TKe^cUuneó et UteMieuM, JLcuUcó and (fantlenten
EXPORT COMMITTEE
Vous tous a l'étranger et nous-mêmes ici a la direction
Export de Heineken, nous sommes immensément redeva-
bles a un groupe important de personnes dévouées, tra-
vaillant avec nous et pour nous mais demeurant dans
une relative obscurité.
Je parle des „services silencieux" dont Ie travail rend pos
sible l'exportation et la distribution des énormes quantités
de bière, expédiée par bateau, route et rail de Rotterdam,
Amsterdam et Bois-le-Duc. Ces „services silencieux" com-
prennent les chefs et Ie personnel de nos services de
brassage et d'embouteillage, des services d'achat, aussi
bien que les équipes de planning et de recherches.
Chaque section intéressée a nos ventes l'étranger parti-
cipe au Comité d'Exportation qui se réunit ici tous les jeudis.
Dans ce numéro nous vous présentons les membres du
Comité d'Exportation et nous décrivons leur röle. Sans les
membres de ce comité et leurs collègues diligents, nous ne
serions point capables de parler de notre volume de ventes
et des millions de verres débordant de bière Heineken qui
sont vidés chaque jour dans Ie monde entier.
All of you abroad and we, here in the Heineken Export
Group, owe a tremendous lot to a large number of dedi
cated men and women who work with and for us, but in
comparative obscurity.
I'm referring to the "silent services" who make it possible
to export and distribute the huge quantities of beer dis
patched daily by ship, road, and rail from Rotterdam, Am
sterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch. They include supervisors
and personnel in the brewing division, bottling halls, and
purchasing departments, as well as the planning and
research teams.
Each section concerned with our sales abroad is repre
sented on the Export Committee which meets here every
Thursday. In this issue we introduce its members to you
and describe the committee's functions. Without them and
their diligent colleagues, we wouldn't be able to talk about
export records, sales results, and the millions of glasses
brimming with high-quality Heineken throughout the world.
J. Ch. Cornelis
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Exporting beer seems to be a simple business. One could
say: "You make the beer, put it in bottles or cans, pack
the cartons, then send it on its way, and that's that as far
as the producer is concerned; the better our agents are,
the more we sell."
However, to be able to export on as large a scale as
Heineken, any organization needs to do considerably more
than just follow these "simple" procedures. Naturally, the
work done by our agents and distributors abroad is of the
utmost importance But, should Heineken be unable to
supply them continuously with beer of the highest quality,
in the quantities required, shipped in the best possible
packing, and with the greatest degree of efficiency their
work would be seriously jeopardized, and might even
become impossible.
To be able to meet the expectations of our business friends
in other countries, we need the close cooperation of a
large number of people, who work together as a team,
behind the scenes. The individual members of this team are
all located in The Netherlands but in three different areas,
situated about an hour apart by road or train. They do their
particular jobs in Amsterdam the nation's capital in
the northwestern part of our country; Rotterdam the
world's largest port at the foot of the Rhine River, where
it meets the North Sea; or 's-Hertogenbosch (which means
the Duke's woods) capital of the province of North
Brabant. These three cities form a triangle with Amsterdam
at the top, Rotterdam on our west coast, and 's-Hertogen
bosch to the south and east of the other two points.
Like any large family, the individual members of the
Heineken team are aware of their "relatives" in other cities
and communicate with each other by phone or mail. To per
sonalize their contacts and coordinate their numerous
activities, an Export Committee was formed many years
ago. its first meeting took place on September 26, 1945,
less than five months after World War II ended in Europe.
Their 1000th session was held on November 6, 1969 and
they recently passed the 1100th mark. The committee now
meets every Thursday.
Naturally, during more than 21/2 decades, the names of
those attending these meetings have changed. The group
has also grown in size, but the purpose of their meetings
remains the same. They discuss and solve problems, make
plans for new developments, exchange views about the
quantities of beer to be brewed, packaging, shipping, and
quality control. In short, they cover every aspect of produc
tion for export.
The cooperation in the Export Committee and subsequent
actions have a direct effect upon the work of every
Heineken agent and representative abroad. Therefore we
feel more should be known about them.
Together they represent more than 174 years in the brewery
business and 219 years of technical or commercial expe
rience. Now it is our pleasure to introduce them individually.
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