Interview: Remco Ter Heerdt, Director International Operations KOKS Robotics
By the editor
Remco has worked in Turkey and Romania and moved to Slovakia in July 2020. After being offered a job for KOKS in the US, the global pandemic forced Remco to return to Europe and he moved to Slovakia, where the KOKS group recently acquired a company developing and manufacturing robots to clean storage tanks for the petrochemical and nuclear industries. We met with Remco at their premises in Trnava.
How was your first year managing the business in Slovakia?
We have already managed to double production, and it looks like we will double it again in the coming year. In addition, the team grew from 10 employees in 2019 to 14 today and we moved to a new location, where we work with the whole team, our office with our research and development team is at the same location as our production team, instead of two separate locations as in the past. We have invested extensively in the company and in research and development and this achievement makes me proud.
What is your approach towards your management strategy?
I think the most important thing when you start a business abroad is to understand the country’s specific culture. Dutch culture is very different from Slovak culture, and it’s my task to be the link between the Slovaks and the group’s board in The Netherlands. I understand Dutch culture, our values, and the expectations of the board, but I am always aware of Slovak culture. To grow revenues, I reduced our selling price and raised our sales volume. This was a complete change of the company’s previous owners’ strategy, which meant we had some internal struggles at first, but we have increased revenues and results with this move.
What do you consider to be the major differences in the business culture here compared to the Netherlands?
There is a tendency of problem-oriented thinking, and often staff are able to tell you exactly why things cannot be done. The Dutch are more used, or trained, to think out-of-the-box and find solutions, even if these are contradictory to standard business practice. This requires more onsite support and explaining to the team what, how and when things are expected of them. More operational commitment is required from management.
How do you foresee the future business position of Slovakia in Europe?
Generally I believe technical knowledge is well developed, but language skills are lacking. People are more closed and harder to motivate. I have not yet discovered the country’s long-term vision, but a more proactive approach from the government and educational system would be welcome to maintain a competitive advantage. Our company exports to Africa, the US and the Middle East, so we are not dependent on the local market. We are supported by our group’s good name and reputation, and we will develop more new products and services to maintain growth.
How do you see the role of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in doing business abroad?
In every country I have worked in, I always became a member of the local Dutch Chamber of Commerce. As Dutch entrepreneurs, we are open to each other and to sharing business knowledge and experience. This is very valuable for quickly learning cultural differences and avoiding pitfalls.
CV summary Remco Ter Heerdt:
Education:
Fontys Hogeschool, Bachelor of Engineering, Logistics & Technical Distribution 2005 - 2009
Career:
Forwarding Operations Manager, Wim Bosman Group / Romania 2010- 2011
General Manager Eastern Europe, Koninklijke Rotra Groep / Romania 2011-2019
General Manager KOKS USA / Texas US 2019-2020
Director International Operations KOKS / Slovak Republic 2020 - present