ROMA Benelux is building for the future

TOON VAN OSTA TEACHES DELEGATION

There are some people who invariably spare the charcoal and the goat in conversations. There are also people who always tell it like it is. Director Toon van Osta of ROMA Benelux BV belongs to the latter category. So Toon's speech is never boring and always very clear.

ROMA Benelux is going to expand vigorously in Zevenbergen. The existing building will remain, but will be extensively remodeled.

Busy, busy, busy

"It is very busy and sales are above expectations. We are experiencing record times. The only downside is that Somfy Germany had delivery problems for a while due to corona. For us, the problems were mainly with motors for screens, which at this time of year is the most important product for ROMA in the Netherlands and Belgium... A problem, because most customers are used to Somfy, know the brand and don't want anything else. But fortunately the problems have now been largely resolved and delivery times are back to normal. But we will, of course, sit down with Somfy Germany about this so that something like this doesn't happen again."

ROMA goes like a train

"Annoying, but only bumps in ROMA's growth path, as the company is going crescendo. This year, the company has already grown 20% in its home country of Germany. It is forcing ROMA to shrink its assortment to accommodate the growth. Less common products are disappearing from the assortment to focus fully on the runners in the range."

"ROMA is a unique company, perhaps in the world. High quality, with enormous possibilities. A thousand standard colors where others have two or three! And that with very short delivery times. The smaller competitors are going to have a hard time against a giant like ROMA. The company is constantly undergoing tremendous development and growth, including on the shop floor."

Danny van Osta (left) and Toon van Osta at the ROMA Benelux showroom in Zevenbergen.

Will corona get a tail?

"The corona crisis has made the awning industry vooralsnow has given a huge boost. The beautiful spring and the prospect of summer vacations becoming difficult have generated a lot of investment. Some of these will be forward investments, but I don't think there will be a downturn soon, especially in Germany. ROMA also weathered the previous crisis well. In Germany they are doing great, again. That also applies, by the way, to the way the corona crisis is approached by the government, medically, but also in terms of support for companies. Germans stand for quality and perfection. And ROMA ook!"

ROMA Benelux is optimistic

"Optimism also prevails for ROMA Benelux. The general rule is that when the sun shines, the sun protection industry has business. But it is increasingly going beyond that. Homes need to become energy neutral. Many architects and other building professionals are looking for solutions and increasingly come to ROMA. It offers optimism for the future because shading and blinds are important to bring down the energy consumption of homes and buildings."

Making Steps

"We expect that, as ROMA Benelux, we will be able to get through energy-conscious building can make strides again. 'Again,' because we have been making great strides for years. In 2019 50% growth, for 2020 we expect 30%. We are now reaching a turnover that puts us in the top three in the Netherlands. We are already at ten employees and hope to go to twelve before the end of the year."

Many hands make light work

"If the corona crisis has an advantage at all, it is that it opens up a little more space in the labor market. ROMA Benelux has already hired four new employees in the past five monthsand. Partly because of this, we are now short of space, but fortunately the construction of our new accommodation in Zevenbergen will soon begin. Not only an expansion, but in addition the existing premises will be renovated inside and out."

"ROMA Netherlands will become autonomous. This means that from now on we will be able to pass on our orders directly to production in Germany. So we are going to do a lot of things ourselves that used to be done in Germany. We have appointed two extra people in the office for that."

"With Gilles Curtoud - for inside sales - and a new field salesman for Belgium, we have hired two colleagues who are proficient in the French language to serve the French-speaking part of Belgium.     

This is currently still done from France, but is now coming back to ROMA Benelux, so that we have the whole of Belgium under us again. But that is only possible if you have people who speak the language and we have them now."

"The new people are being trained now, but that takes time, because they have to learn the industry with its ins and outs and all the technical and functional features of our products. It takes one to two years before someone is fully up to speed."

ROMA screens.

Roofing

"Another consequence of corona was that customer visits were suddenly no longer possible. For example, I could no longer follow up on the new contacts I had made at Polyclose. The peace and quiet did me good! In that sense, corona has been my salvation, because for decades I was predatory."

"Meanwhile, I also had surgery on my hand. Wear and tear. I was helped at the Xpert Clinic in Rotterdam, a clinic that specializes in hand and wrist care. The surgery was successful, but the functions of my hand are halved for now. That should continue to improve as we go along."

Dare to delegate

"Before, I thought I had to keep going for ROMA Benelux, but in the meantime there is a good organization in place. The expansion of the workforce means that I no longer have to visit every customer myself. The new field salesman will visit the Belgian customers. I will remain involved with the large customers. We are also looking for people for the Netherlands. Not actively yet, but if suitable candidates present themselves, we will not hesitate."

"In the inside sales department, the experienced Gertjan van Iersel has fallen away due to illness, but my son Danny is now in charge of the ROMA Benelux office. I confidently leave that to him, because he works in a very structured way. He is a young guy who brings in new ideas. People of his generation grew up with computer, tablet and cell phone. They see many more opportunities in automation, digitization and online marketing."

"Vroger I often worked more than 80 hours a week. That's going to take its toll. Especially the stress. For a long time I thought I would go down fighting. But now I see that we are getting a stronger and stronger team and that Danny has it in him to take over one day. I can take a step back and reduce one day in the week and in one or two years another day. The next generation has to start taking over."