ETTP doubled turnover in 3 years

Roeselare-based ETTP (European Truck Trailer Parts) took advantage of the corona period to embark on a growth spurt. The doubling of turnover in three years also made additional logistics space necessary. Soon, the new warehouse will be put into use. But the ambitions don't stop there. ‘Our project is to deliver in 100 countries and turn 50 million in sales by 2030,’ says co-CEO Anthony Hendrickx.

Anthony's father Patrick Hendrickx gained trading experience in the truck parts sector since 1986. In 2006, he started working on his own account with ETTP. Anthony Hendrickx: ‘We are a trading company in truck and trailer parts, with main focus on Volvo applications. We are the only one in the whole world who, as a non-authorised Volvo dealer, can offer the full range of both Volvo Truck, Volvo Construct (excavators, bulldozers), Volvo Penta (marine) and Volvo Bus. We do not supply copy parts at lower quality, but only original parts and OEM. We do that in 70 countries, from Peru to Australia, mainly in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and only at a few local wholesalers per country, so there is no price war.’

Roeselare is the hub of ETTP's operations. ‘Everything we buy all over the world is checked and packed here, and then departed from here to all continents. We do this to have literally seen every piece. But by investing heavily in smart grouping of shipments and, for example, manually filling containers all the way to the ceiling, we ensure that the ‘landed cost’ is more optimal and we remain competitive. In the corona period, we worked strongly on our relationships with suppliers and customers, by paying correctly, optimising large volumes and creating extra stock for our customers. As a result, our turnover doubled to 37 million in 2023. Dad realised 15 million in 15 years. In training, I once let slip that I could double that in 10 years.’ (laughs) ‘That's why I want to reach 50 million by 2030 with 10 employees (now there are 7, nvdr). In Europe we have already optimised to the maximum, but there is still a lot of potential in the Middle East, for example. That's why in December we will be at a trade fair in Dubai for the first time with our own stand.’

Success formula

The new warehouse - attached to the current one - will add 19,000 m3. ‘That will be storage for large shipments with full containers. This will also allow us to divide the existing warehouse better. We are moving the offices from the front to the middle of the total volume, to be close to everything. Our formula for success is that we recently committed to a partnership with our suppliers and customers. That means offering a diversity of brands, providing extra service such as optimising shipments and collaborating on solutions if something arises. We also want to focus on optimising our marketing and communications over the next two years. We used to be deliberately ‘low key’, but by now we are big enough to now communicate that we do stand for something.’