One of my first trips at TPi was visiting ADJ Group’s European base. Almost a decade on, it was incredible to see the transformation of the company’s industrial park in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. The Group – which includes ADJ, Acclaim Lighting, Duratruss, Elation and Obsidian Control Systems – invited customers and staff members to see Hall 4 in all its glory.
The latest addition for the Group’s premises has total space of 4,771 sq m over three floors, with room for further expansion. The bottom floor features a new state-of-the-art QC area with the upper floors featuring new R&D labs, a service area and an extensive spare parts department with a staggering 46,000 bins. The service area has room for up to 20 technicians and the spacious R&D and servicing rooms are all situated in the circumference of the building – providing workers a view of the picturesque Kerkrade countryside.
“This was a significant project which we felt was essential to allow our brands to continue to serve customers with the highest possible standard,” commented ADJ Group President, Toby Velazquez, who travelled from the US for the grand opening. “This investment shows our commitment to excellent customer service not just through words, but with actions – building a new infrastructure and investing in people to ensure we continue meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers.”
The new QC space, R&D labs and servicing facility will allow for improved workflows as the Group continues its expansion in Europe. During the opening event, guests were invited to look around the sizeable QC area with its electric, height-adjustable work tables, giving all workers plenty of space to oversee products before sending them to customers – allowing the Group to process more orders in a shorter time frame as well as increasing the storage capacity.
“Ecstatic” about this new facility, Patrick Huntjens – who leads the QC team for ADJ Group in Europe – provided an insight into the sustainability measures implemented in Hall 4. Some 424 solar panel with the ability to generate 214Kw of electricity at peak and 200MWh per year will allow ADJ Group to offset the production of 100 tonnes of carbon, annually. Huntjens shared that one of his jobs was to “keep an eye on” the warehouse’s power usage, while ensuring products are “rigorously tested” before leaving the warehouse.
Following the tour of the facility with Elation’s Larry Beck and ADJ’s Eddie Short, TPi was welcomed to the upper floor of the warehouse for a reception and presentation sharing details of the build process of the new space, demonstrating ADJ Group’s dedication to increasing its commitment to customers and the service it can provide in Europe as well as increasing the frequency at which the Group can process new orders.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: ADJ Group
