Interview on cooperation
Paul van der Meer is Operations Manager and Environmental Coordinator at Van der Valk Solar Systems. In this interview, Paul explains Van der Valk's motivation to become more sustainable and why they chose sustainably produced steel from KS Service Center to do so. Paul gives us insight into how this partnership is helping to make their solar panel mounting systems more sustainable and what impact this is having on their operations and the wider supply chain.
Can you tell us what Van der Valk does?
Van der Valk Solar Systems develops and manufactures mounting systems for solar panels for all substrates, but particularly flat and pitched roofs. In addition to my role as Operations Manager, I have another position as Environmental Coordinator. This means that I deal with all environmental issues and related certifications.
Why did your company choose sustainably produced steel (Green Steel) from KS Service Center?
Sustainability is one of our company's four core values. This means that we are constantly looking for opportunities to make our products more sustainable. This can include ensuring a longer service life, opportunities to reuse parts at the end of their useful life and recycling. In addition, we can use our influence in the chain to make progress in the area of sustainability of (production) processes. The use of sustainably produced steel fits our mission perfectly, as it contributes to the greening of steel production.
What are the specific applications or projects for which you will use KS Service Center's sustainably produced steel?
The ValkPro+ mounting system, for installing solar panels on flat roofs, consists largely of steel components. This mounting system is very popular and is used in many countries in Europe. Our plan is to gradually convert the steel parts of this system to sustainably produced steel.
How did you learn about sustainably produced steel?
KS Service Center has long been an important partner for us and we work closely together during the development of new products. They invited us to discuss the possibilities of Green Steel. After some discussions, we were convinced that this was the right choice for our sustainability goals.
Can you tell us something about the impact of sustainability on your business and what role sustainably produced steel plays in it?
Sustainability has a huge impact on our company, not only from our own core values, but also because of the growing demand from our customers. Sustainably produced steel helps us to make the processes in the chain more sustainable, allowing us to reduce the overall carbon footprint of our products.