Vankan

They have an overload of experience in Dronten, The Netherlands. Vankan delivered more than 10,000 projects in the last few years. Director and sales manager Harro de Kinkelder proudly talks about it. Vankan only has 8 FTEs, but supplies in all sizes. The company believes in specialization, craftsmanship and short lines of communication. Awning here, flap there. The love for the profession radiates. And that’s noticeable. Straight away.

Relationship management

"If you do 100 things at once, you don't really do anything right," Harro says. "That's why our focus is on mail cabinets. All related items such as engraving, call signs, nameplates and signage are included in the slipstream. An important group of clients for us are construction companies, housing corporations or owners associations. Not to mention the architects who include us in their specifications." But how do you stay in the picture with all those companies? Well, with the 12Build premium profile, for example.

Warm acquisition

"You used to go cold canvassing door-to-door, but that doesn't work anymore. So you give new ideas a try. We were one of the first to join 12Build. It turned out to be the perfect platform for us to make a lot of (new) contacts. 12Build opened doors that we didn't foresee. Via 12Build we immediately received a stream of requests that didn't stop. Now there are still two targeted requests every day. That's ten a week. For us, that's a lot. 

Partnership

"What we also found special was the platform that Erik Nieuwenhuis and all the other builders were able to offer us. Especially in that pioneering period we enjoyed exclusivity. As 12Build grew, that was ultimately unsustainable. But if that enriches the offer, why not?

My tip would be: keep a critical eye on which suppliers you allow. 12Build should be a guarantee for quality. That too is part of the trust within the community. Everyone ultimately gets the customers they deserve".

Brand awareness

The men of iron and steel used to sit 'somewhere in the polder', nowadays they have a face. Or a tag on their inbox. Vankan appreciates the stage that 12Build has been offering them for years. With a 12Build premium profile they have built their name. Harro continues enthusiastically: "Everyone knows where to find us these days when customization is needed. If there's a request, I really want to if we can do it the best way. Through the 12Build premium profile they have built their name.

Harro continues enthusiastically: "Everyone knows where to find us these days when customization is needed. If there is a request, I first determine whether we can do it the best way or not.  And if not, I send those customers to a colleague. Certainly when I realise that what we have to (re)deliver comes from a standard factory collection. That honesty is greatly appreciated by customers. As a facility manager myself, I would also get cranky if there was a different flap on the new mail boxes compared to the old ones.

A spectacular multi-million dollar project

This year, Vankan participated in Pontsteiger, a spectacular multi-million dollar project on the banks of the IJ. The 90 meter high building is a new landmark, as the most recent addition to a series of iconic buildings including EYE Film Institute, the Amsterdam Tower and IJdock. The architect believed that the mailboxes should have some allure as well. Vankan would be the only one in the world to be able to deliver this custom work according to their wishes. Will you give me 400 items? In brass, please. K'Ching!

Ballotage

According to Harro, any self-respecting construction company or any supplier should have a profile at 12Build. The community makes doing business familiar, fast and efficient. Applications done through 12Build are complete, which saves a lot of calling and research: "In the extreme case, we download the missing pieces via our personal dashboard. This saves us an enormous amount of time.

Over the years, 12Build has become a hallmark for the industry. We look forward to the European ambitions in a positive way, as long as there is some mail sortation at the front door. Not everyone who 'applies' should be able to enter immediately".

Harro de Kinkelder
Director and sales manager