materialfluss : How long has AR Racking been targeting Germany for further expansion?
Bart Pulles: For a long time. We have been on the market in Germany for many years through our dealers and general contractors. Now we are taking the next step by setting up our branch in Germany.

mfl: What do you expect from the establishment of the office in NRW?
Pulles: With this office, we are opening up a new route to the market, not only via the retailer as before, but also directly to the end customer. In this way, we can reach all market segments of the shelving business.

mfl: How does the German market differ from others in Europe? How do you have to proceed in order to be successful here?
Pulles: Oh yes, the German market is different from the other European markets. In general, you have to deliver very good quality, together with the right advice and adapting the product to the German standard, which is different from the rest of Europe. AR Racking's motto is "Keep your promise on quality and deliver your goods quickly". Our delivery time of three weeks is one of our success factors.

mfl: Does price or quality tend to be the deciding factor?
quality?
Pulles: We are convinced that quality is the only decisive factor. All our activities are geared towards this every day. The traceability of all our components is a good example of this. We are the only manufacturer in Europe to print an individual serial number on each of our frames and beams.

Shelving supplier AR Racking sees its delivery times of three weeks as one of its success factors. © AR Racking

mfl: How many people will be working in the office in NRW (and overall for AR Racking in Germany)?
Pulles: Four people will be working in the office this year; there are currently ten of us in Germany.

mfl: I have the feeling that AR Racking is also doing good business in Germany, but that the company is not yet very well known here? Is that how you see it?
Pulles: Our strategy in the various countries is to start business through dealers first. This makes it more difficult to create brand awareness, but we can implement small and medium-sized projects (up to 100 tons) via the dealers. Now the time has come, we are ready to start with our own office in Germany. The office will give us more visibility and brand awareness.

mfl: You mentioned earlier that you are expanding your sales network - what else is new apart from the office in NRW?
Pulles: There is a lot of good news to report, but unfortunately I can't give you every detail yet. For example, we are currently building new facilities for a major e-commerce retailer and a large logistics service provider.

mfl: AR Racking has a very short delivery time of just three weeks for large projects, according to your own information. Please first define what you mean by a large project and then tell the readers how your company manages this?
Pulles: I would define a large project as one worth half a million euros or more. The secret is very flexible but fully automated production in combination with a highly qualified engineering department and well thought-out logistics. We can also cover the larger weights and heights.

mfl: The traceability of the components that AR Racking offers - is this a USP whose importance is increasing? What are your observations from the German market?
Pulles: The German market has a strong demand for quality. We have been able to trace all of our products since 2016. Every part that comes out of our production has its own number. This means that traceability from engineering to raw material can be fully documented. Martin Schrüfer