Sustainable customer relations
Wieland intends to recruit customers and local partners that have proven their commitment with corporate social responsibility. This means that they should ensure – in accordance with local standards – reasonable wages and safe working conditions for their employees. The recruitment of and communication with new customers and suppliers mostly takes place through Wieland’s extensive network. After the first contact, mostly by email, new relations are invited to visit the location in Wormerveer. After such a visit, most customers are impressed by the production hall and the seamless sorting process of Wieland.
After these preliminary meetings, Wieland intends to build long term customer relationships, because good business relations are an important pillar of its business philosophy. Therefore, the managing board aims to visit customers personally and on-site at least once a year. Throughout the years, Wieland has developed an extensive network of business relations in three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia).
Sorting and re-use of textiles thrives on sales second-hand clothes
The sales of second-hand clothes to customers in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe is the main source of Wieland’s revenues. The sorting of textile materials does contribute to this, but is not sufficient to make it a profitable business. Taking the global scarcity of valuable raw materials, such as cotton and wool, into consideration, the business strategy of Wieland is focused on a further upgrade of new materials resulting from textiles and the development of new, more profitable product-market combinations. Before this is the case, the sorting of textile materials will have to be paid for out of the sales of second-hand clothes. Up until now, this has been quite successful. As a result of Wieland’s excellent business relations in Africa and Eastern Europe, in the Netherlands the company is able to offer attractive prices for collected textiles. These business partners are prepared and able to pay a good price for sorted second-hand clothes.
