Trading company Surplus Select from Swifterbant has quickly grown into a well-known trader in used machines for the bulk industry. Owner Rick Soepenberg has gained a lot of good experience with our screw conveyors. “Most customers from high-tech industries are familiar with Van Beek. But if they are not, they become interested in them as soon as they see the Van Beek machines in our warehouse.”
Strikingly clean finish
The first Van Beek screw conveyor that Surplus Select bought was in a batch of machines that Soepenberg had bought up from a sugar speciality factory. “This screw conveyor immediately caught our eye because of the clean finish and the extras that were on it. It ended up in a vegetable oil factory. ”Meanwhile Soepenberg has sold tens of Van Beek machines satisfactorily.
Win-win
Conversely Van Beek is also pleased with the services of Surplus Select. “For example, if a customer is expanding its production and needs a bigger screw conveyor, the old one is just in the way. We then often tell them that Surplus Select can sort this out for them”, says Perry Verberne, director of Van Beek. Soepenberg welcomes this active approach. “In this way Van Beek is providing good after sales service for its customers and showing that the company has confidence in its own machines.”
Verberne also comments that companies can get to know Van Beek via Surplus Select. “It often happens that someone wants to adapt a used Van Beek and they are able to help us with this. We regularly find that people are so pleased with their used screw conveyor system that that they want a new one when they expand.”
The first car
Cooperation is possible because the two companies are not fishing in the same pond. “My first car was also not new, but I was very pleased with it”, says Soepenberg. “Van Beek supplies perfect custom work, but not every company can or wants to make this complete investment”, he explains. “Examples include start-ups or companies who first want to look at whether a new product is a success. It is then useful to buy a machine with a low budget that does not have to be perfectly customised. If a higher output is needed later on, they can always look further.”
Across sectors and borders
It is exceptional for a used machine to be used again for the same product. “A screw conveyor for milk powder is for example now used for coffee powder. But quite often it goes to different sector, for example to convey washing powder. This trade is not only across sectors, but also across borders. Half of our exports end up in Western Europe and the other half in the rest of the world.”
About Surplus Select
Soepenberg set up his company 15 years ago. “At the time I was employed by a big multinational, but I was attracted to running my own business. I wanted to do something with a big social acceptability. My retired father was already trading in machinery as a hobby and so I hit upon this idea.” Meanwhile the reputation of Surplus Select has grown enormously. “In the beginning I was mostly calling companies myself to ask if they had any spare machines. Now they are calling me.”
Do you need any additions, adjustments or maintenance for your used Van Beek or do you have any other questions? Then contact us via +31 (0)41 63 75 225, info@van-beek.nl or look on www.van-beek.nl.
