Customer Stories: Kumij company

Kumij Company has Vitality at Heart

In our Kalas Customer Stories series, we continue with an interview with the project manager of the Dutch company Kumij, who was put in charge of ordering cycling clothing in the company's colours for a planned ride together. 

Vitality is not something that the Dutch company Kumij will impose on its employees. No, sport is already part of the management’s DNA and Kumij has many employees who run, walk or ride. So, it was time for great sportswear in the colors of the company. This is how Kalas Netherlands came across Kumij's path.

“I already knew Kalas through Snits Cycling Club, a club based near the company’s home of Groningen in the north of Netherlands so when we were looking for kit for Kumij, I got in touch. The great thing for us is that Kalas not only has clothing for cyclists, but also for the runners within the company.”

Speaking is Bert Mast, project manager at Kumij, a company that produces synthetic materials of all sorts. It has a long history but currently mainly focuses on the production of window frames. With 120 employees, it is one of the largest in the Netherlands. The employees work in production, in the office and in sales. Kumij is an ambitious and growing company. Energetic employees are of great importance to realize those ambitions.

“It starts in our management team,” says Bert. “We have fanatical cyclists and runners on our board of directors and it continues like that throughout the company. We also like to involve our customers in our sports activities. We had already done a cycling clinic with a pro cyclist in the past and we breathed new life into it last year, including new clothing for employees and customers.”

Kumij chose Kalas, among other things, because of the possibility to supply sportswear for more than just the fast, ‘close-fit Lycra’ cyclists. There are also some more loose-fitting options so everyone can choose what fits best.

The design team received some instructions from the management and marketing department and the in-house designers of Kalas started working with the style and colors of Kumij. Three design samples were made for review.

“I am very practical myself and quickly liked the three designs,” laughs Bert. “But of course, the marketing department thought it was very important that we had exactly the right company colors and the right logos. Actually, we decided pretty quickly. The design we chose was then fine-tuned so that it was completely in line with our corporate identity.”

To promote company spirit, to play sports together, to enjoy a good mood - these are the goals of the Kumij team bike ride. 

To facilitate the collection of orders, Kalas has set up a dedicated online shop exclusively for Kumij. Once logged in, each employee could select their preferred set of clothing, from stretchy jerseys to comfortable shorts to a variety of accessories.

“We wanted really good quality bib shorts with a good chamois. As a cyclist myself, I know how important that is,” explains Bert. “The Endurance 3D chamois we chose is perfect. It’s great for more frequent cyclists, but also occasional cyclist can enjoy the quality of this pad.”

Kumij gave a nice discount to the employees on this set, which could be offered immediately in the online shop.

“We didn't want to give the clothes away for free because that would easily lead to waste. People tend to order things that are free but not necessary and then it disappears into a cupboard. That does not fit in with our sustainability philosophy,” explains Bert.

“But we do want to encourage exercise and therefore keep it as accessible as possible. Kalas was able to immediately process the discount that we as Kumij give to the staff in the online shop by means of a voucher. In this way, the employees could complete their order and pay for everything above the value of that voucher themselves. We received a total invoice for all vouchers. This way we don't have to settle anything afterwards with the employees. This solution offered by Kalas makes our collaboration very straightforward and simple.”

Because everyone has different requirements for sportswear, Kalas came to the Kumij branch in Groningen for a fitting session. Crates full of clothing were displayed that employees could try on during working hours.

“Sportswear is very personal,” says Bert. “While one person likes a tight-fitting outfit, the other might want a slightly wider jersey. Our employees had the opportunity to fit all the options extensively. There was a very wide choice for both men and women. After trying on, it was possible to indicate on a special form which sizes and which items they had tried on. This allowed our employees to go to the online shop to place the order themselves.”

That wasn't just about that selected set for cycling. Kalas had also made a selection of clothing for other sports.

“The order could be delivered to the employee’s home address, which was very handy for our sales representatives who are not often at the office. However, most employees opted for office delivery. There were individual packages for each employee containing their order. That was very nice because it meant that our staff didn't have to go through entire boxes of clothing to put together sets and there was no chaos. Moreover, not a single order has gone wrong. Everything was perfectly fine.”
 

A group photo featuring the same team jerseys is not to be missed. A show of hands for all those who are going on today's ride hungry for pizza!

Kumij not only ordered clothing for its own employees, but also for business relations.

“We also ordered that set in different sizes for our business relations. The number of pieces that we had to purchase at Kalas is low, which ensured that we did not have to buy too much extra clothing. And now that the design is already there, a new order is a piece of cake,” concludes Bert.

The Kumij employees have now been able to enjoy the quality and comfort of Kalas for a whole cycling season.

“I've already received the first questions about new clothes,” laughs Bert. “I think we will open the online shop again soon. The order time is not very long, so we will soon be ready for the new season.”

Bert praises not only the quality of the clothing, but also the entire unburdening process that Kalas offered to Kumij. The in-house design, the fitting sessions and the individual advice, the orders via the online shop, the individual deliveries per employee and the crash replacement service.

“I had to use the latter myself. Of course, that crash wasn't great,” he says with a smile. “But the complete service that Kalas has offered us as Kumij, is. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing colleagues together in that beautiful blue jersey of our company. I am already looking forward to great new cycling tours this year,” he concludes.