Testimonials

DAF Trucks opts for long-term agreements with GDF SUEZ Global Energy

DAF Trucks, a subsidiary of the American company PACCAR, Inc., focuses on developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling and servicing semi-heavy and heavy commercial vehicles. These vehicles are built according to the "built-to-order” principle, which means that they are only manufactured when the customer orders them. In this way, DAF builds each vehicle based on the customer’s specific needs.

Efficiency

DAF Trucks has production sites in Eindhoven (Netherlands) and Westerlo (Belgium). Its Design Center is also set up in Eindhoven. Manufacturing trucks involves using huge amounts of energy. In Eindhoven, average annual electricity and gas use represents about 85 million kW/h.

“This year, it will be less”, says Ronald Stegers, Energy manager for DAF Trucks, “because we are manufacturing fewer commercial vehicles than in 2008 due to the economic climate. Furthermore, we can see that the long-term energy-saving agreements are starting to work, both in the Netherlands and in Belgium".

Ronald Stegers explains that DAF Trucks is committed to achieving a goal of 2% better energy efficiency each year. To this end, a variety of steps have been taken. “We are adapting energy use to our production process with increasing precision. Wherever machinery, facilities and lighting aren't needed, we turn them off. To do that, we had to change behaviours. After launching the energy-saving programme last year, we’re now starting to feel the effects”.

Partnership

In Belgium, DAF Trucks has been working for some time now with GDF SUEZ Global Energy for gas and electricity. “After the positive experiments carried out there, we also opted for this partnership in the Netherlands", explains Ronald Stegers.

Then a "silent" transition was done to GDF SUEZ Global Energy. “It is clear that we therefore have a solid pan-European partner, which matches up perfectly with what we want as a multinational company. Unfortunately, European regulations do not yet allow one single contract to be concluded for several countries, but we are nonetheless taking advantage, both in Belgium and in the Netherlands, of the GDF SUEZ Global Energy approach. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a unique situation in the energy market”.

Advice

Ronald Stegers is most of all satisfied with the energy strategy advice that makes GDF SUEZ Global Energy stand out from the others. “It goes well beyond what one would expect from an energy supplier. We benefit from advice and tools for efficiently managing our portfolio. We can therefore purchase efficiently and manage our price-related risks. Another important point: our contract includes agreements on GDF SUEZ Global Energy consultancy services”.

Therefore, GDF SUEZ Global Energy counsellors examine projects for DAF Trucks that may contribute to their energy-saving goals. “In other words, we can draw on highly qualified counsellors who do in-depth analysis of a certain number of projects for us. In this context, they use their experience in other organizations' energy programmes as a reference".

Confidence

Ronald Stegers remarks that GDF SUEZ Global Energy is looking for a partnership over the long term. “As far as prices are concerned, there is very little difference among suppliers in general. It is different in regards to how the contracts are structured. GDF SUEZ Global Energy has adopted a multinational approach and helps us to reduce our energy use in Belgium and the Netherlands. That means that, in the end, we buy less energy. I think it’s wonderful to be able to cooperate with a partner that finds that less important than a long-term partnership".