A stable relationship with Zwitserleven.
Hans Wiedemeijer is the financial director of Brother Nederland, the national sales organisation of the well-known multinational company. Our relationship with Zwitserleven is just as stable as Brother itself. It has been good for 40 years now.
The Zwitserleven experience Hans Wiedemeijer
“Contrary to what many people think, Brother is a Japanese company. It was founded in 1908 by the two brothers Marayoshi and Yitsuichy Yasui, hence the name. They started long ago with treadle sewing machines for the production of straw hats. From there they went on to build a global group with various production companies and sales offices. The company has been operating in the Netherlands for 44 years now. I myself have been working here for almost 22 years. That may seem a long time, but it is not exceptional for Brother. Employees are currently employed for an average of 18 years. The previous Managing Director retired after 38 years.”
“What Zwitserleven and Brother have in common is that they are both stable companies, with a focus on service.”
“Our relationship with Zwitserleven is certainly long-standing. In fact they recently stopped by our offices early in the morning one day to hand out coffee and pastries. To celebrate that we had been a customer for 40 years. Very considerate of them and a real surprise. None of the staff knew about it. It also shows that the relationship is good.”
“When I started working here, we sold sewing machines, knitting machines, typewriters, microwaves and printers. Today, Brother produces laser printers, multi-function centres and lettering systems, and much more. We focus mainly on SMEs and private individuals. We stand out with our in-house technical service and help desk. This is greatly appreciated by our customers.”
“A lot has changed in the time I've worked for Brother. Like a couple of years ago, when Zwitserleven introduced My Workplace. This platform allows you to report staff changes very easily. Around the same time, Brother rolled out SAP across the organisation. That was a huge exercise. But thanks to the great work and dedication of our staff, the rollout went without a hitch.”
Familiar with Zwitserleven
“When I became financial director, I looked into pensions to be able to talk to Zwitserleven on a level playing field. It is a complex matter. And although it is only a small part of my daily work, it is an important part.”
“I know the people at Zwitserleven quite well and have a good relationship with my contact. I can always call them if anything’s the matter or if I have a question. For us it is also an advantage that they are close by. That makes it easy to pick up or drop off anything.”
“A few years ago we had to choose whether to stay with Zwitserleven or switch to an industry-wide pension fund. That was a pretty intensive process, during which we received a lot of advice from our intermediary and the contacts at Zwitserleven. In the end, we decided to stay with Zwitserleven. However, we did modify our pension agreement, working with Zwitserleven.”
“We use high speed accounting here. This means that I have five days a month in which to prepare financial statements. It is therefore essential to have quick access to things like pension data. Zwitserleven has never come up short. Just yesterday, for example, I asked for some figures. I already received a full reply today.”