Deponti remains in full swing

Never say never!

There are awning companies that were founded "three hundred years ago" and have grown slowly to a certain level. There are also those that are going like a rocket. To the latter category belongs Deponti of Oss. Founded in 2013, the company has been garnering FD Gazelle Awards in recent years as proof of impressive growth rates. What is the secret behind its success? Hard to say, but in any case general manager Hendrik Kersten is not afraid to accept a challenge. 'Never say never' has several meanings at Deponti.

Hendrik Kersten (standing) and Thijs van Woensel.

Look, for example, at the latest additions Deponti has added to its already impressive range this season. Among them are the Pinela slatted roof canopies and the Pinela Deluxe. Nothing remarkable about them, except that at Deponti they had once said they would never start on slatted roofs ... But Hendrik Kersten and Deponti are flexible. If it does become expedient to include slat roofs, then slat roofs will be included in the collection. This season's third addition to Deponti's collection, by the way, is the Verdeca folding roof. "Terrace canopy and awning in one," said Deponti commercial manager Thijs van Woensel.

"The new canopies have been well received," he continues. "They are in stock from February-March and several dealers have already put one in their showroom. Even some of our UK dealers already have one on display. A few have even been placed with end users already. That's very fast, but our method of working makes that possible."

Lamella Roof Pinela.

Proven method

Slatted roofs may be a break with the past, but what has remained the same is Deponti's method of working. Everything in standard sizes and almost everything in three standard colors - anthracite textured, RAL 7024, traffic white textured, RAL 9016 and cream white textured, RAL 9001 - available directly from stock from a large warehouse in Oss. That basically means three days delivery time, when Deponti comes to deliver. But if it is really urgent, the dealer can also get in the car himself and pick up his order the same day.

Deponti's way of working (everything available directly from stock), a modular system (additional options can be chosen very easily) and growing sales (both in volumes and diversity) require a lot of warehouse space and streamlined logistics. "If you look at how we started seven years ago - in one small hall - and where we are today, it's a world of difference," says Hendrik Kersten. "We now have 15,000 m2 of warehouse space divided into six compartments, with separate halls for aluminum and for table tops and the other furniture that Deponti can also supply. Everything is in stock, including Fiano sliding glass walls and table tops. This allows us to live up to our short delivery times. But that does mean that if a new color or a new product is added, for example, a substantial expansion of our warehouse is needed immediately."

Deponti's standard sizes and short delivery times might suggest that Deponti is all about low prices, high volumes and shoving boxes as fast as possible. But that thought is immediately belied upon entering the showroom. It can definitely be called impressive. Large, with specimens of most of the shelters Deponti has in its assortment displayed at full size and decorated with furniture and plants to create atmosphere. Back walls have now been added to showcase even more of the experience.

Folding Roof Verdeca.

Partners

"We see our dealers as partners and want to help them sell their product to the best of their ability," says Thijs van Woensel. "That means we want to convey our own enthusiasm about our company and our products to them. We want to tell the whole story and that is best done in our showroom. We also want to help our sales partners to arrange and furnish their own showroom as well as possible. Atmosphere and experience are very important to us. We also give advice if required. But of course the dealer has to decide for himself. We don't want to impose anything, because a dealer has to feel comfortable with the story." By the way, Deponti believes atmosphere and experience are also important for the company's website, so work is being done on that as well, so that the end user also feels comfortable with it.

The Bosco, launched by Deponti early on, is still a runner in the program. A practical and functional canopy, affordable for a large group of people. In Germany and England, Deponti scores especially with the Pigato, which is just a bit higher in the pecking order. The islanders tend to choose polycarbonate.

So products like the Bosco, which have been at the root of Deponti's success, are proving to be no one-hit wonders.

Its success is the foundation on which the company continues to build its future. With new products like the two Pinelas and the Verdeca, but it certainly won't stop there, because another new canopy is already scheduled to be launched this fall. "It will have a cubist shape like the Pinela with vertical and horizontal lines and a fixed, sloping roof like the Giallo," Thijs van Woensel hints.

It is Deponti...

"Diversification and the breadth of the product range has our constant attention," Hendrik Kersten emphasizes. "In doing so, we do not feel that we are at the terbreed coverings bound, as we have now proven with our tabletops and furniture product groups. Deponti is a holding company, which includes several product groups. If a particular product group does not fit under the Deponti name, incidentally, another name be possible."

Deponti now operates in about eight countries. Expansion into other countries is also always an option for Deponti, although there are no concrete plans for that at the moment. However, dealers from all over the world now know how to find Deponti. "We have even already had requests from Australia," Thijs van Woensel remembers. But Deponti does not seem to have any plans to become active 'down under' just yet. There are still plenty of challenges closer to home.

Delivery speed is and will continue to be an important issue for Deponti. Partly due to e-commerce, modern consumers are becoming increasingly accustomed to "speed. "The sun protection sector cannot lag behind that," Hendrik Kersten knows. "With our concept, we are responding to this." Australia is indeed a bit tricky then. But we are Deponti, so never say never!