Going Dutch has a new meaning for MIS Fuel Monitoring Ltd. as orders mount from its distribution agreement with the Voets Installaties group.
“Apart from opening new marketing outlets for Merridale products in the Benelux countries, MIS has gained valuable experience and insight into European equipment requirements,” says sales and marketing directors, Stephen Hannan.
Based in the Netherlands and with sales offices in Belgium, Voets Installaties is a front line contractor for refurbishment and building new fuelling installations. The group’s experience covers both retail service stations as well as depot facilities for bus and commercial transport fleet operations.
As well as new installations, Voets are also involved in the calibration, inspection, repair and implementation of preventative maintenance programmes for its customer base. The company, which was formed in 1997, now employs around 40 personnel.
According to Voets operations director, Eric Janssen, business in Europe has become increasingly competitive in recent years.
“The workload is still the same, but now we have to be far more proactive in our marketing. Competition has become more aggressive and customers are becoming far more price sensitive. Previously it was our technical expertise and customer care that gave us a advantage. Introducing Merridale has helped us by strengthening our business offer for customers within the commercial transport sectors.”
[quote]On looking around for an alternative we got in touch with Merridale. They have a good reputation in the UK and wanted to expand, and we are an established firm from the Netherlands, looking for a good quality monitoring system at a reasonable price with good support. After our initial meeting at Schiphol airport, we could see the potential for working together technically and I am pleased to say that we have turned this into a mutually beneficial working relationship.[/quote]
The Merridale partnership is now into its third year. Previously Voets supplied a commercial fuel monitoring unit produced in Belgium, however this product lacked development and fell short of expectations.
“On looking around for an alternative we got in touch with Merridale. They have a good reputation in the UK and wanted to expand, and we are an established firm from the Netherlands, looking for a good quality monitoring system at a reasonable price with good support. After our initial meeting at Schiphol airport, we could see the potential for working together technically and I am pleased to say that we have turned this into a mutually beneficial working relationship,” says Eric.
Euro requirements
There are some important differences in equipment specifications and standards applied between the UK and mainland Europe. These include requirements for an emergency cut off switch on the pump and the application of similar explosion proof components to those specified for petrol pumps.
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