News

Under this motto, the new FORMAT Brand Space is now online! Excitingly staged tools, a modern room concept and an atmosphere with a hands-on mentality: FORMAT opens up new spaces. Immerse yourself in our incomparable brand experience and share our enthusiasm for reliable tools of all kinds that make the decisive difference in day-to-day work.

Ready for a special kind of virtual experience? Then immerse yourself in a unique 360° experience, a world of interactive 3D models, augmented reality and, of course, the digital FORMAT catalogue! There will also be news about the FORMAT brand in the Brand Area, e.g. with impressions of the FORMAT marketplaces and the various brand movies.

Curios already? You are warmly welcome to join the FORMAT Brand Space FORMAT Brand Space: https://formattools.eu/brand-space-englisch

With the ‘VAT in the Digital Age’ initiative, the EU Commission wants to modernise VAT law, simplify tax obligations for companies and better combat potential VAT fraud. From 2025, it will be mandatory for B2B companies in Germany to be able to receive e-invoices in domestic B2B business transactions. This change is based on the Growth Opportunities Act (WCG), which was approved by the Federal Council (Bundesrat) on 22 March 2024. In Germany, the reform will be implemented in three stages from 2025. Initially, all companies must be able to receive and process e-invoices in a structured format. From 2027, the obligation will be extended so that companies will also have to issue and send e-invoices. The introduction of an electronic reporting system by the tax authorities is planned from 2028.

The EU countries implement these requirements in a similar way, but not in the same way. In France and Poland, the mandatory regulations for e-invoicing for domestic B2B transactions have already come into force. In Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, for example, there are also specific requirements and timetables.

Important for all companies: What characterises an e-invoicing?  An e-invoice is only valid if it is created, sent and received in a specific electronic format. Paper or PDF invoices sent by e-mail do not fulfil these requirements as they cannot be processed automatically. Dr Christian John, Head of Projects and Business Development EDI at the E/D/E Group, emphasises the advantages of the e-invoice: ‘The automated creation in defined formats guarantees high data quality and stability. Electronic transmission eliminates postal transit times and postage costs. Electronic processing also speeds up invoice verification, which optimises payment transactions.’

To adapt to the changed circumstances together with our European partners in an early and efficient manner, a project team within the EDE Group, including ETRIS BANK, is currently working on the new requirements. Information follows.

Do you need further clarification? Enquiries from our partners on the subject of e-invoicing can be sent to e-rechnung@ede.de or contact your contact person @ EDE International.

In August 2024, ETRIS BANK receives the top rating ‘A+ with stable outlook’ from the GBB rating agency.  And this for the 4th time in a row. This confirms the bank’s solid business model and its future viability.

ETRIS BANK’s main area of business is centralised payment, with and without assumption of del credere, for members and suppliers of its own group of companies, as well as the associated payment processing. In addition, the bank is increasingly carrying out centralised payment services for third-party groups. Another key pillar of the business model is factoring, which is characterised by significant growth in the current financial year in particular. This particular growth is due to the fact that ETRIS BANK offers factoring in all variants, customised to the respective customer requirements.

With its successful positioning, ETRIS BANK is not only a competent partner for SMEs in all matters relating to receivables and risk management, but also a stable and modern employer in the region with a highly motivated team.

Do you have any questions about ETRIS BANK’s extensive financial services? https://www.etrisbank.de/en/

Our cooperation partner Ferney, based in Heerhugowaard in the north of the Netherlands, invited us to its annual event in Utrecht this June and EDE International AG was delighted to accept the invitation.

As always, Ferney offered its 130 or so guests an interesting and informative programme. At the beginning, the well-known Dutch AI expert Remy Gieling gave an informative and entertaining presentation on the topic of digitalisation and data. Afterwards, visitors were able to compete in a golf tournament, among other things. The “Insperience Day 2024” was rounded off with a social evening, which Freek Dekkers, Sales Manager Benelux, France and Northern Europe at EDE International, also thoroughly enjoyed. “The Ferney Group and the E/D/E Group have enjoyed a trusting partnership since 2001, which also includes initiatives relating to digitalisation in particular. In this respect, it was good to be able to discuss these current topics in person and also to exchange ideas away from day-to-day business.”

As in the past, the whole day with its perfect organisation was a highlight for everyone involved. We say “Hartelijk dank Ferney”!

Interested in more information about our cooperation partner Ferney and its activities?

https://www.ferney.nl

Michele Caterino and 6 other visitors from the TED Group travelled to E/D/E Wuppertal in mid-April 2024 for an intensive exchange with Martin Ochelski (Sales Director & Key Accounts, Cooperations Italy) and his team.

In addition to a tour of the warehouse and the presentation centre, the core business areas of E/D/E and building services, including sales concepts and the expansion of the joint cooperation, were discussed. Co-operation partner IGH (Interessensgemeinschaft Haustechnik) Einkaufs- und Marketing eG was also on board and used the TED group’s visit to discuss current projects.

The TED Group is an Italian purchasing group founded in 2022 by Michele Caterino and IGH. TED stands for Thermohydraulics, Electrics and Design and aims to offer its members a service that goes far beyond “the logic of the classic purchasing group” in a constantly evolving sector of building services. The co-operation with IGH and EDE International offers the advantage of being able to access European services (also beyond building services).

Thank you for a constructive exchange and a wonderful final event together. Grazie mille per la visita!

Are you interested in European building services?

https://www.tedgroupitalia.it/en

https://www.igh-eg.de

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!

The annual members’ trip organised by our cooperation partner CECOFERSA took place in mid-May. This year’s destination was the charismatic city of Lisbon, Portugal. With about 135 participants, the trip was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved, including the participants from EDE International AG.

The event began on Thursday afternoon with a general meeting, which was the business kick-off. At this meeting, CECOFERSA Managing Director Javier Herrera and the staff presented, among other things, the cooperation partner’s strategic goals for the year and the wide range of services that CECOFERSA offers its members and suppliers in Spain and Portugal. The omnipresent topic of ‘growth’ took centre stage – as is well known, CECOFERSA’s company claim is ‘Crecemos Juntos’.

Herrera never tired of emphasising the strong bond with the stakeholders and shareholders, the Spanish EHLIS S.A. and EDE International AG: ‘This joint event in Lisbon is important to strengthen the loyalty of our team, our employees and our shareholders. It is an intangible value that we must continue to promote and, above all, it is a testimony to the power of teamwork, commitment and collaboration between people and companies.’

Annegret Franzen (CEO EDE International AG) was also enthusiastic: ‘As always, the organisation was first-class and we really enjoyed the days together with the entire CECOFERSA crew, our partner EHLIS and Delcredit España. In particular, the intensive exchange with the many members who travelled with us was an absolute highlight.’

Overall, the 4-day members’ trip to Lisbon was a great success. The participants returned home with many new impressions and unforgettable memories and are already looking forward to the next trip.

On behalf of EDE International, we would like to thank all participants, the management and the CECOFERSA organisation team for this wonderful time and look forward to many more shared experiences, new projects and joint growth in the future.

The E/D/E Group has been cooperating with the German Institute for Sustainability and Economics (Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltigkeit und Ökonomie – DINO) for several years now so that our members can take a pragmatic approach to their sustainability activities. One of the services is the ” Ensured Sustainability” certification. Since April, the parent company of EDE International AG has also been awarded this seal of approval.

“We want to set a good and positive example for our members and have therefore had ourselves certified by the DINO,” says Jennifer Träptau, Sustainability Officer at the E/D/E Group. “We are delighted to receive our second sustainability certification and are encouraged to keep at it and identify and realise further potential with regard to our sustainability activities.” 

E/D/E-Group supports its members on the path to increased sustainability in various ways with a range of services. One example of this support is the cooperation with DINO, through which members receive discounted conditions for the institute’s sustainability services.

What is the certification process?

In addition to answering questionnaires – with general criteria and criteria relating to the specific sector – DINO paid two visits to E/D/E as part of the certification process. The first was a site inspection to ensure that E/D/E fulfils its theoretical promises in practice. Secondly, the E/D/E was then examined in an audit. The key topics were: Energy, waste, water and recycling. The audit also examined how resources are used, what sustainable measures are taken and in which areas there is potential for development.

After passing the audit, the seal was awarded and a positive report will follow shortly. There will then be a re-audit after three years.

About DINO

The German Institute for Sustainability and Economy is the central awarding organisation for the ” Ensured Sustainability” seal of approval and is based in Münster. Since 1991, the institute has been supporting companies in linking their environmental, social and purely economic behaviour. DINO has over 40 freelance employees from a wide range of specialist areas. To date, the seal has been awarded to 16,000 companies in more than 200 sectors in 12 languages in Europe, Asia, North and South America and parts of South Africa.

Interested?

Find out more about DINO: https://www.di-no.eu/en/

We are happy to inform you about the favourable conditions for EDE members at DINO. Please contact mayte.jakstait@ede-international.com.

During a visit to cooperation partner Cecofersa S.A. and the joint venture Delcredit España S.A. in mid-April, Peter Jüngst, CEO Logistics, building services, steel and construction equipment – together with Annegret Franzen (CEO EDE International AG) and Rafael Martin from Delcredit España – was able to see for himself the efficiency of Ehlis S.A.’s logistics centre in Illescas, Toledo which opened just over a year ago in 2023.

Armando Aldrey, Logistics Director at Ehlis, guided the visitors through the various warehouse areas together with Alejandro Ehlis (CEO Ehlis) and explained the extensive range of services offered by the state-of-the-art logistics site near Madrid.

Peter Jüngst was delighted with the flying visit and the insights: „We were particularly impressed by the effectiveness and the forward-thinking and state-of-the-art planning of the installations. No two logistics systems are the same – and we took away some interesting approaches!” Needless to say, we have made a return invitation to our logistics premises and are looking forward to the expert dialogue in Wuppertal! See you there!

For some time now, visitors to the E/D/E Presentation Centre in Wuppertal have known and appreciated the modern exhibition space with the entire range of products and services from the Supply Networks/Industrial Services division on site and at their fingertips. This has now also been made available virtually in English. Users and other interested parties can get an overview of the intralogistics systems offered by the parent company of EDE International AG at their leisure and, if required, virtually and from their own computer. They can take a 360-degree tour of the eFabrik premises and receive further information via the embedded explanatory videos.

Guided tours in person are of course still possible. For our European members, the virtual tour is an additional offer if an on-site visit is not (yet) possible. Incidentally, the next steps in further development are already being planned: in future, a tour with VR glasses will also be possible. We will report further on this topic.

Interested?

The virtual tour can be found here: my.virtual-spaces.de/en/tour/efabrik 

This year’s EXPOCadena, organised by cooperation partner EHLIS S.A., took place in Seville at the end of February. With over 350 exhibitors and around 2,250 visitors at the ‘Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones’, the trade fair set a new attendance record. This was certainly also due to the interesting and varied supporting programme: In addition to product presentations, the trade fair offered lectures and personal meetings. CEOs Ignacio and Alejandro Ehlis reflected on the past year and announced a conference this autumn on the topic of ‘Generational change in the hardware trade’ as well as a trip to Germany in cooperation with suppliers. A particular highlight for many guests was the inspiring presentation by astronaut Sara García Alonso, who moved the audience with an interesting presentation regarding motivation and persistence. The topic of AI was also presented in a very interesting way.

Annegret Franzen, CEO of EDE International AG, also took advantage of the event to meet with existing E/D/E members, cooperation partner Cecofersa and the joint venture Delcredit España. Monica Carrascal, Managing Director of Delcredit España, spoke of ‘a perfectly organised event to exchange ideas with members and (potential) suppliers of Delcredit.’

An all-round successful event organised by EHLIS, which this time was spared the capricious weather conditions of last year’s edition.

We are already looking forward to next year’s event in Bilbao!!

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/

The aim of the new cooperation between EQIP, France’s leading construction fittings association, and EDE International AG is to utilise joint strengths and create synergies.

“When two successful organizations join forces, both sides can gain strength. We are looking forward to a long-term and trusting cooperation with EQIP,” says Annegret Franzen, Managing Director of EDE International AG. With an external turnover of around 2 billion euros, 17 member companies and 750 sales outlets in France and Belgium, EQIP is the leading association of independent distributors specialising in hardware for construction and industrial supplies. It is primarily aimed at professionals from the construction, industrial and public sectors. 

A strong partnership at eye level: EQIP has been cooperating with EBH (Euro Baubeschlag Handel AG) since 2018. The cooperation with EDE International followed on 1 November 2023. Both organisations will remain fully independent, in particular by maintaining their differentiated market presence and independent marketing activities and advertising. However, joint activities in goods procurement, logistics, purchasing and services will be successively examined. “In these areas, we can benefit from each other, learn from each other and ultimately increase profitability and achieve cost benefits on both sides,” explains Annegret Franzen.

Anne-Marie Bihel, Managing Director of EQIP, is also convinced of the potential of the new partnership: “Following the intensive negotiations, we are delighted that we can now start working with the E/D/E Group and thus achieve important purchasing advantages for our French and Belgian members. This will further consolidate our position as the leading building fittings association,” Bihel is certain. One of the next important steps on the cooperation agenda has already been finalised. An exclusive purchasing range is to be made available to EQIP members, as all of them can utilise the services of E/D/E. There are also plans to take over centralised payment for other EQIP members in the future.

One of the next important steps on the cooperation agenda has already been determined. In this way, an exclusive shopping assortment is to be made available to EQIP members, because all of them can rely on the services of the E/D/E. In the future, it is also planned to take over central regulation for other members of EQIP.

For more information, please visit: https://www.eqip.fr/

The European Hardware Network (EHN) met in January for a partner meeting at our Dutch cooperation partner Ferney Group. In order to further expand the competence group, the representatives of the purchasing associations from all over Europe agreed on various measures. For example, more regular meetings with partner suppliers are to take place in the future.

“In today’s economic situation, it is more important than ever to join forces at the level of purchasing associations in Europe,” explains Mayte Jakstait, Business Relations and Communication Manager at EDE International. “We are firmly convinced that we can only be internationally successful if we create synergies and exchange know-how and experience with each other.” To pursue exactly this mission, the partners of the European Hardware Network, EHN for short, met in January for a two-day meeting in North Holland. The event was hosted by the Ferney Group, the largest Dutch purchasing association in the field of building hardware, tools and hardware.

The EHN is a European competence group that EDE International launched in 2022. It currently consists of seven associations that cooperate with each other on an equal footing. In the last year, the group has grown. Representatives of the organizations ASIDE and EHLIS, both from Spain, attended a partner meeting for the first time in 2024.

The EHN works with a wide range of partner suppliers based throughout Europe. The latest supplier that joint EHN is IBS Scherer GmbH, which specialises in the cleaning and maintenance of surfaces in industry. Michel Overvoorde, Sales Manager Benelux at IBS, presented not only his company but also its product range to the competence group in January. This includes, among other things, special cleaners, maintenance products and washing machines.

From the outset, the partners agreed on one point: they would like to further expand the EHN this year. For this reason, the agenda of the meeting provided for the adoption of measures to help achieve this goal. In addition to the annual partner meetings, regular meetings with the suppliers will also be intensified from now on. “On the one hand, this gives the suppliers who have recently joined the company the opportunity to introduce themselves and their range of goods,” explains Jakstait. “On the other hand, it gives us the opportunity to have ongoing feedback meetings to make the collaboration even more effective.”

Participation in various market events will also be on the agenda for the representatives of the purchasing associations in the future. The next meeting is planned for the beginning of March at the Hardware Fair in Cologne. See you in Cologne!

More info: https://ehn-info.com/

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

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/

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/

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

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

The Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) has been in force in Germany since 2023. The law obliges companies with at least 3,000 employees (from 2024: 1,000 employees) to assume their corporate responsibility for the observance of human rights in global supply chains.

To ensure compliance with the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act (“Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz” – LkSG), E/D/E has been working with the service provider Prewave since 1 April 2023. Prewave is a supply chain due diligence law expert with a focus on Europe and a proven solution – from risk analysis to reporting to BAFA. With a mission to make supply chains transparent, Prewave uses publicly available data from local news, social media and other databases to uncover supply chains and identify risks. The AI-based software solution of the innovative Viennese provider uses machine learning and detects risks in the supply chain. It evaluates information in over 100 languages.

Cooperation with perspective for Europe

This is precisely why Prewave’s service is of great interest to EDE International. Annegret Franzen (CEO EDE International): “In this case, the German legislator has taken on a pioneering role with the introduction of the LkSG. But the topic is already receiving attention in other EU countries through various regulations. For example, the ‘Child Labour Due Diligence’ applies in the Netherlands and the ‘Loi de vigilance’ in France. The advantage of our cooperation with Prewave is clearly that we can offer our European members, cooperation partners and suppliers a strong, simple and effective solution for complying with their corporate responsibility with regard to human rights in the supply chain – even to all companies that are not yet obliged to comply with the German LkSG. This is already very important to many of our European members, cooperation partners and suppliers.”

Experts assume that the EU will not only adopt this regulation but could probably even tighten it. Prewave already offers – in addition to the LkSG – other European areas of law and, based on the current legal situation, is also constantly developing in view of future developments – the focus here is on the EU, not just Germany.

EDE International will gradually introduce the exclusive Prewave service offer to European members, partners and suppliers. If you would like to receive information now, please get in touch with your contact person at EDE International.

You will find more information here: www.prewave.com

More than 220 participants met in the heart of Poland on 15 and 16 June for this year’s FORMATplus Dealer Marketplace. Besides the Polish members and the staff of EDE International and E/D/E, more than 30 suppliers found their way to a prestigious industrial location, the old cotton factory in Pabianice.

As is well known, the B2B world is “upside down” at the EDE Marketplaces and so 150 people from the dealer group, were able to welcome around 30 suppliers to their stands. In addition to the member stands, there were also information stands with updates on the E/D/E trade brands (and sales concepts) FORMAT, Fortis and E-Coll.

The event began with an evening event with a supporting programme, where all participants could “warm up” old business contacts as well as make new contacts in a relaxed atmosphere. A creative show concluded the event with an invitation to join in. Many participants responded to this invitation and enjoyed the entertaining evening.

The highlight was the second day with the marketplace itself, where the focus was on the effective and professional exchange about market trends and especially product innovations of the numerous market participants in the usual professional manner. 

In the end, the conclusion was consistently positive: the marketplace on site and especially the personal exchange was very well received by the participants. The FORMAT members particularly emphasised the professional appearance of the contract suppliers throughout, including the wide-ranging product presentations.

In conclusion, Mirosław Stefański von Centrala techniczna STEM expressed his satisfaction: “All in all, a great event!”

See you in Poland again in 2 years.

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/

With effect from 1^st July 2023, United Hardware, Ireland’s largest buying and marketing group for independent Builders, Plumbers, Hardware and Timber Merchants, is cooperating with  EDE International AG. Both partners signed the agreement on the occasion of a visit to EDE’s headquarter in Wuppertal in May.

With group volume of more than €520m, over 2000 shop staff and over 6000 products available, United Hardware is Ireland’s preferred hardware buying group.

One of the first steps of the cooperation will be the connection to the electronic warehouse eLC. Further projects are already being considered and will successively follow in the area of the FORTIS private label, a partnership with the European Competence Group EHN and the financial services of ETRIS BANK.

Freek Dekkers, Sales Director at EDE International for Northern Europe, knows: “With United Hardware, we have a strong partner at our side who is represented throughout Ireland. With its structures and suppliers, it offers the optimal conditions and thus the basis for effectively creating synergies!”

David Shakeshaft, Commercial Director of United Hardware, is sure that the cooperation is a promising decision: “For the independent operators of our shops, this alliance is a win-win situation; the cooperation with EDE International enables us to offer them even better conditions and a wider range of products.”

Annegret Franzen, CEO EDE International, summarises: “The success of E/D/E and EDE International AG is characterised by strong partnerships at eye level – we are very pleased to be able to enter into a promising cooperation with United Hardware in Ireland as well – with benefits for both sides.”

A warm welcome to United Hardware!

Further information: https://unitedhardware.ie

At the end of May, the initial visit of the new head of the leading purchasing and marketing organisation CDU (Centro Distribuzione Utensili) based in Caponago, Milan took place on the occasion of a management meeting with EDE International in Wuppertal.

Andrea Naggi (new Managing Director of Centro Distribuzione Utensili Srl) and Marco Mattanza, new Coordinator for the Consorzio Distributori Utensili came to the cooperation partner EDE International with other members of the group to talk about the continuous expansion of the successful cooperation on the Italian market that has been going on for decades.

The Italian cooperation partner was founded in 1992 and has since grown to 25 members with 36 sales locations throughout Italy. Last year, a record result of € 220 million was generated for the first time. For years, CDU has established itself as the most important group in Italy with a focus on cutting tools and other assortments for professional customers in industry and trade. In addition to a wide range of services for its independent professional members it offers well-known original brands, its own private labels (e.g. TKN) and has been very successful in distributing the E/D/E private label FORMAT for decades.

The whole team of EDE International wishes Andrea Naggi and Marco Mattanza a wonderful take-off into their new professional challenge within CDU and very much look forward to developing interesting new projects together with them.

“Grazie per la visita e benvenuti nella famiglia EDE!”

With 31 booths and over 220 participants, the second marketplace of the FORMATplus Group in the Czech Republic and Slovakia took place in mid-May and was used for intensive personal expert discussions.

Visitors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were able to find out about trends and new products at 28 supplier stands as well as from the E/D/E private labels FORMAT, FORTIS and E-COLL and E/D/E Industry services. The marketplace was preceded by a networking evening, which also offered plenty of opportunity for mutual exchange. A special feature: the EDE member companies took the opportunity to invite selected customers and thus to take a look at the wide range of products and assortments together.

The feedback from the participants was positive throughout: “The visit was very stimulating. For our company, we were able to pick up a lot of impulses to expand our product ranges,” describes Ivan Polák, Managing Director of member company AG Náradie s.r.o. from Slovakia: “Our final customers were also very happy to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the marketplace.” The participating suppliers were equally satisfied: “The pleasant atmosphere and the good organization of the event helped to facilitate the exchange between participants, to meet partners from the Czech and Slovak markets, and to discuss market requirements and needs,” emphasizes Benjamin Fischer, International Account Manager at Altrex B.V. (Netherlands).

The launch of the new FORMAT homepage in Czech took place at the same time as the marketplace. “As part of our digital strategy FORMAT 3.0, the website, in addition to our own LinkedIn account, forms an essential cornerstone. We were equally pleased to be able to present the new FORMAT image film to the visitors,” says Vladimira Gimerska, EDE International Country Manager: “In addition, we organized a workshop on digital marketing with a professional sales coach for our partners, which also met with a very positive response.”

In the end, all participants were sure that the next FORMATplus Marketplace for the Czech Republic and Slovakia is firmly planned in two years. “The entirely positive feedback from our members and suppliers has once again confirmed to us how important and valuable the personal exchange among market participants is!”, Martin Ochelski, Sales Director Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Eastern Europe, sums up.

As part of the conversion of the European sales concept FORMAT 3.0, the new FORMAT website is now active in German, English, French, Dutch, Polish, Czech and Hungarian.

This means that in addition to the country profiles on LinkedIn, FORMAT is now also represented with a new website to give all interested customers an understanding of the brand, the dealer network, the product range areas as well as news and product highlights in a modern way.

Francesca Pusole Schmidt (Team Leader International Data and Catalogue Projects) was thrilled: “On our path of transformation FORMAT 3.0, the go-live of our website is a very special milestone that we have been working towards with the utmost commitment for months. At the same time, it also means the start of our Europe-wide “For all of you” brand campaign, which breathes new life into our strong FORMAT brand and presents it in a fresh and future-oriented way. However, this is only the starting signal – everyone can look forward to the future contents and developments around FORMAT!”

An absolute highlight of the website is the entire brand experience, the centrepiece of which is the new campaign film. This was realised with a lot of passion and attention to detail.

We wish Francesca and her team and of course all European FORMAT dealers many “visits” and leads as well as a lot of fun with the new highlights, events & great solutions!

Visit FORMAT on: www.formattools.eu

Within the framework of a perfectly organised members’ trip of CECOFERSA S.A. with members from Spain and Portugal from 11 – 14 May in Granada, the Annual Assembly took place on Friday, 12^th May 2023.

In addition to numerous participants from the CECOFERSA membership from the Iberian Peninsula, the entire CECOFERSA sales and administration team, as well as the shareholders EHLIS and EDE International also took part.

The meeting focused on information about the current situation in the sector, the resulting challenges and, in particular, the numerous services provided by Cecofersa to the Iberian members and by the shareholders EHLIS S.A. and EDE International AG in a difficult global market environment.

The central theme here: continuing to grow together, which is firmly anchored in CECOFERSA’s philosophy with the company slogan “Crecemos Juntos!”.

A constructive and fruitful meeting, in which Rafael Martin, as advisor to the CECOFERSA Board of Directors, emphasised the topic of transparency and stability and Javier Herrera, Managing Director of CECOFERSA, never tired of stressing the many opportunities for joint cooperation. Annegret Franzen, Managing Director of EDE International, praised the organisation, sound information of the meeting and the strong and numerous participation of the members: “We are and will remain a solid, strong and loyal partner for CECOFERSA and, together with our joint venture Delcredit España, are at the disposal of the Iberian members with all our services from Wuppertal and Spain.”

On 17.04.2023, the first personal visit of the TED Group with four Italian dealers finally took place in Wuppertal. Present were the Managing Director of the TED Group, Michele Caterino and four other dealers: U.D. DISTRIBUZIONE S.R.L. (Naples), CALLEA VINCENZO S.R.L. (Monopoli), MONTINARO LUIGI S.R.L. (Lecce) and Lomotec S.r.l.s. (Catania). The cross-departmental visit was actively accompanied by colleagues from the ETRIS Bank and the Building Services Division.

EDE International has been cooperating with the TED Group since 2022. It is a subsidiary of the IGH Group consisting of 12 dealers in the Italian region with a focus on plumbing, heating and installation.

The aim of the dealers’ first visit was to get to know EDE and the people involved and, in particular, to work out concrete starting points for a cooperation. In the unusually sunny weather for Wuppertal, the guests were given a guided tour of the warehouse and were able to see for themselves our modern and efficient logistics and other services from the financial sector provided by our sister company ETRIS Bank and the building services department.

Annegret Franzen (CEO EDE International), Martin Ochelski (Sales Director & Key Accounts, Cooperations AT + CH + IT and Eastern Europe) and Carmelo Palumbo (Representative and Internal Support Italy) were happy about the interesting exchange with the Italian guests, which was rounded off by a joint dinner. Michele Caterino concluded enthusiastically: “We are overwhelmed by the performance of the EDE in general and the eLC warehouse in particular!”

Martin Ochelski added: “The first meeting was essential to present the services of E/D/E and to start the cooperation. Now we will define the next steps and successively start the cooperation with the dealers on a bilateral level”.

Good luck and success in the young cooperation!!

Further info:

https://www.igh-eg.de/index.htm

https://www.tedgroupitalia.it/en/

The Wuppertal-based company KNIPEX operates worldwide and has also expanded its social commitment internationally. Under the motto “Education enables sustainable development”, KNIPEX has implemented projects together with personally known partners, associations and foundations, primarily in Africa, but also in South Asia. Their goal: to help improve living and educational conditions.

In 2017, a secondary school was built in Kitamba, Uganda, in cooperation with the Remscheid-based support association “Our children and our future”. The 425 pupils now can complete an apprenticeship in the neighbouring training and further education centre.

In Lolera, a Maasai village in Tanzania, KNIPEX supports the “Q-Ratio” association in setting up a centre for children between the ages of six and 14. Here they are looked after and receive a warm meal every day. In addition, the construction of a rainwater tank next to the children’s centre was financed.

In cooperation with the foundation “Menschen für Menschen” (“People for people”), the construction of a new secondary school in Wogdi, Ethiopia, was made possible in 2022. The school offers space for around 2,000 pupils in the 9th and 10th grades in bright and well-equipped classrooms.

The Wuppertal-based association “Freundeskreis Espace Masolo”, supported by KNIPEX, runs a centre for former street children in Kinshasa, Congo. Here, the children develop artistic and handicraft skills such as playing theatre, making music, metalwork and carpentry. Through these forms of expression, traumatic experiences can be overcome and life goals developed.

Format is live on LinkedIn! Format has been filling professional customers’ toolboxes for 30 years. And now it is time to fill the communication toolbox even further: with FORMAT’s LinkedIn presence.

FORMAT recently launched its own groups on the world’s largest professional network. From now on, there are target-oriented updates, videos, product highlights and services, application examples, trade fair appearances and much more on the own profiles of FORMAT Europe and the country-specific brand accounts Benelux, France, Czech Republic & Slovakia and Austria at regular intervals. More to follow shortly. Networking and exchange of ideas absolutely welcome.

Follow us on LinkedIn!

“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!

EURO STAHL-Handel: Supplier partner AFV Beltrame presents Chalibria to E/D/E Group

Chalibria – that is the name of the new CO₂-neutral steel from the AFV Beltrame Group – number one in Italy and a leader in the European market -. A delegation led by Carlo Beltrame informed numerous steel traders organised in ESH EURO STAHL-Handel in Wuppertal about the new product to support the market launch.

The topic of greenhouse gases has long since reached the executive floors of the steel industry. And so it was an illustrious group that had gathered at the invitation of ESH around authorised signatory Jürgen Laukandt at the E/D/E headquarters. Among the participants were Carlo Beltrame, CEO of the French and Romanian locations and Head of Business Development of the Beltrame Group, the owners of numerous trading houses, E/D/E Managing Director Peter Jüngst, responsible for the steel sector and Annegret Franzen, CEO of EDE International.

Carlo Beltrame and Klaus Rieger, Beltrame Sales Director for the German-speaking countries, emphasised the sales opportunities of Chalibria, because in the future climate neutrality will be a prerequisite in many tenders. Beltrame added that they had worked on the project for two years and had anchored Chalibria as an important element in the Beltrame Group’s wide-ranging decarbonisation strategy.

40 percent CO₂ reduction targeted

So just what is behind Chalibria, a neologism made up of the Latin words chalybs (steel, iron) and libra (balance)? Beltrame measures the CO₂ emissions of all its activities. With 570 kilogrammes of CO₂ per tonne of steel, the company is at a relatively low level compared to the rest of the industry (which is also due to the fact that Beltrame only produces electric steel), which the company wants to reduce by 40 percent by 2030. There are 45 specific individual projects behind this, including the purchase of a hydroelectric power plant or the construction of a steelworks in Romania that generates its own energy needs via a solar park with a capacity of 70 MW.

The production of steel is not yet technologically possible without CO₂ emissions. What Chalibria lacks for neutrality is compensated for by the purchase of greenhouse gas certificates (according to the strict British standard PAS206). A neutral body documents and confirms this process according to DIN EN ISO 14064-1. Dealers and their customers can access the certificate directly after placing an order. “Chalibria is available immediately for all products,” said Klaus Rieger.

“A credible initiative”

The sector is ready, was the impression given in Wuppertal in view of the many interested enquiries. In the end, it depends on the customers, says René Philipp, managing shareholder of E/D/E member company HUSE & PHILIPP, Braunschweig. “I am curious to see how the market accepts it. There will certainly be differences in the different types of business and target groups here. It is a credible initiative by Beltrame and makes sense to want to gain an edge as a market leader in this increasingly important topic. Others will follow behind.”

Peter Jüngst, E/D/E Managing Director Building Services, Steel, Logistics, Construction Equipment, complimented AFV Beltrame: “Sustainability will shape the future. In this respect, we are proud to be able to count such an innovative company among our most important supply partners in the steel sector. Congratulations on this great project!”

On Friday 17 March 2023, the grand opening of the new EHLIS automated logistics centre took place in Illescas, Toledo. More than 400 enthusiastic visitors from home and abroad were present, including suppliers, the Regional Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Employment, Patricia Franco, the Mayor of Illescas, José Manuel Tofiño, various members of the Regional Ministry and the City Council, employees of CECOFERSA, Delcredit España, EDE International and – as is always the case at EHLIS events – a large number of family members of the founding family.

In his welcoming speech, Alejandro EHLIS reported on the general data of the new logistics centre, which has been under construction for almost two years since the start of construction on 21 April 2021. EHLIS built the logistics centre on a total of 60,000 square metres of land, covering around 22,000 square metres, and thus still has sufficient free space for possible future expansion. The logistics centre has a 36-metre high, fully automatic high rack with a capacity of 30,000 pallets, a likewise automatic system for transport containers and a final conventional palletising area. All this, says Alejandro Ehlis, “equipped with the latest technology.”

In addition to the numbers, data and facts about the new modern location of the 125-year-old family business, EHLIS emphasised above all its own quality standards “If we want to double our anniversary one day and reach 250 years (even if we ourselves won’t live to see it), we must continue to work hard, continue to invest and, above all, fulfil all our commitments to our suppliers, our partners and our own employees.”

We warmly congratulate EHLIS on this successful event!

On the occasion of the dinner at the board meetings of CECOFERSA and the joint venture Delcredit España S.A. on 15.3.2023 in Madrid, Annegret Franzen, Managing Director EDE International AG, and Mayte Jakstait, International projects, business relations & communications Manager, had a special surprise in their luggage. They presented Alejandro and Ignacio Ehlis, Managing Directors of EHLIS S.A., with a gift for this year’s 125th anniversary in the form of a personalised skyline watercolour. The watercolour, which had been individually created for the occasion, was the skyline of Barcelona mirrored with the skyline of the Bergisches Land. A special feature was that the headquarters of both companies in Barcelona and Wuppertal had been inserted, thus building a bridge between the two companies.

EHLIS had already been started in 1898 by Reinhardt Ehlis as a small company in Barcelona, at that time as a commercial agent for German hardware products. This year, the owner-managed family business in its 4th generation looks back on 125 years of history and has developed into one of the most important purchasing and marketing organisations on the Spanish market.

 “Although our cooperation has only existed for a comparatively short time, we feel that our companies have a strong partnership due to the many parallels in our decades of history,” says Annegret Franzen. And further: “We congratulate from the bottom of our hearts and are happy and proud to be at the side of EHLIS on this special occasion”.

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. 

Since its foundation more than a year ago, the European Hardware Network (EHN) met for the first time at the beginning of January for an international supplier meeting in Madrid. The focus of the meeting of the pan European Competence Group, consisting of the Spanish CECOFERSA, which hosted the meeting, the Italian Consorzio Distributori Utensili (CDU), the Dutch Ferney Group, e + h Service AG from Switzerland as well as E/D/E and EDE International AG, which acts as the coordinator of the group, was a first exchange between competence partners and its suppliers.

The suppliers’ meeting took place on 11th and 12th January 2023 and was initiated by a social event the evening before and offered the total of around 30 participants sufficient time to get to know each other personally. On the second day, the meeting continued in an effective and targeted manner: each supplier had the opportunity to present his company and his products. Afterwards, suppliers and competence partners were able to deepen their discussions and find initial approaches to establishing business relationships. “This meeting is the first one in which our suppliers have also participated,” says Annegret Franzen, Managing Director at EDE International. “We would like to hold it annually from now on to stimulate exchange between new partner suppliers, competence partners and members in the field.”

The participants were happy about the face-to-face meeting and appreciated the personal exchange, after the pandemic. Federica Bonini from Dino Paoli: “We gained many new impressions here today and are excited about the European meeting. We were able to exchange ideas on current topics and future projects in person.”

EHN offers its partner suppliers access to the largest community of purchasing organisations in Europe. The clear goal of this cooperation is to expand joint activities and become more successful in all relevant markets.

Rainer Brombach is the responsible Supplier Manager at EDE International AG: “At the end of 2022, we have reached a first small milestone in the young history of ENH and have gained ten contract or partner suppliers.”

In addition to the supplier meetings, EHN works efficiently and leanly in virtual meetings. Once a year, the competence partners come together for an exchange on current market topics at a face-to-face meeting. The group is open to cooperation partners of E/D/E and the partners. “The important factor is trusting networking and joint exploitation of synergies with all suppliers and competence partners,” says Annegret Franzen.

More info www.ehn-info.com

As of 1 January 2023, Mónica Carrascal Rioja is the new Managing Director of DELCREDIT España S.A., a subsidiary of EDE International and the Spanish purchasing association CECOFERSA. With her appointment, Monica Carrascal replaces Rafael Martín Alfonso, who will take over the position of Advisor to the Board of Directors of DELCREDIT and CECOFERSA.

“We are pleased to have gained Mónica Carrascal, a long-standing CECOFERSA employee, and thus to be able to ensure a smooth transition of the management of DELCREDIT España S.A.”, says Annegret Franzen, CEO of EDE International AG.

In 2007, Mónica Carrascal joined CECOFERSA as Head of Purchasing and in this position made a valuable contribution to the organisation on both the supplier and member side. Annegret Franzen: “We thank Mónica Carrascal for her dedication and are sure that she will now apply this energy equally to our subsidiary. At the same time, we thank Rafael Martín for the ten years of joint cooperation.” Since the foundation of DELCREDIT España in 2012, he has been largely responsible for its excellent development in Spain and Portugal. “We are pleased that Rafael Martín will continue to be available as an advisor to the Board of Directors in the coming months and will thus pass on his experience to the new Managing Director,” says Annegret Franzen.

Strong cooperation on the Iberian Peninsula Since March 2022, EHLIS AG has held the majority shares in CENTRAL DE COMPRAS Y SERVICIOS PROFESIONALES S.A. (CECOFERSA).  This has created the strongest association in the B2B / DIY sector on the Iberian Peninsula with around 1,800 sales locations and its own central warehouse at the company’s location near Barcelona as well as further warehouse and service locations in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia as well as on Mallorca and Tenerife. In order to be able to supply the members of the new constellation with goods even faster, another logistics centre is currently being built near Madrid on a floor space of around 60,000 square metres.

The Slovakian company Commerc Service s.r.o. decided to become a member of E/D/E several years ago. The decisive factors were strategic considerations and the desire to work more efficiently.

Javier Herrera, former Marketing and Communications Director of the Spanish CECOFERSA S.A. replaced the General Director of the Purchasing and Services Centre, Christina Menéndez, as of 20 October. “We want to further strengthen and expand CECOFERSA’s leading position and continue the excellent work that has been done for more than 30 years,” explains Javier Herrera on taking up his post.

In the middle of the year, the members of the Spanish purchasing association and E/D/E cooperation partner ASIDE met in Madrid, among other things for the new election of the board. After presenting its election programme, the previous board was re-elected for the next four years with the majority of votes. It is composed of Antonio González (President), Argimiro Fernández (Vice President), Ferran Marco (Secretary) and Cira Linares (Board Member).

More than 3500 visitors, including almost all members of Cadena88, national and international manufacturers and other visitors came to this year’s EHLIS A.G. in-house exhibition, ExpoCadena, in Sevilla la Nueva at the end of September. EDE International and Delcredit España, the joint venture of EDE International AG and CECOFERSA, were guests for the first time.

After a break of around three years due to the pandemic, the time finally came again on 6th and 7th September 2022: E/D/E members and contract suppliers celebrated their reunion at the E/D/E “Branchentreff total” (industry meeting) in Leipzig in presence and held intensive discussions. With hybrid communication offers and a focus on important topics of the future of the industry such as digitisation, internationality and sustainability, E/D/E gave new impulses and at the same time strengthened the proven industry meeting concept as THE platform for many personal encounters. A strong presence of members and suppliers from other European countries underlines the relevance of the event.

The decidedly international orientation is a trademark of the E/D/E Group, which now achieves around a quarter of its trading volume in other European countries. A good example of successful market activities across borders can be found in France. There, dealers, suppliers and E/D/E are celebrating a milestone anniversary: 20 years of FORMAT France.

With effect from 15 May, there will be further growth from Belgium in the E/D/E Group: Bricks and Tools, an Association for construction equipment with over 60 members in Belgium.

EHLIS S.A. is taking over the majority shares of CENTRAL DE COMPRAS Y SERVICIOS PROFESIONALES S.A. (CECOFERSA) and is looking forward to the upcoming cooperation with the E/D/E Group and the opportunities of an international cooperation.