Dibalex receives multiple orders from Germany

Dibalex

Dibalex was founded in 1998 by Bert Havenaar (CEO) and started with three people in a small industrial hall in Ridderkerk. The company makes machines for the production of profiles, based on their customers' specifications. The market for profiles is relatively small and the name of Dibalex was soon known. The engineers had their own ideas for entering the profiling machine market in their own way. They wanted a flexible organization with flexible purchasing of parts. With this they stepped away from the prevailing way in the market of making everything themselves. That method caught on and now there is a large warehouse in Dordrecht and 65 people work there.

Havenaar: “Every machine is custom-made. Based on the customer's wishes, a 3d design is made. After feedback from the customer, the final design is prepared. The parts are purchased, assembled by us and the profiling machine is put into operation at the customer's site. Naturally, the customer receives extensive instruction on how to use it. Our service department maintains the contacts and ensures that the delivered machines are well maintained.”

The machines are shipped to a variety of industries, including warehouse racking suppliers, solar, transportation, horticulture and interior design. By far the most customers are from Western Europe and recently the first machines were installed in the United States. Meanwhile, there are also contacts with a company from Australia.

In Germany, three machines are being delivered to Paul Hettich GmbH in Kirchlengern. Hettich will use the machines to supply profiles for kitchen drawers. A second customer is in the automotive sector. It will supply profiles for car seats and windows.

German customers often require bank guarantees for down payment. To meet all those guarantees, Dibalex has taken out the so-called stand-alone counter-guarantee with Atradius DSB. In this way, Dibalex's financial space at the bank is not affected. This way they keep their working capital at their disposal and it is not at the expense of orders.

Bert Havenaar: “It is a niche market. It involves capital goods that require a substantial investment. It's really about trust, and the price has to be right, of course.”

Sustainability

Dibalex machines are designed for the long term, and with proper maintenance, the machines can be used for many years. Due to the modular design, some parts can be reused later.

Sustainability is also considered within the company's operations, including a heat pump, energy-neutral cooling, sensor lighting and ensuring good air quality.

Future

Havenaar: “The future for Dibalex looks very good. Our order book for 2024 is almost full and negotiations are already underway for orders in 2025. We are experiencing growth of 5 to 10% every year”. They are now more familiar with Atradius DSB's products. Therefore, they certainly expect to use guarantees and credit insurance more often in the future.