Werkse! is exactly what we were looking for for our quality products

VFA Solutions (VFA) is an organization focused on developing clean, healthy, and green technologies for indoor air quality (IAQ) and filtration. VFA achieves this using its own patented technologies and methods. Due to growth and development, VFA sought a partner that could handle assembly and part of the product production process. Werkse! turns out to be the right match for this.

Janwillem Hekman: "My name is Janwillem, and I'm an engineer by training. I now work as a consultant. Eliane Khoury, the founder of VFA, is my wife. Since its founding, I've supported Eliane at VFA with various tasks, primarily focused on growth and navigating the right path. Now I help the organization grow further and support them with things like drafting contracts, negotiating with suppliers, and so on."

Arno Baels: "My name is Arno Baels and I've been working at VFA for about 15 months now. I've known the company for a while because I'm friends with Janwillem and Eliane. They asked me to join VFA. I took the plunge and moved from Alkmaar to Rotterdam to work at VFA. I'm responsible for managing production, both internally and externally. Werkse!"

Janwillem: "We're a scale-up and about to become very big. We used to make all those air purifiers ourselves. And that was possible with 10 to 20 units. But now we're talking about 1.000 units, and that's a different story. Our engineers are also better at solving problems and designing than at manufacturing."

Janwillem: “We initially looked for a local party with a good price/quality ratio that could help with simple assembly work. This concerns our stand alone Products; the units you can place in a room, plug it in, and it works. They recirculate; they take the air in the room, clean it, and send the clean air back into the room. Other types of units are placed in ventilation ducts in schools or offices, for example, to clean the air from outside. Later, we also wanted to have complete products assembled and tested.

Janwillem: “We were looking for a party that could help us with the assembly and through various channels we came into contact with a manager at Werkse!. "

Janwillem: "The big advantage initially was that they're close by. We're in Schiedam, and Delft is nearby. Werkse! has a modern and easily accessible building with a professional appearance. It's always buzzing; there's a reception desk and people are meeting. The assembly rooms are bright and spacious. We enjoy bringing our partners and clients here. The social aspect also appeals to us. As an SME, we have a harder time hiring people who are disadvantaged in the labor market. For us, this is a great way to contribute to that."

Arno: “Werkse! assembles some of our air purifiers. As an innovative company, our production is constantly evolving. Since we want to focus on product innovation, we are very pleased with Werkse! who can do part of our production for us well and flexibly.”

Janwillem: “We ensure that Werkse! has the components. They receive them, so to speak, as a kind of assembly kit. Werkse! Then they do the assembly at their own location, where a space has been set aside for our air purifiers. Here, they assemble the various individual parts. They also test them to ensure they're properly assembled. They're very strict and precise. And that's exactly what we were looking for in our quality products."

Janwillem: “We sent parts to Werkse! to assemble units with construction drawings. At the beginning, Arno went to Werkse! to instruct employees. We then randomly checked the units to see if they matched the drawings and if the checklist had been completed. Now they do this independently, and we maintain close contact for coordination.

Janwillem: “We're a company that devises innovative concepts and develops them into finished products. But we don't necessarily want to handle the production ourselves. We've managed to outsource a labor-intensive and repetitive part of our production. This frees up more time for customized projects, building prototypes, and conducting research. Especially in the phase VFA is currently in and with the current volume of units, scaling up is a valuable asset.”

Janwillem: “It's nice, we have regular meetings about the progress of the work. Every month we meet with the core team: three of Werkse! and three from VFA. It's a great experience. They really think along with you. Werkse!They provide tips if something goes wrong during assembly. Administrative matters such as receiving invoices and issuing quotes are also handled efficiently.

Janwillem: "This is something we strive to incorporate into all our work. We already supply products that contribute to the health of people, animals, and the environment. We also strive to select all our product packaging materials as environmentally friendly as possible and use cardboard instead of plastic whenever possible."

Janwillem: “We like what we're doing now and it's convenient. VFA is a technology venture; we exist by creating new applications. We recently produced units that can also be used for elevators. That's a model project that shows some growth potential. We see this growth as an opportunity to expand our operations at Werkse! And this is possible for any less complex application. For both complete units and parts of large units. It saves us space and time."

Janwillem: “We would Werkse! Definitely recommend. Of course, it takes time to properly explain the assembly process to the employees. But then you know it will be fine. The work is carried out at Werkse! Very well done. They work well together and are more than just a product supplier.