We are the smallest of the large suppliers …

Since 2016 Jehannes Bottema has been at the helm of Spinder Dairy Housing Concepts, where he is CEO and co-shareholder, together with Hubèr Timmermans (CTO). It is his main task to put Spinder DHC firmly on the international map. In 2021 the results are visible: Spinder generates approximately 50 percent of its turnover abroad. Tried and tested both national and international, the new CEO of Spinder previously worked for 22 years at the Swedish company DeLaval, world leader in milking equipment. A conversation.

What distinguishes your dairy housing concepts from others?

"We produce and supply dairy housing equipment for a comfortable barn design. Keyword being comfort; for both dairy farmer and cow. A comfortable cow lives longer and therefor has a higher economic value, and making the working conditions for the farmer comfortable, assures the work being done. We have an enthusiastic international growth ambition. Half of our turnover comes from abroad nowadays. Initially neighbouring countries, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia and England, but also Poland, and we also have customers from Canada which still have ties to the Netherlands.

We are a motivated and flexible organization because the entire company functions as a team. Our products not only look the part, they are generally more robust so they will last longer. Because we keep a relatively large stock, the delivery certainty and delivery speed are high, which results in a high customer satisfaction."

How has Covid 19 affected your business?

"So far – and we are quite proud of that – we have not had a single case of Covid 19 among our staff. That is probably partly due to our new spacious building, which allows us to comply with the ‘cordon sanitaire’. But the ambitious growth target for 2020, for which we also hired new sales staff, has been thrown away thanks to Covid. Nevertheless, we managed to achieve growth last year. We were able to visit customers and dealers less often, but we set up the Spinder Academy and regularly organise online webinars, with good participation and a high appreciation."

In 2020 we were a finalist in the Frisian Company of the Year election. Unfortunately we did not win but reaching the finals was a special milestone."  

View the original article in Ondernemend Friesland.
CEO Jehannes Bottema of Spinder Dairy Housing Concepts: “We are the smallest of the large suppliers, and the larger of the smallest ones