Standing still is going backwards, so pushing forward is the motto!

A beautiful saying and explainable in many ways. In business, it means to keep innovating, to get ahead. It means looking ahead. In our industry, it also literally means that on a project, the machines have to be running. Standstill in that case means loss. Henk Saes and his team at SAES International BV have this foresight, thanks to the fact that he and his team have two feet in the field.

In this magazine you have already read a statement by Henk Saes about the importance of service. About the market saturation when it comes to buying equipment, where Henk rightly noted that the emphasis is increasingly on working longer with existing machines and that the rental of equipment is increasing explosively in recent years. For this reason, the company invested early on in optimizing its service equipment and rental inventory.

Even the 'oldies' can still keep up just fine

SAES International BV is now a conglomerate of major brands in equipment, this did not come out of the blue. Companies such as Epiroc and LaBounty consciously choose to partner with the Weert-based specialist, because they know that their good name stands or falls with reliability. The level of service that Saes and his team offer the customer is at such a high level that both brands and customers can sleep peacefully at night. 'The work must go on' and SAES takes care of it.

"Equipment is staying in service longer and longer, so we are doing more and more repairs and maintenance. For these reasons, Saes has invested in service vehicles and expansion of our workshop," Henk opens the conversation. "Epiroc hammers are still in daily use after 25 years. To ensure that, Saes has most of the wear parts in stock. In those 25 years, wear parts such as the heart of the hammer, cylinders, pistons, chisels and chisel bushings have remained the same. The only change in the last decades is the top head with control. However, with our knowledge and stock of parts, even the 'oldies' can last for years to come."

Not only care for equipment, but also for people

Service and maintenance orders at SAES are busier than ever. Besides keeping parts in stock, the company attaches great importance to the way its employees do their work. This is reflected in the ergonomically equipped service vehicles and in the way the workshop in Weert has been tackled. Henk explains, "We have a 3-meter-deep assembly cellar with a lift table. Completely equipped to be operated by one man, so that he can repair and assemble in a comfortable way. We are economical with our employees, because that's where the knowledge is. It is not easy to get new professionals, we try to keep everyone working as comfortably as possible, regardless of age. The workshop is equipped with the latest technology when it comes to oil and grease disposal, with new grates. Ready for the future!"

Large pieces of equipment are simply tackled on site. "The 7-ton hammers we repair and maintain on site. Currently there are 35 of them in use within the Benelux. The oldest is 25 years old and as already mentioned, the parts are just available. Whether you have a hammer from Krupp, Atlas Copco now under brand name Epiroc, in the middle and large class, the wear parts Saes has in stock in most cases. That makes it easy for the customer to get repairs from Saes. We don't easily misplace in the service truck."