ID Logistics; a multinational with a familial character
‘The best of two worlds coming together'. This is how Marco van Walraven describes the takeover of GVT by ID Logistics. Since the end of 2017, Marco has been Managing Director of IDL Benelux which was established in 2013 with its head office in Tilburg. Since then, the company has experienced substantial growth. ‘We can definitely look back on successful years during which we were able to add two warehouses per year to the Benelux organisation.’ IDL handles contract logistics for well-known clients and operates in various sectors, such as retail, hi-tech, FMCG and e-commerce.
Mission
Marco is very pleased with the addition of GVT as a transport branch of ID Logistics. He is convinced that GVT can make an important contribution to the IDL mission: Creating sustainable logistics solutions. ‘We put ourselves in the client's shoes and ask countless questions. Only when their business structure is completely clear to us, will we devise the best possible solution with the required innovative characteristics. From now on, we can also add our own transport to that. Which is fantastic!’
Core values
In addition, he particularly appreciates the way the cultures of both companies tie in with each other. ‘I'm sure that GVT employees won't take long to feel right at home at IDL.’ He further explains this based on IDL's four core values:
- Entrepreneurship
‘IDL boasts a true entrepreneurial spirit with much space for individual initiatives. The same applies to GVT resulting in an impressive growth. Wil Versteijnen and Stan Hamers are living examples of born entrepreneurs.’
- High standard
‘As is the case with IDL, GVT's customer-orientation is beyond belief. Both companies make high demands of themselves and focus on high-quality solutions.’
- Solidarity
‘Our people are our biggest assets. We show solidarity to each other and to our clients. GVT displays that same team spirit.’
- Innovation
‘Aspects GVT focuses on as well are the prioritisation of innovation in the broadest sense of the word, technology and digitisation. For example, they have their own IT Development Department selling beautiful pragmatic software solutions.’
Familial character
Despite the huge worldwide growth that ID Logistics experienced since its establishment in France in 2001, Marco puts emphasis on the flat organisational structure of the company and the short lines. ‘On the one side, we've become a real multinational with, by now, more branches in the rest of the world than in France. On the other side, we are still a family business for a large part. The majority of the shares is privately owned by a number of managers who commit to the ups and downs of our company each day with heart and soul. Our founders, Eric Hémar and Christophe Satin, are highly committed to the company as well and are actively involved in new developments, such as the takeover and integration of GVT. They ooze positivity, which is highly motivational. I hope that our new colleagues will experience the same in the very short term.’