2022 was another record year for Damen Schelde Marine Services

Managing Director Arnold Suykerbuyk is proud of his team of 35 colleagues who managed to make 2022 another successful year for Damen Schelde Marine Services (DSMS) and Maritime Logistics. “We had a record year in terms of turnover and profit,” he says. “As an internationally oriented wholesaler with expertise in diesel marine engine parts, we operate in 60 countries and sent more than 5,000 shipments worldwide in 2022. Despite not being a big team, we have performed very well. I am very proud of what we have achieved in the past year.”

DSMS achieved several successes in the past year. For instance, the company was awarded ISO 14001 environmental management certification for the first time: an important step in making the company more sustainable. “We also managed to implement other improvements, such as LED lighting in our buildings. We are expected to use less energy in 2023,” Arnold adds.

To further reduce energy consumption, blinds were installed last year to better regulate the temperature in the offices. And it was not only on the outside that the office received an upgrade. Arnold: “During the summer, everyone worked at home for a while so that we could renovate the entire interior; after 15 years, it was time. Now everyone has a new workplace, and this is also a sign of appreciation for the hard work the team has put in over the past few years.”

For several years, DSMS has been honing its supply chain and continued to do so in 2022. “We have ensured that our supply chain is very solid with good forecasts on inventory. Last year, production and transportation times and costs increased, but we managed to anticipate well and order on time and purchased the right quantities to take advantage of the most advantageous transportation rates,” Arnold explains. “It was a big challenge to get the right quantities here on time and at the lowest price. Right now, we are actually seeing production and transport times and transport costs going down again, but production costs are still increasing. That means we have to adjust, but we don’t have to buy in the same large volumes anymore. This is the game you play.”

In recent years, there has been a lot of focus on recruiting young talent. The DSMS team included a number of employees with very many years of experience, but as they were heading towards retirement, replacements had to be found. “We try to transfer the knowledge and experience of our employees to the new generation in time,” says Arnold. “We have been able to connect with a number of young people through internships and two different secondary level vocational training schemes. If it is mutually beneficial, it is a good way to link people to your company at a young age.”

Several new Sales Managers have also been hired, including one for Power Plants. Arnold: “Our company has made considerable growth in this market. We supply the spare parts for these power plants and we want to develop and expand that further in the coming year.” The forecast for 2023 is good, although Arnold cannot reveal too much about the plans yet. “We are about to sign a couple of big contracts: for a major repair project with a world-renowned shipping company and with a large French power plant. Especially that first project is so big that we are able to use a hall from Damen Yachting to carry out all the necessary work and store stock. If everything goes according to plan, these contracts will be a nice cherry on top.”