BTS Company d.o.o. in Ljubljana, Slovenia, received a special gift at the annual meeting from Martin Ochelski (EDE International AG Sales Director & Key Accounts, Cooperations Eastern Europe) and Maximilian Kriso (Country Manager).

They presented Tomaž Boh and Sandi Boh (CEO and owners of BTS Company d.o.o.) and their management team with the membership certificate for a quarter of a century of membership in the EDE Group.

BTS was the first member of the EDE Group in Slovenia on 1 May 1998 and is today an important and active part of the FORMATplus network in Eastern Europe. Since the beginning of the co-operation, the partnership with BTS has developed positively and, above all, actively. BTS welcomes the digital expansion of the FORMAT 3.0 concept and knows how to utilise the digital solutions in particular.

Maximilian Kriso thanked BTS with the words: “We are proud to have a reliable long-term partner as BTS company in our EDE family. On behalf of the entire EDE group, I would like to thank you again for the excellent cooperation over the last 25 years. At the same time, we are looking forward to even more intensive collaboration in the coming years!”

Want to know more about BTS Company d.o.o.? https://www.bts-company.com/

Further information on the long-standing strategic cooperation with BTS will follow here shortly!

At the end of January, the annual LLL Award (“Lievelings Leveranciers van Lecot” = Lecot’s favourite suppliers) was presented at a ceremony hosted by our member Lecot in Belgium. With this highly popular award, Lecot, a specialist retailer of hardware, fastening technology, building hardware, tools and personal protective equipment, honours partner companies for their outstanding performance in various categories, including sustainability and logistics. This year, the E/D/E Group received the coveted logistics award, recognising its top performance in this area.

Sven Schönfeld (Head of Logistics at E/D/E GmbH) travelled to Belgium together with Freek Dekkers (Sales Director & Key Accounts, Cooperations BENELUX – Northern Europe at EDE International AG) to receive the award in person from Rik Lecot, Managing Director of Lecot). “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of my entire logistics team. It is an extreme appreciation for all employees in our eLC (electronic Logistics Centre) who give their best every day!” He continued: “The award will of course take a place of honour!” Freek Dekkers was also delighted and emphasised: “We are thrilled to receive this award as a symbol of the continuous innovation and commitment of our logistics colleagues to first-class service in the supply chain.”

The LLL Awards are presented annually by Lecot according to strict criteria that take into account performance, service, speed, error rate and other factors. The E/D/E Group, for example, was recognised for its remarkable performance, excellent service, efficiency and low error rate in the field of logistics.

The popular awards ceremony – which has a firm place in the calendar of Lecot’s dealers, suppliers/service providers – took place as part of an evening event near Lecot’s headquarters and attracted over 200 participants. During the event, important results, figures and facts from the past financial year 2023 were presented and the goals for the current year 2024 were also highlighted. An all-round successful event and an award that will continue to motivate us to be a reliable and efficient partner to members in Belgium and Europe (and not only) in the field of logistics. A big thank you to Lecot for this fantastic honour!

For further info see: https://group.lecot.be/

Our member, the Romanian METATOOLS Group, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023. What was once a small family business has grown into an internationally active company managed by brothers Mircea and Alexandru Androne. METATOOLS has constantly managed to adapt to the changing needs of consumers.  CEO Mircea Androne is particularly proud of this today, and with good reason.

METATOOLS was founded in 1998 and since then has grown from a small family business into a group of companies with 130 employees. It specialises in the sale and distribution of technical equipment and power tools and offers associated services. Today, more than 50 resellers distribute METATOOLS products throughout Romania.

Mircea Androne has ambitious plans for the future and is also counting on the cooperation with the EDE Group: “The decision to enter into a partnership with EDE was primarily driven by a shared vision for growth and development and a strategic direction in terms of long-term goals, values and market focus. We are helped by EDE’s deep industry knowledge and expertise in the industrial B2B sector – as well as access to a wide range of products and private labels and an optimised supply chain with numerous benefits in terms of cost efficiency.

METATOOLS invited numerous guests to the company headquarters in Ploesti in September to celebrate a special anniversary event. Martin Ochelski, Sales Director Eastern Europe, was there with Vladimira Gimerska, Country Manager Eastern Europe, to personally congratulate the brothers Mircea and Alexandru Androne: “We are very pleased that we have been able to expand our activities in Romania so successfully together with METATOOLS. We appreciate our close and professional cooperation in all areas, especially in the FORTISplus concept, centralised payment and in the warehousing business – and above all you as reliable and active business partners.”

Congratulations METATOOLS Group! We are very much looking forward to the next quarter of a century and our active co-operation in Romania!

Further info: https://www.metatools.ro/en/

And one more reason to celebrate! After celebrating 25 years of membership in the EDE family together with our member LECOT, Heule, Belgium, last year, the company was able to celebrate itself this year: 135 years of Lecot.

The staff party in mid-July was appropriately large – around 800 visitors came to celebrate the company birthday with staff, family and friends in the well-known family theme park “Walibi” in Wavre, Belgium.    

Annegret Franzen (CEO EDE International AG) and Freek Dekkers (Sales Director & Key Accounts, Cooperations BENELUX EDE International) did not miss the opportunity to sweeten the company’s impressive birthday with an original gift to the staff on the occasion of a visit to the company headquarters at the end of August. They presented a huge cake with the logos of the two companies. It is unknown whether the birthday cake for our Belgian member was also made with the world-famous Belgian chocolate. Nevertheless, we hope that this sweet surprise was successful and tasty.

Congratulations dear Lecot team!

Further info regarding Lecot: https://lecot.be

The success story of the French family business LUQUOT INDUSTRIE SAS, based in Morez, began back in the 1940s, when the great-grandfather of the current CEO, François Luquot, founded the company in the post-war period. Initially active in the local eyewear industry, the company then gradually expanded into neighbouring areas, consistently expanding its ranges and services and is now active throughout the Jura and beyond.

Luquot Industrie has been a member of E/D/E since the end of 2002, is an active partner in the FORMATplus sales concept and has been selling all products from the French industrial supplies catalogue for several years. Today, Luquot Industrie works almost exclusively with professional industrial customers in the field of cutting and advises and supports them professionally and individually through technically experienced sales staff.

Luquot Industrie not only attaches importance to professionalism and customer proximity but has also recently focused on the topic of digitalisation. Thanks to the recently launched online shop, Luquot Industrie not only hopes to acquire new customers, but above all to serve existing customers better and more professionally. “We know very well that our key accounts in particular definitely want to be able to place their orders via an online shop. We wanted to offer this important service to increase customer loyalty. And it’s a question of image, a question of the future, because we know very well today that it’s essential to have a high-performance website,” says François Luquot. Not least because of this new web shop, in which the complete FORMATplus catalogue is integrated, among other things, the company is gradually moving towards supplying the professional end clients of its industrial customers directly with all assortments from the eLC (electronic Logistic Center) in Wuppertal in 24/48 hours.

François Luquot adds: “With a family business like Luquot, with such a small structure as we have, to create a website like this, that’s pretty strong. I’m really proud of that!”

We at EDE International can only fully agree with this statement and congratulate the company on its modern new website.

For further info https://commande.luquot.com/

“Ireland is always worth a visit, and our first Irish member Goodwins in Lucan/Adamstown is certainly a good place to be!” said Freek Dekkers, EDE International Sales Director North Europe-Benelux. He and Monika Ko Ko Win, Internal Support Northern Europe, were amazed when they were presented with the first Fortis Green Rack developed in-house.

Goodwins Lucan Ltd. was founded in 1978 by Billy Goodwin and has been run by the second generation since 1997, when son Jonathan took over. Since then, the specialist for quality hardware and building supplies for specialist trades and DIY customers has developed steadily. In addition to quality, Goodwin’s places particular emphasis on competitive prices, high stock availability and accuracy in serving its customers. The product range is wide and includes hardware, building, fixing, tools, timber and other assortments. All products from the two cash and carry locations in Lucan and Mulhuddart are visible on the company’s website, including information on prices and real-time stock levels.

Goodwins has been a member of E/D/E since 2022 and benefits from access to new European suppliers and products and especially from the implementation of the Fortis Green concept.

Managing director and owner Jonathan Goodwin and Ciaran France, the company’s purchasing manager, are equally committed to sustainability as a family business. Through a recently installed photovoltaic system, the use of electric forklifts and the introduction of electronic product labelling, Goodwins saves on materials and emissions, helping to reduce its own environmental footprint. You can find more information about the company, product ranges and much more at https://www.goodwins.ie/

Our member Jako, based in Malden, the Netherlands, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. An important event in this anniversary year was a Jako anniversary party with many invited guests on 9 June 2023 at the company headquarters. A special highlight: instead of gifts for the anniversary, Jako had asked the guests to make a donation to the “IMC Weekend School” Foundation under the motto “Your contribution to the future”.  This educational institution, which is based in Amsterdam and has a total of 58 locations in the Netherlands, offers children aged 10 to 14 from disadvantaged neighbourhoods an additional education through various programmes. Through the Jako campaign, an amount of 15,000 euros has already been collected and ceremoniously handed over at the event.

The Jako business dates back to 1973, when the first generation of the Jansen family laid the foundations for the company and the Jako brand. Today the family business is run jointly by the second and third generations. According to its own motto: “Jako delivers the right equipment, at the right time, in the right place”, Jako enjoys an excellent reputation in the regional and national market in the construction sector.

For 22 years now, E/D/E has been able to actively accompany Jako in the market as partners. During this time, we have been able to build up and intensively expand the specialist construction equipment sector together with three other dealers in the Netherlands, create joint synergies and successfully establish our FORMAT and – more recently – FORTIS private label in the market. Freek Dekkers (Sales Director Northern Europe-Benelux): “We warmly congratulate the owner family, the management and the employees on this special occasion and look forward to the next 50 years together!”

For further info:  https://jako.nl/

“At ERIKS, we want to be the best. Not only do we want to offer our customers products at competitive prices, but we also want to deliver them more efficiently, more accurately and faster than the competition,” says Jon Whitehouse, Product Business Unit Director. To achieve this, the British EDE member ERIKS invested 20 million pounds, around 22 million euros, in the new 11 000 square metre Fulfilment Centre of Excellence (FCE) in Oldbury, West Midlands. This replaces the previous ERIKS logistics centre in Halesowen. “For us, it is a very big step on the way to achieving the five customer satisfaction goals at ERIKS,” explains Jon Whitehouse. With 53 per cent more storage capacity than at the old location and 22 per cent more shelf space, the FCE achieves the first goal: to have exactly the products in stock in large numbers to be able to guarantee high availability.

One hundred per cent control

Picking, packing and dispatching orders with one hundred percent accuracy describes the second goal of ERIKS customer satisfaction. As an Industry 4.0 warehouse, the FCE has the technology to make this possible. At each stage of processing within the logistics centre, goods are checked against weight, size and barcodes to ensure that the correct products are delivered. “This happens not just for 99 per cent of orders, but for every single one,” says Jon Whitehouse.

“Our third goal is to deliver as quickly as possible within the UK and Ireland, the fourth to be able to track orders much better,” says Jon Whitehouse. “For both goals, the technology is already in place and is being implemented and optimised.”

The development of digital transformation that supports the customer makes the ERIKS customer satisfaction goals complete. “Extensive warehouse capacity already built now for future requirements, existing infrastructure and scalable Industry 4.0 technology, help to achieve the goals we have set,” says Jon Whitehouse.

In mid-January, Freek Dekkers, Sales Director North Europe-Benelux at EDE International, visited the FCE: “What ERIKS has created with the new logistics centre is very progressive. We have been working together globally and intensively for many years. With the new logistics centre, we will be able to expand our cooperation even further.” Congrats Eriks from EDE International!

Since February, the E/D/E member has set up a new sales wall at the Barneveld location, the Netherlands, to present the FORUM tools. The core business of H.O. Remmerden is the wholesale of tools for industry and construction companies at three locations in Rhenen, Barneveld and Druten, the Netherlands, as well as at a further location in Tiel for the collection of products. The company is characterised by its wide range of tools and its large stock assortment – both on site in the respective branches and in the overall warehouse at the Rhenen location.

Service-oriented

“Gewoon doen”, “Simply do it” – the motto of H.O. Remmerden – is reflected in the customer-oriented offers.

Special services include direct delivery to end customers as well as uncomplicated and fast repair of defective power tools. The feel-good factor is not lacking either: customers get a familiar feeling when they enter the shops. People know and trust each other – employees and customers meet here at eye level. This includes direct and specialised, but also very individual advice, which Remmerden sees as a service to the customer. In addition, ustomers can order further FORUM tools from the catalogue on site. People know and trust each other – employees and customers meet here at eye level. This includes direct and specialised, but also very individual advice, which Remmerden sees as a service to the customer. In addition, customers can order further FORUM tools from the catalogue on site. A total of 27,000 products, 7,000 of which are FORUM products, can be ordered and are delivered from the E/D/E warehouse in Wuppertal to the end customers in the Netherlands within 24 hours via drop shipment.

Structured and open  

The shop concept also contributes to the positive overall impression: It is well structured, open and clearly laid out. In February, a new presentation wall for the FORUM tools was fitted into this concept. At the Barneveld location, they were given a premium place. Three metres of wall space were provided for this purpose. What makes the exhibition space additionally attractive is the orientation in height: with a height of four metres and a two-metre-high banner, the wall is an eye-catcher for customers even from a distance. The FORUM tool wall in Barneveld was flexibly put together by Remmerden, erected in a very short time and, with the selection made, it covers the needs of all experts. Maximilian Görgens, BeNeLux representative at EDE International, provided advice, planning and implementation. And this is exactly the service he offers to the member companies: On-site advice, design suggestions and sometimes even the handicraft implementation up to the finished exhibition wall.