The art of winning: Huub van der Vrande

For Huub van der Vrande, a handshake is a binding promise, and what you promise on, you deliver. As the CEO of Neways Electronics International NV, he lives and breathes this motto, applying it to his dealings with staff, suppliers and customers. "A deal is a deal," he says. "That forms the centre of our workplace culture." 

The Neways DNA can be divided into 2 strands. The first is its core values, which are upheld by all staff members and include having a proactive attitude, being agreeable, being passionate, and working as a team. The second is its commitment to providing value to customers. This means producing the right products or services error-free, in a timely manner and at the lowest cost of ownership.

"We are all working on a winning team, and I believe that if you are on a winning team then you will have passion for what you are doing. Passion results in quality work, and we have a nice poster that everyone can see to be reminded constantly of our key philosophies."

All on the same page

Having all 3,000 employees working from the same page is critical to ensuring that operations run smoothly, Huub notes. And Neways is active in a highly complex business. Working in the global manufacturing services industry, the organisation provides industrial and professional-grade electronics to a variety of sectors including automotive, aviation, medical, defence and telecommunications.

It has 12 subsidiaries around the world, located in the Netherlands, Germany, Eastern Europe and China. Huub’s journey to becoming CEO of the company has been an interesting one. Prior to joining Neways, he had worked at Volvo for a number of years, before taking up the opportunity to purchase a 50% stake in a business called Ripa Electronics. Under his directorship, Huub turned it around, growing the company to have hundreds of employees and a turnover of more than 100 million Dutch guilders.

In 2000, Ripa and Neways joined forces, with Huub appointed as the group’s technical director. Then, also in 2000, he became CEO. "Back when the merger happened, my company Ripa had approximately 980 people and Neways was at about 2,100. My company had nice profits and Neways, I am sorry to say, was making losses.

When I started my job with Neways, I had to lay off 1,000 people while also selling off some of the subsidiaries that were making losses. My whole approach was to make winners out of a losing company, and that’s what happened. In 15 years we have grown considerably and we are now highly profitable. I believe that growth is the oxygen of an enterprise."

QLTC: quality, logistics, technology & cost

Huub says that the right team makes all the difference. Neways prioritises its people and invests in their professional development journeys. "In my opinion, if you do that then there is a huge possibility to further grow your business. People are not machines, and they make all the difference in our company. That is my belief."

My whole approach was to make winners out of a losing company, and that’s what happened.

This approach doesn’t differ when it comes to Huub’s relationships with suppliers or customers either. "It is so important that we share with our customers and with our suppliers, and that we are transparent with them about all things," he notes. "When we work with them, we always keep ‘QLTC’ in mind: Q is for quality, L is for logistics, T is for technology, and C is for cost. What is very important to me is that I share these with all parties involved."

Huub meets with his suppliers on an annual basis to discuss business. Sometimes he will meet them in the office, and at other times it’s an informal and/or sportive setting. But wherever it is, he very much believes in sharing positive information, forging meaningful relationships and creating mutual benefit for all.

He admits that roughly 50% of his time is spent liaising with Neways’ suppliers and customers, again emphasising the importance he places on having open communication. "I have a lot of energy," Huub says. "And a lot of passion. That’s what keeps me going. Sharing a bit of our success with our supply chain and our customers is a great thing."