Towards a cleaner future

11 JUN 2018

The integration of Reym and Van Gansewinkel Industrial Services (VGIS) within Renewi has bolstered our leading position in the hazardous waste market.

The combination of the two legacy industrial cleaning companies, combined with our flagship ATM facility, offers a Total Care solution (cleaning, transport and waste management) for heavy industry, petrochemical sites, oil and gas production and the food industry.

Before joining together as Renewi, Reym and VGIS covered two different market segments, although they had a number of customers in common. Reym covered refinery, chemical plants, the food industry and on- and offshore drilling locations, while VGIS worked in waste to energy facilities as well as chemical sites. The integration of these two companies means that we are now able to serve the entire market. Geographically, the division serves the whole of the Netherlands and parts of Germany from its five sites around the country.

The integration of VGIS and Reym centred on three main areas.

• Four of VGIS's rented sites, which were located close to those already owned by Reym, have been closed, while Reym's Andelst operation has moved into the former VGIS site in Duiven.
• We integrated the two companies' technology, with taskforces on logistics, systems, purchase and invoicing working to ensure that both companies worked on the same version of one new system.
• The operations departments of the two companies worked together on a series of 'Just Do It' actions: simple ideas that delivered significant cost savings.

"A key challenge of the merger has been integrating the two companies on a cultural level," notes Fred Muller, Director of Projects, Hazardous Waste. "During the technical part of integration, we had good communication on different levels and good co-operation with the common directors, enabling us to implement changes directly," he says. "The aftercare and guiding people is essential to create one company with one culture. We are using the iRenew network approach to bring our people with us on the change journey."

The new integrated company, which will operate under the name of Reym, delivers real value through efficiency of people, fleet, sites and materials, putting the customer front and centre and offering a full cleaning and waste service. Financially, the division is already operating ahead of its synergy target.

"Through joining forces, we can offer our customers a Total Care service and be the best and most effective partner for them," Fred says. "Going forward, our strategy is to continue doing what we do best, while broadening our business by differentiation to achieve natural growth in a very challenging market."