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BUKO Infrasupport, you really come across them everywhere. The company has been the specialist in temporary traffic measures for more than 30 years and continues to grow. As many as 15% in the number of colleagues last year. How this successful growth is possible in times of severe labor shortage, we ask Robert Emmerich: working at BUKO Infrasupport for over 12 years, of which the last two years as general manager. Since this year, he has also been responsible for BUKO Waakt, the youngest member of the BUKO family.
"We really have the wind in our sails," Emmerich begins. "We are in a world where security is increasingly important. And in fact, we 'sell' security. In addition, we have made strategic choices in recent years by betting on growth ambition, with a focus on safety, being a good employer and quality."
Emmerich put together a management team at the end of 2020 that included all people from its own organization. In addition to four regional managers, the financial manager and the operations director, the HR and KAM departments are also represented in the new MT. "Because our employees and their job satisfaction are so important to our success and I think 'safety' should be something we breathe and not just something we sell," Emmerich explains. With this ambitious team, we have deliberately responded to the tightness in the job market through a strong marketing campaign through social media, among other things. "We also acquired Van Hooft Verkeerstechniek last summer, which means we now have our own regional branch in Limburg. And with the new regional branch in Friesland, the national coverage is further strengthened." The acquisition of InfraWatch from Drachten makes BUKO Waakt a top 3 player in the rental of security solutions in the Netherlands. "All great steps that have created an interesting increase in scale with which we can offer our customers even more."
"We believe that working with committed professionals, a customer- and result-oriented approach, quality equipment and a high standard of safety determine our success. So this is what we focus on. Being a good employer is a high priority in this regard." Emmerich believes it is really a matter of two-way traffic: "If you are good to your people, then they will be good to you." The fact that the strategic vision of the new and young management team has been properly translated into daily policy -but also behavior- in the organization, once again achieving the ambitious goals, makes him proud. "Our success is truly a team effort, of ALL our employees in the various areas of responsibility and branches. It is not for nothing that we say 'we are BUKO'."
"That not only our slogan, but also themes such as sustainability and digitalization are not empty slogans but really a lifestyle, is shown by the fact that they can no longer be excluded from our agenda. We really have an eye for the changing world around us. Digitalization also plays an important role in this. From our new department BUKO Bereikbaar we focus on behavioral change and smart mobility in temporary traffic situations. And so we continue to move with the market," Emmerich concludes. What is clear is that BUKO's growth ambition will continue unabated in 2023.
