Belgian base for delivery within 48 hours

White smoke recently came out of the chimney at 247TailorSteel. They have found their Belgian base of operations. The custom sheet metal specialist is going to start building a state-of-the-art factory in Hooglede, in the heart of West Flanders. From there it will be able to further tighten its delivery times for the Belgian market. 

On a 30,000 m² piece of building land in Hooglede near Roeselare, the contours of the new factory of 247TailorSteel. On an area of 17,000 m², it will set up there a state-of-the-art plant for folding and cutting sheets, tubes and tubes. 

"We like to be close to our customers," opens CEO Carl Berlo. "That's the best way to guarantee them the most competitive delivery time possible. Currently, the Belgian market is supplied from the Netherlands and Germany. Starting in the fall of 2023, that will also be possible from West Flanders. In this way we want to be able to guarantee customers that they can expect their sheet metal work barely 48 hours after ordering. This branch can also become our gateway to opening up the French market."

Digital, fast and competitively priced

247TailorSteel carries digitization as a high priority. Through the Sophia® online portal, customers can upload their 3D drawings to receive a personalized quote for bending, cutting and even deburring within a minute. 

"If the customer has a complex piece or needs advice on a particular operation, our help desk is also always on standby. This extensive automation and digitalization allows us to deliver quickly in the quality they want and at the lowest cost price. With the new factory in Hooglede, we will be able to fulfill our mission to deliver within 48 hours for the whole of Belgium. For our customers, this means in the first place that they need to keep less sheet metal in stock themselves. Moreover, we can always guarantee very competitive material prices, precisely because of our scale. Even with all the material scarcity that exists today, we have recently kept our delivery reliability intact," Berlo says proudly. 

Enthusiastic team wanted

Once the customer confirms the order digitally, all the cogs behind the scenes are set in motion digitally. The 3D drawings and unfolding automatically leave on schedule for the state-of-the-art sheet metal working machines. Berlo: "Then it's up to our employees to put their craftsmanship to work in order to achieve the quality for which we now stand in the market. That is why we are already looking for shift leaders and operators to man the new factory in Hooglede. Anyone interested can always let us know via application@247tailorsteel.com." 

Prior knowledge and experience are certainly a plus, but not an absolute requirement. "In our own Academy, we prepare employees for their work in this highly automated environment. After all, they will have the most modern tools at their disposal to do their job to perfection. In doing so, we try to create as pleasant a workplace as possible, where it is nice to work in shifts and with all the benefits that come with it," Berlo said. 247TailorSteel expects the new plant, once at full capacity, to provide 250 jobs.

Grow further

With this fine investment, 247TailorSteel its disruptive model further. Berlo: "We are still growing at double-digit rates. On the Belgian and French markets, the new factory in Hooglede will undoubtedly set things in motion again. We are proud that our model is catching on so well and that we can meet the expectations of metalworkers and machine builders in terms of quality, delivery time and price."