Latest Newsletter - Issue 4
Keeping abreast of what's new from Holland
Not only do we train but we get trained too. One of the most important areas of our own development at Van Walt is our regular visits to one of our key suppliers - Eijkelkamp Agrisearch Equipment in Holland. Recently two members of our team - Ikky and Yvonne - attended the Eijkelkamp Distributor Conference in Giesbeek to catch up with fellow distributors in the worldwide network; to review the opportunities for new products; receive refresher training; look at the impact of globalisation and review best practice across the industry and network.
More than 40 delegates attended from 22 countries from as far a field as Israel, Argentina and even Brazil. As you can imagine the discussions were many and varied and included the opportunities from new Middle Eastern markets, plus China and Vietnam. We gained a commitment to continue with the development of new products with shorter delivery times, supported by a package of measures and support which will help us improve our communications to our customers.
As well as spending time discussing business there was also the opportunity to have some fun. A surprise social event involved racing Dutch type 'punts' - in theory - without getting wet! It was surprising how competitive some of the teams became. There was no way the Germans were going to let anybody else win and the less we say about Van Walt's tactics - the better. Suffice to say in the end the best team won and this was a mix of nationalities - a lesson in global collaboration - who says it can't work!