has developed extremely successfully in recent years, both in the warehousing business and in centralised payment. In addition, we maintain very close contact in Austria, Germany and Eastern Europe and the personal relationships with the entire management are based on partnership and trust. Both the Haberkorn Group and the E/D/E Group recognise the potential in working together and the many parallels in the strategic fields.  In this respect, we are very pleased that this agreement will further consolidate and expand our strategic cooperation in the long term.”

The Austrian family-owned company Haberkorn was founded in 1932 and today, with more than 2,300 employees and over 30 locations, is one of Europe’s leading technical dealers thanks to its exponential growth.

For further info: www.haberkorn.com

Great honour for our parent company, Einkaufsbüro Deutscher Eisenhändler GmbH. Alongside 13 regional companies, E/D/E was honoured with the ÖKOPROFIT award for resource-conserving management at a special ceremony in the Remscheid Tool Museum at the end of October.

Jennifer Träptau, E/D/E’s sustainability responsible, happily accepted the certification together with other company representatives: “The pride of the participating companies in having made their contribution to ecological sustainability, which in turn contributes to strengthening the regional economic sector, was clearly noticeable at the event.” He continued: “We are delighted to have received the certification and it encourages us to keep at it and to identify and realise further energy-saving potential.” E/D/E decided to take part in the certification process as one step in its overall sustainability strategy.

ÖKOPROFIT is a programme funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection. The aim of the programme is to strengthen companies’ economic and ecological sustainability. The focus is on reducing companies’ energy consumption and waste volumes and increasing their material efficiency.

As a prerequisite for ÖKOPROFIT certification, data from the past three years was first recorded and analysed at E/D/E: electricity, gas and water consumption as well as waste and fuel quantities. As a result, 33 measures for ecological management were identified during the project phase. Subsequently, at the suggestion of ÖKOPROFIT, energy consumption was reduced by around 400,000 kWh through various measures.

What happens after certification? E/D/E will continue to participate in the so-called ÖKOPROFIT Club after the project phase. The experiences can then also be fed into the EDE network to share our sustainability knowledge with all partners at home and abroad.

Congratulations and keep up the positive work on sustainability!

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Haberkorn Fairtool in Hungary, the company organised a customer meeting in mid-September. “To mark the special occasion, we invited our most loyal partners to an exclusive location, the Eiffel Art Studio in Budapest. We supplied the tools required for the workshop here two years ago as part of a tender,” explains Managing Director Lajos Göndör.

A total of 186 guests and 26 supplier partners celebrated with Hungary’s largest tool and industrial safety retailer. “At the event, our customers had the opportunity to find out about the latest developments directly from our most important suppliers and learn more about the possibilities of our dispensing machines,” says Enikő Molnár, Head of Purchasing at Haberkorn Fairtool. In addition to specialist presentations

the programme was complemented by a guest speaker who spoke on the topic of artificial intelligence and its effects.

EDE International also had a stand at the event, where visitors were able to find out more about the FORUM brand. “We congratulate the management on 30 successful years and wish them many more to come,” says Martin Ochelski, Sales Manager Austria, Switzerland, Eastern Europe and Italy at EDE International.

We would like to join in congratulating Fairtool Haberkorn on its special anniversary!

Further information on https://www.haberkorn.hu/

For the third time in a row, the renowned rating agency GBB-Rating has awarded ETRIS BANK the credit rating “A+ stable”, thus reconfirming both the rating result and the stable outlook of previous years.

GBB-Rating, a subsidiary of the Auditing Association of German Banks, is an independent rating agency recognised by ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) throughout Europe with a focus on the private banking sector. “The once again positive result underlines the solid positioning and the strategic course taken by the bank, even in economically turbulent times,” Uwe Müller, Chairman of the Management Board of ETRIS BANK, which belongs to the E/D/E Group, is pleased to say.

ETRIS BANK was founded in 2011 as a 100% subsidiary of the E/D/E Group in Wuppertal. Together with E/D/E GmbH in Wuppertal and EDE International AG, it offers European members, cooperation partners and the joint venture Delcredit España, numerous financial services such as central payment and factoring.

EDE International congratulates its “sister” from Wuppertal on the repeated best rating and looks forward to further cooperation and new joint projects in the international business environment.

More information on all ETRIS BANK financial services at:  www.etrisbank.de/en/

Employees of EDE International, their families and friends around the E/D/E site in Wuppertal, were granted a long-held wish on 18.8.23. Finally, family members and interested friends were given the opportunity to get to know the workplace at the Wuppertal site and gain an insight into the E/D/E working world.

Around 110 curious and knowledge-hungry guests found their way to E/D/E in bright sunshine. In high spirits, an extensive information programme was offered: guided tours through the logistics, lectures on the history and current development of the E/D/E Group and tours of the E/D/E-building. During a knowledge rally, the participants were able to use what they had learned and ” snatch” small prizes. Mia Grbesa (four years old), daughter of Vanessa Grbesa (Central Services Europe), was delighted to receive a so-called “Wimmelbuch” – a child-friendly picture book about Wuppertal.

The physical well-being of the guests, both young and grown-up, was catered for – quite traditionally – with bratwurst and cold drinks, and there was also time for conversation and informal exchange among each other.

The organisation team at EDE International, together with the colleagues from E/D/E’s Facility Management, had been planning the day for many weeks. The fact that the weather remained so sunny and dry by Wuppertal standards as a reward was, according to Annegret Franzen (CEO EDE International), a “special highlight.” She was very happy about the many visitors and promised an exciting insight into the world of the E/D/E.

In addition to the primary goal of getting to know the workplace of one’s father, aunt, child or friend and celebrating a pleasant and informative party together, the aim was also to present E/D/E and EDE International as an employer and training company.

Isabelle Saurwein (HR Business Partner E/D/E GmbH) was busy promoting the event: “Together with EDE International, E/D/E offers all people around Wuppertal and the surrounding area a unique opportunity to actively participate in an international working environment. The versatility of an apprenticeship or a job in a European network with international members, cooperation partners and suppliers in the different areas of a company is really special!”

Thierry (five years old), son of Thanusha Pajdzik (Project Management International Data and Catalogue Projects), found the right words at the end: ” So cool! Finally, I could see where mum works on the catalogues.”

Interesting information on the numerous apprenticeships and vacant positions in the E/D/E Group can be found at: https://karriere.ede.de