We have all the required competences in house to create machines which are based on complex physics.
With the pooling of our multiple competences, machines created by complex physics are our forte. We have all the required competences in house to create machines which allow customers to execute processes based on complex physics. In 2019 we were approached by a customer, initially for machine assembly, and subsequently for the purchase of the related parts. Nowadays we make these very parts ourselves.
Marcel Beugelink and Rudy van der Veen are sales managers at Settels Savenije Group of Companies (STTLS for short). They emphasize that STTLS is much more than just a 'group of companies': “The pooling of the different competencies within our company is what makes us especially distinctive.”
Recently the same client asked us if we would like to organize the development of a completely new generation of their product. Together with the entire group, we now serve that customer in not only engineering but also assembly and production. That is exactly what STTLS does.”
So, the synergy between the different STTLS companies is growing?
Marcel explains: "Specifically over the past few years, our different competences have become increasingly linked. We strive to avoid pigeonholing; we are a company that has everything in store. Put another way, we have three entrances to our company through which we can refer to other parts of the company when necessary.”
Rudy adds: “Due to the competencies that we have built up over the years, the company has also become much more internationalised. We do not deal in cabinets or frames - we develop complex physical processes where high demands are placed on factors such as mechanics, mechatronics, vacuum optics and cleanroom requirements. As a result, we have developed a very specific, global customer base.”
How did STTLS develop in this way?
“STTLS started 33 years ago as an engineering firm, with no manufacturing and assembly possibilities on site. Since then, the company has moved forward in leaps and bounds. As we received more and more inquiries and complex questions regarding, for example, prototypes, we were, at first, unable to satisfy them. We were based in an office building with no assembly space. But we did want to do something with the growing demand, so we decided to broaden the range of products on offer beyond design and engineering.”
Marcel explains: “Because we also wanted to start production, in 2017 we moved to a new, bigger location at Strijp-T in Eindhoven, where we had also built a clean room. One of our USA customers wanted to place ever larger projects with us, which naturally accelerated this development. Since the move we have more and more customers asking for production; as a company we are increasingly interesting to our clients.”
What is your ideal customer?
Rudy reacts immediately: “The ideal customer is one who challenges us from a technical point of view, making optimal use of our competences from all three specialties: engineering, assembly and the production of precision parts. In this way, we help the customer remain at the forefront of their technology, but we ourselves are also challenged to bring our competencies up to a higher level.”
Marcel adds: “What distinguishes us, I think, is that apart from our design competences, we can also make the link to production. Our customers’ requirements often involve precision parts, and that's our specialty. We can make anything. That gives us a head start.”
What will STTLS look like five years from now?
Rudy says: “We have mapped out a growth path which increases staff to 200 employees. We are moving slowly and surely. We are ensuring that our competences are always maintained at the same high level, because that is what sets us apart from our competitors. Our objective is to progress and grow together with business, with customers and with people who match us.”
“At STTLS we have a unique DNA, something which is also recognized by our customers. Our competencies are not always easy to find on the market, and we want to grow around these core competencies. That includes finding certain people who are not often easy to find. We require and demand the very best in the market.”
Marcel concludes: “It's a great company to work for. That's also one of the reasons we don't want to grow too big, that's how you keep a family feeling. Fast growth can come at the expense of your decisiveness and flexibility, which are our strengths. That keeps it clear, simple and fun.”