Joost Verburg

‘Seeing, creating and seizing opportunities. This is what Van Leeuwen is really good at and what best typifies us as a company,’ says Joost Verburg, Technical Commercial Manager. Together with Commercial Director Thijs van Dulm and his team, he serves the oil and gas, and offshore markets from Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht in the Netherlands.

Joost Verburg started working at Van Leeuwen in 2002. In January 2022, he transferred internally to Teuling Staal, a specialist in duplex and super duplex stainless steel pipes and tubes, fittings, flanges and special products for the oil and gas, and offshore industries. In 2011, Van Leeuwen acquired Teuling Staal with the intent of growing in this market. The company now operates as an independent business unit from Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht. ‘We primarily serve the energy and offshore markets, ranging from onshore installations to platforms and systems that are installed on the sea bottom,’ says Joost. ‘Customers in this segment primarily require high-quality and sustainable corrosion-resistant pipe materials that must meet stringent demands. The installations are designed for a long service life in an often aggressive environment. At the request of customers, we also provide additional material tests and treatments.’

Creativity

‘The Dutch trading spirit is deeply anchored in Van Leeuwen’s business culture,’ says Joost. ‘It means being creative, daring to take risks and acting decisively. Even when market conditions are unfavorable, we always find new ways of optimally serving customers. We always work hard to ensure we deliver the right materials with the right specifications on time, despite the current global scarcity of materials. Our international network and excellent stocks play an important role in this respect.’

Connection with the customer

After his start in 2002, Joost occupied various positions at Van Leeuwen, including Procurement Manager, Sales Manager and Commercial Project Manager, among others. ‘These different roles enabled me to get to know the company from every angle.’ says Joost. In January 2023, he became responsible for managing the Teuling Staal business unit in his role as Technical Commercial Manager. ‘I am pleased that I was given this opportunity, it is challenging and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to continue to grow this way.’

Aside from being a driven and ambitious Van Leeuwen employee, Joost also is a Dutch citizen. Joost: ‘The Dutch attach a lot of importance to things such as openness, honesty, and to ‘agreed is agreed’. I can identify with that. Furthermore, most Dutch citizens find it easy to establish contact and are accessible. These characteristics are very useful for doing business. At Van Leeuwen we are also constantly seeking to establish a connection with customers and suppliers. We invest in tight, long-term relationships and aim to be a reliable partner. By always delivering consistently and respecting our agreements, we turn this into reality each and every time.’

Interesting contracts

'As a result of these excellent relationships, we tend to obtain many interesting jobs. For example, in 2022 we acquired a contract from ONE-Dyas. In 2023 and 2024 we will supply a large package of duplex and super duplex pipes, fittings and flanges under this contract for the construction of a gas extraction platform in the North Sea (see next page). I am proud of this. Moreover, once it is operational, the platform will fully operate on wind energy. That’s another major plus.’

He is positive about the coming years. Joost: ‘There are numerous new opportunities in the energy market. Aside from our own region, I am also thinking about other regions, such as Southeast Asia. We would like to seize these opportunities in close cooperation with our branches in these regions. After all, we already have a strong international network.’