Peter Van Daele is Fleet Manager at the Jan De Nul Group. Expertise, service and cooperative approach are the determining factors in terms of (continued) collaboration with Heila Cranes.
Great technical support from Heila Cranes Netherlands
Peter is Fleet Manager and, in his role, is primarily responsible for cutter suction dredgers and auxiliary vessels such as multi-functional work boats, tugs, pontoons etc.
There have been many years of collaboration with Heila, particularly in relation to the supply of marine cranes for multi-functional work boats. ‘Cranes of this type on the ‘workhorses of the sea’ are indispensable’, says Peter. ‘We are not crane builders and therefore very much appreciate the full support that is provided by Heila. Their expertise regarding the product is second to none and their level of service extends far further than simply supplying and setting up the crane. We do not have daily contact with one another but, if necessary, collaborations can take place quickly and effectively. In addition, we also have many parts in stock. This means that in many cases we can help ourselves and keep activities on track, without coming to a complete standstill.
Our last order was a deck crane for our MultiCat DN30. We had gained experience with this type of Heila crane on other MultiCats so we decided to use the same crane from Heila again. Their expertise, service and collaborative approach also helped us make our decision.’
Nonetheless, Peter has also identified an improvement area for Heila; ‘Sometimes they don’t pay enough attention to the standardisation of components. This could certainly offer benefits for us both’, according to Peter.
Changing tasks
Over the past years, he has seen a shift in the types of work carried out by Jan De Nul, partly as a result of the financial climate. ‘The future of the maritime sector will certainly be challenging in the short term’, adds Peter. ‘In these times, you have to think on a broader basis, approach different customers. If you look to the longer term, however, I am very positive about the sector’, concludes Peter.
About Jan De Nul
Jan De Nul began as contractor of civil works. Soon the company developed into a world leader in the dredging industry. Jan de Nul is operating worldwide and is specialized in dredging, land reclamation, trenching, oil and gas relating offshore projects and civil engineering and environmental remediation projects. The head office is located in Luxembourg. The company has offices around the world.
