Jan Timmermans – Second Generation and visionary
Jan Timmermans, a visionary leader, played a crucial role in the growth of the family business and was the driving force behind expanding operations into Poland. As the second generation, Jan faced challenges but managed to navigate the company through difficult times and stimulate growth.
After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Jan joined the company, where he gained experience in various roles and acquired the necessary qualifications. In 1981, he took over the company from his father. Despite the challenges, Jan successfully expanded the business. The company invested in the fleet, the storage capacity was increased and new (inter)national customers were attracted. Significant focus was placed on quality (ISO 9002) and performance, allowing Timmermans to develop into a modern logistics company.
In 1993, the company achieved a significant milestone by acquiring the transportation company In ‘t Veld. This allowed Timmermans to expand operations to Etten-Leur and become a “public warehousing” company, providing handling and inventory management services in addition to transportation and warehousing.
Jan Timmermans had a vision that extended beyond national borders. In the 1990s, a friendly relationship developed between the municipality of Diessen and the Polish town of Rakoniewice. This led Timmermans to transport relief goods to Poland. Jan saw the opportunity there to create jobs in Poland and at the same time use the experience from the Netherlands to start new logistics activities in Poland. In 1996, Timmermans founded a sister company called Ponetex Logistics (Poland Netherlands Transport Expedition).
But Jan’s ambition didn’t stop there. He also saw opportunities to create a solution to the tightness in the Dutch labour market. In 1999, Jan founded Axell, an employment agency that initially focused on providing Polish flex workers for logistics positions for its own organization. Axell helped the Polish workers settle in the Netherlands by offering them housing and guidance. The cooperation between Polish and Dutch workers proved to be very successful and the temp agency expanded by supplying qualified personnel to several external companies
Jan’s leadership and entrepreneurial spirit led to significant growth for the company. The expansion into Poland provided the opportunity to take advantage of the region’s promising logistics sector. In addition, Jan was actively involved in the industry, serving on the main board of Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN) and participating in in collective labour agreement negotiations.
Jan Timmermans’ vision and determination have transformed the company into a successful and respected family business with strong core values. The company has expanded its presence beyond borders and stimulated growth in the logistics sector.