'I lost my heart to nuts and bolts'

In conversation with Joost Kunst, something quickly stands out: "I am insanely enthusiastic about bolt and nut joints. Since 2015, Joost has been one of the young directors of Kobout, the company founded in 1979. After 45 years, Kobout operates worldwide in the import and export of all types of fasteners. A dedicated team of nearly 130 employees ships over 200,000 kilos of bolts and nuts every week.

Kobout began as a real box shipper. Joost looks back: 'Better still by container than by pallet. But that is a finite concept. In the end you mainly have to offer the lowest price, with no added value.' In the 1990s, the second generation, Simon Kodde and his cousin Peter van Helden, came to the helm of the family business. 'They started importing from the Far East and exporting throughout Europe and made the first big steps towards more service and service. And it is precisely on that added value that we want and can distinguish ourselves today. In the end, it's all about wanting to connect sincerely and honestly.'

From school leaver to director

Joost started at Kobout in 2007 as a school leaver. 'I had done vacation work there before and called Simon (Kodde) to ask if he didn't have a job for me. I could start immediately as a warehouse worker. Soon Joost was, in his own words, "talked into trying sales. With success! In the evenings, he still completed his studies in commercial economics. In 2014, the then board members wanted to wind down their duties and Joost Kunst and associate Teun Vlot joined the board. 'I had soon lost my heart to nuts and bolts. And nothing has changed in that to this day' says the young director. 

Beyond the standard

Joost explains where the added value lies at Kobout. 'Over the years, our product range has expanded enormously. Up to over 120,000 different fasteners! But...', Joost debunks a common prejudice: 'We are a real bolt company, we have almost no wood screws.' Kobout likes to be guided by customer requests that fall outside the standard. 'That means we often have to think outside the box. And that's what makes it so much fun! For example, we have a wide range of bolts and nuts with UNC, UNF and BSW threads, as well as normal bolts in quality 10.9, 12.9 or made of special types of stainless steel. On our website we have built a special search engine to quickly find the right product.'

Metalworking

Cutting threaded rods to size is another Kobout specialization. 'In companies where ceiling tiles are not installed, you see our product nicely,' Joost explains enthusiastically. 'Then you see all kinds of pipes along the ceiling, suspended with threaded rods. That product comes standard in one, two or three meters. It is then cut to size by the installer, for example with a grinder.' That can be done differently, they thought at Kobout. They purchased a saw and started a sawing service. 'We started with one saw and hoped that we would earn it back within a year. That turned out to be two months," Joost laughs. By now, customers can use an online tool on the website to calculate the price directly, and there are twelve saws, running virtually non-stop. This department is partly staffed by colleagues with a distance to the labor market. 'These employees are trained internally, after which they can often move on to a paid job with us or at a workplace elsewhere. Isn't that great!