'Personal contact is important to us' 

In recent months, social development company WVS from Roosendaal, in cooperation with garden machinery supplier Poel Veghel, replaced some of its equipment with quieter, cleaner and more ergonomic machines. These include new battery-powered machines from STIHL. 'Together we are getting further and further.'

On behalf of WVS, some four hundred people with a distance to the labor market take care of the green spaces within nine municipalities in West Brabant. "We are responsible for the maintenance of the municipalities' public spaces, such as public green spaces and play facilities, but we also have a department that works for companies and non-profit organizations," says WVS assistant manager of green space maintenance Rob Maas. 

Poel came into the picture at WVS a year ago after being awarded the European tender to supply new machines. Maas: "We replace a quarter of our machines every year, about 120 at a time. Poel has since provided us with new leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, brush cutters and chainsaws from STIHL." 

WVS's clients, mostly municipalities, are demanding an increasing amount of battery use toward the future, and the organization is responding to that. Poel is supervising the transition for WVS employees during a transition period, during which they can test the battery machines. Maas: "We are fully engaged in the transition to battery. There is a lot involved in that. Think, for example, of training people, the logistics part and the charging capacity. Poel is helping us with this. For example, they are thinking along in the future purchase of safe Seefion charging safes."

In addition, Poel Veghel, together with WVS, provides machine inspections and maintenance. The company also supplies parts for repair. "We have our own technical department and try to do as much as possible ourselves. But if that fails, Poel is on standby. They pick up the machines and bring them back the same week after repair." Maas is so far satisfied with the cooperation with Poel. "Personal contact is very important to us and there is now that in the person of Johan van der Wielen. We also have to do it mainly together: what can we improve, which processes could be better? Together with Poel we are getting further and further this way."

Marc van der Poel, technical director of Poel, is pleased with the cooperation with WVS: "We listened to the wishes from WVS and delivered a suitable fleet of machines accordingly. WVS now has the security of completing projects in a timely and appropriate manner through clear agreements on quick repairs and a pick-up and delivery service for machines and parts."