Sunmaster inaugurates new production space

Literally and figuratively building the future

The sun protection industry had a tough time during the crisis, but in recent years it has been going crescendo. They also notice this at Sunmaster. The company from Nijkerk is growing like crazy and has therefore expanded considerably. Director Chris Kollen talks passionately about the expansion and about the future. A monologue. 

"We rebuilt - obviously - in the winter. That's normally the quiet season, but it's not normal anymore, because the season hasn't stopped at all. We have already fully occupied the new meters, while the renovation is actually not quite finished. But we need the space and so the final details will just have to be done later, when things settle down. Whenever that may be!" 

"We are plussing both in projects as well as in the private market. The development of the climate certainly affects this. Warm periods are becoming more frequent and are also longer. Private individuals, as well as companies, are responding to this. Previously, a warm period was sung out: the first week enjoying the nice weather, the second week working in the garden and the third week cautiously thinking about sun protection. Nowadays, people start taking measures as early as the first week." 

Chris Kollen is pleased with the cooperation with transport company De Haan from Nijkerk.

Growth scenario
"The warm week we had in February has been the catalyst for this season; it hasn't stopped after that. I do think that private demand will slow down a bit during the year, project sales will remain consistently high. Our project sales have just about doubled since 2016! That's going tremendously fast. The economy is good, the climate is playing a role, and the elimination of PBS will also have had its impact. As a result, part of the market had to be redistributed anyway. My expectation is that sales this year will remain consistently high and less spiky than last year and that this development will continue for a few more years. By the way, the developments mentioned do not explain everything, because Sunmaster is currently growing faster than the market figures indicate. So fast, in fact, that we can barely keep up!" 

BENG
"And then BENG is on top of it! Permit applications from January 1, 2020 must meet the requirements for nearly zero-energy buildings. Yet buyers are not yet warming up to this, at least as far as blinds are concerned. Take HR solar shading. We were the first solar shading manufacturer to be HR Ready. This υ concept was adopted at the time to make energy savings through solar shading tangible and to create new sales opportunities for the industry. However, enthusiasm among manufacturers and dealers remained low and consumers did not pick it up." 

The new welding machine.

Future development
"To shape the development of our company, we look mainly at ourselves and not so much at our competitors. We assume our own strengths and that is going well. Under the leadership of sales and marketing manager Lilly Thiescheffer, we are working a lot on improving our marketing and sales. For example, we use radio commercials to increase our brand awareness among end customers." 

New premises
"It all fits into the development we are going through, as does our new building. That, by the way, is behind our existing building and is the former Sunmaster property. We were able to buy it in 2011, but at that time it was still rented. After the market picked up, our existing building became too small. After the tenants moved out of the purchased building, we started renovating in 2018. We have now added a 65-by-30-meter hall, plus floor, and two loading docks. The remodel was finished before 95%, but as the season started, we couldn't finish it completely. Some of the cosmetic work - carpentry, painting, things like that - still need to be done, but that will have to wait until after the season, when things are quieter again." 

"The new hall also contains another floor, which is currently used for storage, but which we will redecorate just like our current premises. The current showroom will go away, as additional office space will be added there. The floor in the new building will be set up as a showroom and instructional space. It is mainly about technology, because it will be primarily an instruction room for our dealers. It is not our intention to show every product there in full size, because that is physically impossible and also makes little sense. We also want to set up a test room, for example, to do endurance testing of new products." 

Sunmaster's expansion is at the rear of the existing commercial building.

Production
"The season is now longer and more constant than before. That means more permanence in the workforce, which has a positive impact on production capacity and pace. But it's not just that. We have also further streamlined production. We have hired a new production manager, who has already made many improvements to our production process in the short time he has been with Sunmaster. Especially in times of great pressure, he is proving his worth! Our production has almost doubled compared to last year. We used to absorb peaks mainly by working harder and longer. Now the emphasis is more on improved production and working smarter, allowing us to achieve higher production with the same number of people and less stress, even at peak times." 

"In addition, we have temporarily reduced our delivery time to four weeks. It gives us a little more leeway in production, also to absorb peaks. The latter also applies to the dealers, because they can't assemble everything at once anyway. They also now have a little more time to plan and stagger the assembly." 

Production in new construction.

Logistics
"And since we were busy anyway, we also tackled our logistics right away. We started looking for a new carrier and ended up with De Haan Transport, based in Nijkerk just like us. They bought a new car to drive for us. The containers used are in Sunmaster's colors, so the look is also good. And they hired a driver who also drove for us before and therefore knows the ins and outs." 

"With the new building, two new loading docks have been built on the south side of our building to accommodate inventory and deliver finished goods. We are already finding out that that is on the tight side. That's why we have plans to build two more loading docks on the north side in the not too distant future." 

Future
"The expansion of our premises is now largely complete, except for the finishing touches. The relocation of the offices and the furnishing of the showroom cum instruction room still needs to be done, but in the meantime we are already thinking about further expansion. The neighbor's premises are becoming vacant and that could be an option. I took over this company just before the crisis erupted. Back then, Sunmaster went through difficult times, but now things are going crescendo and we are - literally and figuratively - fully building for the future. The next step is that a management team will take over the daily management of the company. I myself would then like to focus on the big picture and the long term. But for now we will first complete the renovation and further optimize production."