Axa Basta Changes Course with Drastic Measures

VEENENDAAL, The Netherlands – Axa Stenman Group, maker of Axa and Basta bike components and accessories, has opted for a new strategic course. The new CEO of the company, Peter van Vlijmen (photo) who took over the management from Cees Oosterhoorn last November, is leading the transformation of the company that goes hand in hand with some drastic measures.

One of the measures is that the company is laying-off about 20% of its staff in The Netherlands. About 50 employees are involved of a total of 220 people working at the company’s HQ in Veenendaal, The Netherlands.

Included in the lay-offs are members of the staff of De Woerd, producer of chain guards and chain cases. That company based in Barneveld, The Netherlands, was taken over by the Axa Stenman Group in December 2007.

The production facility in Barneveld will be closed and the operations will be transferred to Veenendaal. Axa Stenman Group will be keeping its production facilities in Poland and France and sales offices in Germany and Denmark. However, the new strategic course also involves a production shift as well as more outsourcing in the Fareast.

That new strategic plan has been baptised “Change for Growth”. The plan is aimed at accelerating international growth and strengthening and expanding Axa Stenman Group’s market share in both bicycle components & accessories as well as builders hardware which is the second main product range made.

In a press release on the new course of the company it is pointed out
that marketing and sales operations, as well as product development, will be managed on a unified basis from Veenendaal. “The activities will be incorporated into business lines: one for bicycle accessories and one for builder’s hardware. Production management and purchasing/sourcing will also be centrally managed from Veenendaal. This means that Axa Stenman Group will be abandoning management through a holding company and separate operating companies, changing it for a more compact organisational structure with shorter reporting lines and an improved response time to customers and market needs.”

On questions about the business line bicycle accessories Van Vlijmen says: “As the former manager Dirk Bolderman left an interim nanager is now leading that division. We are looking for a new manager who next to sales and marketing will also have to have product development skills. Because our new course is targeting an acceleration of innovation particularly those with distinguishing features as well as broadening the portfolio.”

The “Change for Growth” plan also includes “the transfer of several production activities to our Axa branch in Thailand.” Van Vlijmen elaborates: “We already produce dynamo’s there. However, the company in Thailand is more focused on steel products for our builder’s hardware division. But we expect to shift more production to Asia as Basta in France will focus more on high-end products while low to mid end will increasingly be sourced. All these measures are to help strengthen and further expand Axa’s current market position in OEM as well as the Aftermarket.”