Putting water in motion propels growth of puteus

More than the establishment of local facilities and transport of products, the move of Western companies to the East brought about prolific knowledge exchanges that lent a globalised perspective to Asian businesses' best practices. Domestic water installations specialist puteus is a prime example of such a company that elevated local industry standards when it entered the Chinese market. 

"When we entered China in the 1980s, our partner suppliers had a simpler factory set-up. From a handful of employees, they now have more than 2,000 people," says general manager Hans de Gruyter. "We improve their technology, and by the same token, we also learn a lot from them."

A full range supplier of valves, fittings and meters for the sanitary and heating sectors, trading company puteus has developed a strong technical expertise to tailor its product line according to various industry requirements. 

Guided by its motto, "Water in Motion", puteus empowers its clients to always move forward. Understanding the value of shorter lead times for its customers, puteus keeps extensive product stocks. Its warehouse in Tonisvorst has a storage capacity of more than 13,000 pallets. From the Tonisvorst location, puteus ships an average quantity of 80,000 parts a day. 

Aside from the mainland, puteus sources products globally. With its Chinese partner, puteus brought in its German heritage to help it meet rigorous European quality standards. To control production processes and maintain high quality levels of the products it sources, puteus established a subsidiary in Shanghai in 1990. Having a local facility also helps puteus support the growth of its partner supplier on the mainland. Looking outside China, puteus is building its supplier base in Thailand, India and Vietnam as well. 

"We are always open to finding new suppliers for continuous product development. We seek long-term relationships based on trust with those who are willing to follow new global standards," de Gruyter says.