Meet Peter Pesselse, the CEO of Steinweg Netherlands, who looks back on the dynamic year of 2023 and eagerly anticipates 2024. As the international headquarters of the Steinweg Group, the Rotterdam location has optimized its role, with the Netherlands increasingly serving as a knowledge partner in the growing global market. Peter shares insights on the strategic optimization of services, the exploration of new opportunities in energy markets and the transformation of Steinweg’s corporate culture. All of this with an emphasis on no-nonsense entrepreneurship combined with years of knowledge and experience, to provide the best service to customers. Experience the development and plans of Steinweg through the lens of Peter Pesselse.

The role as an international headquarters

While the Rotterdam location of Steinweg continues to grow, international growth is even more pronounced. Peter notes this as a positive development, stating, “About 80% of the revenue now comes from abroad. This underscores the importance of our global focus.” The Netherlands increasingly functions as a knowledge partner by supporting the establishment of new branches of the   organization and sharing expertise. Peter looks forward enthusiastically to 2024, emphasizing the synergy between Dutch and foreign activities. “International growth will continue; that’s where most opportunities lie. From the Netherlands, we can provide supportive roles. Ultimately, we are one Steinweg and stand for the same thing: logistical services of the highest quality.”

Optimization of services

Reflecting on the recent development of the Rotterdam headquarters, Peter considers not only 2023 but the prior three years since he became CEO of the Netherlands. Three years ago, he joined the Executive Board with a specific focus on the Netherlands. With a motivated team, a program was initiated to evaluate Steinweg’s strengths and improve Dutch activities, leading to the optimization of services. The logistical value of different locations was reconsidered, resulting in the divestment of some facilities and the consolidation of operations at remaining and newly developed locations. “In the past 2.5 years, we have said goodbye to certain locations in Rotterdam, including Spijkenisse, and Oosterhout. We also looked at the uniformity of goods storage, developed new facilities such as our terminal at Pier 6, focusing on metals and project cargo, and a new warehouse in the Benelux for the storage of peanuts. Additionally, we invested in expanding activities at the Hartel Terminal, focusing on the handling of dry bulk for our subsidiary Marcor.” These were deliberate choices, Peter emphasizes, to stay true to the motto ‘what we do, we do well’ and maintain a high level of quality.

Energy transition provides new opportunities

In recent years, Steinweg Netherlands has embraced a new and significant market: the energy market. Peter notes, “There is a high demand for new types of raw materials, and the energy transition poses considerable logistical challenges. These are large projects that fit well with our expertise in project cargo. The energy transition is actively developing and will continue for several years. I expect that we will be heavily involved in this, working with various players in the energy market.”

Tight labor market a familiar theme

In 2023, much attention was directed towards the labor market, Peter shares. “The market has been competitive for some time, and we, of course, experience that as well. We strive to attract and retain talent. For a long time, we remained in the background, not well-known. We maintained a certain level of discretion for many years. The downside of that is that people don’t know you, including potential employees. We changed that in 2022 when we celebrated our 175th year, a great moment for change. We now show more of who we are and what we do. That said we continue to remain true to ourselves and the confidential handling of customer information remains our top priority. We also increasingly provide a platform for our employees. They share their stories during the World Port Days, and five of our colleagues appeared in the ‘Onze Haven’ magazine. We notice that our colleagues are proud to work at Steinweg and are happy to talk about it; a wonderful development that we continue into and beyond 2024.”

Modernized corporate culture

The past year marked the beginning of a change in Steinweg’s corporate culture, a process that will continue in 2024. There is more attention to both new and existing personnel, as evident from the growth in the HR department. “In the past, we dealt with personnel matters in a more traditional way, such as processing payroll and keeping track of days off. Now, the responsibilities have expanded, and we talk about HR, focusing on people. It’s a different approach.” Steinweg pays more attention to the changing desires and needs of (potential) employees, such as the demand for flexible working. Peter acknowledges the necessity of change but emphasizes that Steinweg remains true to its no-nonsense DNA. “We have always been doers. That entrepreneurship made Steinweg great and still holds strong. Everyone working with us contributes a small piece to the company as a shareholder and together we are building the future of a successful company.”

Gepubliceerd op: 28 december 2023