Marketing & Development Manager Maarten Hogervorst about Altrex innovation-DNA
Innovation is part of what Altrex does. For over 70 years, we have constantly been working on 'better, easier and safer'. We do this together with our Altrex professionals and our customers. After all, they work at heights and on our access equipment, day after day. And only the best is good enough, that’s what we believe.
When dealers and end-users are accustomed to using the best access equipment, that sets the bar very high for us. This is thanks to our drive for innovation ... and we are just fine with that, because we like to innovate. “This keeps Altrex on the move, and we just keep coming up with better and more innovative products”, says Maarten Hogervorst, manager of Marketing & Development, when asked about Altrex's genes of innovation.
Innovation is therefore in our blood. And that is how it should be, when you're a premium brand and want to be and stay the best. That is a strong drive for Altrex, but the priority remains the market and especially the users. “You innovate because the market demands it”, Hogervorst continues. “The credit crisis of the past years, the recent growth in the number of freelancers, stricter legislation: then you, as a company, need to be distinctive and innovative. In the processes, both digital and logistic, and of course also in how we manufacture. The construction of the new Altrex welding line, which was recently completed, is a unique example. But what distinguishes us is found mainly in our products.”
Innovative access solutions, that is what the Altrex range excels in, and we have every confidence in saying that. Like the Safe Quick® GuardRail, the smart running rail which constantly protects all around while constructing scaffolding. The MiTOWER, the first rolling tower that can be assembled by one person. And the modular suspended platform system with lengths up to 26 meters. According to Hogervorst, each of these are innovations that originated from customer demand: “Innovation begins by listening. To the demands and needs of our customers, but also to changing legislation. These two combined, provide important input to really innovate.”
“Innovation begins by listening. To the demands and needs of our customers, but also to changing legislation. These two combined, provide important input to really innovate.”
In addition to innovative access equipment, other smart solutions are also developed, such as the online scaffolding configuration tool. Putting together a rolling tower is quite a difficult task. For example, which components do you need and what is really a safe scaffold? The online configuration tool helps you, as a user, to assemble a complete scaffolding that can be built the way it should be: the safest, most efficient manner, and in accordance with the safety standards. The configuration tool knows exactly what you need.
Innovation and improvement is a matter of working together. In order to innovate, you need to have good people in your organization, and you need a sophisticated process. It involves the translation of customer demands and market trends, into smart solutions that don't yet exist in the market.
“We talk to our customers and dealers. This information is passed on to our engineers, who then develop new products. If this requires new production techniques, the Engineering department will take care of it. We then think about the smartest way of production and distribution. So it’s an internal chain in which all departments work together and complement each other. Each using their own knowledge and skills. This results in the safest and most innovative Altrex products. And there will be many more to come.”
This year, Altrex received a silver award from EcoVadis. This is a great achievement! Because Altrex is constantly improving and making its processes more sustainable, we are working hard to achieve gold certification.
This year Altrex will again be participating on the International Hardware Fair in Cologne. Get your free tickets here.
Today, we celebrate the renewal of the agreement between Pop Up and Altrex to 2034 and beyond.
We are making an innovative and technical leap with an entirely new welding line.