Kobelco Opens New European Centre
New admin, parts and service centre
Japanese company Kobelco Cranes Europe has officially opened its new administration, parts and service centre in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
Before the move, all European-based parts were held at Kobelco's UK location. The company plans with its new facility in Almere to help increase its spare parts segment to 5% of total business.
Less crane sales, more parts
Takemichi Hirakawa, Kobelco Cranes Europe managing director, said this segment would form an important revenue stream in the current economic climate.
“Now the economy has gone down, you cannot expect so many [crane] sales. So the plan is to expand the parts and services business.”
The head of Kobelco Japan, Hidemichi Matsuoka, joined Mr Hirakawa, managing director of Kobelco in Almere for the opening.
Own energy-efficient building
Kobelco has been located in Almere for several years, but after a long search moved to its own, larger premises with plenty of storage space in the Hogekant industrial park. The building, designed by the Almere bureau Schulze & Van Dijk, has been built to be highly energy efficient.
Councillors from two cities
Almere councillor Martine Visser and the Amstelveen councillor responsible for economic affairs, Jan-Willem Groot, conducted the opening.
Almere and Amstelveen work with regional partners Amsterdam and Haarlemmermeer as amsterdam inbusiness to attract foreign business to the area, and help ones already there to grow.
Proof of successful cooperation
“This is a great example of the ever increasing cooperation and trust built between the amsterdam inbusiness partners,” said Groot, presenting the Japanese company with an artistic reproduction of the Almere skyline.
“The partnership is creating more flexibility and dynamism for both our international companies and our regional economy.”
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